Equity issues persist in General Chemistry courses, with low-income and racially minoritized students being less likely to receive a passing grade. While about a third of students do not pass their introductory chemistry course in general, this figure is 45% or more for many minoritized groups.
Digital Promise is leading a research study focused on evidence-based teaching practices and student learning. With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will be studying teaching and learning in college-level General Chemistry courses and examining whether a new digital learning courseware for the subject achieves its goals of enhancing course engagement and outcomes for students, particularly those who identify as low-income, Black, Latinx, and/or Indigenous. The courseware, REAL CHEM, is being developed by Arizona State University and Carnegie Mellon University. By harnessing learning research, equity pedagogy, and learning technology, we should be able to reliably produce successful course outcomes for these students.
Over this multi year research project, Digital Promise will release study reports to share the status of our research. Watch this space for updates on the research and courseware!
ChemCORE
