Olivia Ortiz, “How 100 Level Chemistry Students Evaluate the Relevance of Course Topics for Their Career/Personal Lives”
Mentor: Anja Blecking, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Poster #102

Educational studies have show that students often perceive chemistry as one of the more difficult academic subjects which has been described in literature as “being not very popular among students.” As one probable reason for this, researchers name the perceived lack of relevance of chemistry for students lives. It is well known that students who do not perceive course content as relevant are less motivated, and less likely to succeed. In chemistry, especially when discussing foundational concepts, it can often be difficult for students to see how these concepts apply to their future careers or their personal lives. The connections become much clearer once students move into higher-level courses. This study now investigates how students in 100-level chemistry courses at UWM perceive the relevance of chemistry concepts for their future career and their personal lives. To investigate student perceptions, students currently enrolled in 100-level chemistry courses (100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106) received an anonymous survey. The presentation will describe the survey design and share study results. The findings of this survey will inform course instructors and provide opportunities to strengthen connections between course material, student career paths, and life outside of the classroom.