Two-stage exams: A strategy for reducing exam-related stress
OpEd by Dr Alice Cherestes, Director, Freshman Program
Students talk about the course as OChem or Orgo, otherwise known as Organic Chemistry, one of the most dreaded courses for any student doing a university science degree. The course, taken mostly in the early stage of a student鈥檚 undergraduate degree, requires that material taught during the first week of class be understood and applied many weeks later when students do the final exam.聽聽
I鈥檝e been teaching Organic Chemistry for 20 years and it鈥檚 always been my favorite course to teach. I like it because for most students the material is brand new and their curiosity is still very much alive. In my role as professor, I鈥檓 not there to only deliver the material and expect students to perform. I try to capitalize on students鈥� curiosity and make it clear to them that we鈥檙e in this together鈥攖ogether, we鈥檒l surmount the difficulty of the course and work towards our common goal: understanding.聽聽