General Chemistry CHEM109 and CHEM110 Exam Study Sessions

My freshman year, I remember having a great sense of admiration for the undergraduate students who served as recitation teaching assistants (TAs) for general chemistry. I appreciated their genuine desire to help students succeed and was impressed by both their academic confidence and passion for chemistry. I have always enjoyed chemistry, so that year, I set a goal for myself to become a recitation TA hoping I could one day help students in a similar way. When the spring semester of my freshman year rolled around, applications to become a chemistry TA for the following fall were released. The first step in becoming a recitation TA was teaching general chemistry lab, so I continued to pursue my goal by applying for the position. As a sophomore, I was invited to be a lab TA; many of my students were older than me, and getting up to teach at the front of the lab was often intimidating, but I pushed myself to be confident in my position, knowing that I was gaining valuable experience. Both my ability to teach and my ability to learn grew as I worked through the many ways that students understand chemistry, and by the end of my sophomore year, I was prepared to apply for a recitation TA position for the following fall. The application process was competitive, with only three new spots available, but I approached the situation as my genuine self and with the confidence I had gained from teaching lab. The summer before my junior year, I received an email that I had been looking forward to since the start of my college career: I was offered a position as a recitation TA, and I eagerly accepted. In my first semester as a Chem109 recitation TA, one nontraditional student, Mohammed, stayed late after recitation each week to work through concepts one-on-one and attended the entirety of my office hours to discuss homework problems. At times, it could be challenging because there were other students who also needed my help, but I continued to find time to walkhim through concepts as many times as he needed. Despite his hard work, he approached me after his first exam, frustrated by how poorly he had done. I reassured him that I would continue to be there to support him along his way to success. By the end of the semester, I was proud to see that he had passed the class. Mohammed was in my recitation section again for Chem110. I watched as he continued to put in countless study hours and began to see him excel in the course. On the last day of recitation, he thanked me, “We have been on a journey together. I am going to get an A in the class, and I don’t know if I could have done it without your help”. I reflected on the work we had both put in: he had spent countless hours studying and I had found ways to explain concepts that fit his learning style. While helping him succeed, I became a more patient communicator. His success felt like an achievement we had made together. In my last year as a general chemistry recitation TA, my experiences from the past two years continue to drive me to help students find success in general chemistry. That being said, my honor’s senior project is the facilitation of exam study sessions that are available to every student in general chemistry. I have worked to compile exam-style questions- some from previous course exams and others written by myself- to create a review worksheet for each exam. To accompany the worksheet, I film a video walking students through how to solve each problem step-by-step as well as coordinate with the rest of our recitation TA team to facilitate a two-hour study session where students have the opportunity to ask questions and review the worksheet in person if they wish. My exam study session worksheets will be published in next year’s Chem109 and Chem110 recitation workbooks for students to continue to use for review for the course. The following are exam study session worksheets and corresponding keys for exams 1-4 for Chem109: