Students’ Learning Experience with a Flipped Introductory Organic Chemistry Course - A Course Designed for Non-Chemistry Majors

Oct 15, 2026

Flipped classrooms are increasingly used in higher education as a student-centered active learning approach. This study teaches an introductory organic chemistry course for non-chemistry majors using a flipped design that combines blended learning content delivery and in-class group work. Students’ learning experiences are examined, showing that most participants adapt to the model and report greater autonomy. They also perceive flipped components as effective uses of learning time for organic chemistry.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Volume 4 7 (1) Winter / Hiver 2021 Students’ Learning Experience with a Flipped Introductory Organic Chemistry Course: A Course Designed for Non-Chemistry Majors L'expérience d'apprentissage des étudiants dans un cours inversé d'introduction à la chimie organique : Un cours conçu pour des étudiants sans spécialisation en chimie Horace Luong, University of Manitoba Thomas Falkenberg, University of Manitoba Mahdi Rahimian, Queen’s University Abstract The use of flipped classrooms has been gaining popularity across various disciplines in higher education as a student-centered active learning strategy. In this study, an introductory organic chemistry course for students whose major is not in Chemistry was taught using a flipped classroom design, incorporating blended learning to deliver content, and using group work in the classroom. The learning experiences ofthe students enrolled in the course are discussed. Most of the students adjusted to the strategy and reported a sense of autonomy over their learning. Students also reported believing that most of the flipped classroom design components were a good use of their time in learning organic chemistry. Keywords: organic chemistry ; undergraduate ; flipped classroom ; blended learning ; non-major Résumé L'utilisation de la classe inversée a gagné en popularité dans diverses disciplines de l'enseignement supérieur en tant que stratégie d'apprentissage actif centrée sur l'étudiant. Dans cette étude, un cours d'introduction à la chimie organique pour les étudiants dont la spécialisation n'est pas la chimie a été enseigné en utilisant une conception de classe inversée, en incorporant l'apprentissage hybride pour fournir le contenu et en utilisant le travail de groupe dans la salle de classe. Les expériences d'apprentissage de ces étudiants inscrits au cours sont discutées. La majorité des étudiants se sont adaptés à la stratégie et ont déclaré avoir un sentiment d'autonomie par rapport à leurapprentissage. Les étudiants ont également déclaré croire que la plupart des éléments de la conception CJLT/RCAT Vol. 47 (1) de la classe inversée constituaient une bonne utilisation de leur temps pour apprendre la chimie organique. Mots clés : chimie organique ; premier cycle universitaire ; classe inversée ; apprentissage hybride ; cours non spécialisé Introduction Over the last decade, and with the practical advancement of technology for the purpose of teaching and learning, the use of the flipped classroom as a form of blended learning has become more widespread in higher education (e.g., McNally et al., 2017; Hernández-Nanclares & Pérez-Rodríguez, 2016; Reidsema, Kavanagh, Hadgraft, & Smith, 2017) .“In the flipped classroom, students are required to engage in or complete some form of preliminary learning online in preparation for a structurally aligned learning activity on campus with their instructors and peers”(Reidsema, Hadgraft, & Kavanagh, 2017, p. 6). Learn-theoretical justifications for flipped classrooms are provided by social constructivism, which suggests that students learn best when they actively build on prior knowledge ina collaborative environment (Palincsar, 1998) and by cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1994), which suggests that students’ learning is hindered when the working memory is overwhelmed. For instance, the former justifies a peer-learning aspect in the on-campus component of a flipped classroom, while the latter justifies delegating the exposure to the course material outside of class time and giving students the responsibility and flexibility to learn the material on their own (Seery, 2015) . Considering that these developments in higher education strategies are recent, it is no surprise that “research on the flipped classroom is still in its infancy”(Reidsema, Hadgraft, & Kavanagh, 2017, p. 5) . Our study adds this slowly emerging area of higher education research by inquiring into the experiences ofthe non-chemistry major students who

FAQs

What learning model does this course use?

The course uses a flipped classroom design with blended learning content delivery and group work during class time.

Who is the course designed for?

It is designed for students whose major is not Chemistry, specifically non-chemistry majors in an introductory organic chemistry course.

How do students generally respond to the flipped classroom components?

Most students adjust to the strategy and report autonomy, and they believe the flipped design components are a good use of their time for learning organic chemistry.

Oct 15, 2026

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