ORGANIC CHEMISTRY CHALLENGES?

drew against their Solutions Manual, at best they have a 1-in-12 chance of picking the same perspective that the author did. In this chemical catch-22, the student must know that their drawing is correct (and be able to recognize all other views of the structure) to be able to effectively check it. The figure below shows three correct, equivalent views of a single chair.

Having taught organic chemistry for 16 years, Schenck knows it is hard in any language. That’s why EasyChair is being designed with minimal text, making it accessible to all learners.

Schenck is working to address the problem with the EasyChair app. The app, which will enable students to check their drawings and compare images, gives students a drawing tutor on their phone instead of simply offering them a fixed drawing to compare to that often doesn’t match the authors.

“EasyChair has the potential to reduce an early pain point in a challenging course for pre-health, chemistry and biochemistry majors,” Schenck explains. “It holds promise to motivate and engage students, so they are able to recognize and learn from any of their mistakes.”

Most organic chemistry professors still give paper exams and require students to draw chairs by hand. Existing educational software for organic chemistry offers videos and animations of chair structure movements, or chair templates with pre-set bond locations. Such programs are attractive gee-whiz technology, but their ability to help students learn to effectively draw their own chairs is debatable.

“EasyChair will be the first interactive program that can provide feedback on a student’s hand-drawn structure,” notes Schenck.

The EasyChair app was one of three finalists for prototype development from a field of over 30 semi-finalists in WiSys’ APPStart Challenge in spring 2022. The app is under construction and funding to complete it will be sought during 2023. Rollout is targeted for 2024.