Nearly every study program has its stumbling block: that one course where you need to attend every lecture to keep up, where endless practice is required, the one that fills exam rooms with third-, fourth-, and fifth-year students, and the one that sometimes pushes students to quit their studies altogether.
For the bachelor’s programme Pharmaceutical Sciences, the first-year course Organic Structure and Chemical Reactivity is the most challenging subject. Exam pass rates hovered around 30 percent for years. However, teachers Thomas Hansen and Jaap Harteveld have taken it upon themselves to make the course more approachable for students, and they’ve had remarkable success in recent years.
Not enthusiastic
“Organic chemistry requires practice to master it”, says Hansen, an assistant professor and recently appointed course coordinator. “Even if you’re naturally good at chemistry, it doesn’t come easily.” Organic chemistry deals with the reactivity of molecules with other compounds, both inside and outside the human body. It forms the essential foundation for understanding how drugs work – indispensable for aspiring pharmaceutical scientists.
Nevertheless, many students are not particularly enthusiastic about the subject. “A lot of students find it too chemistry-focused”, says Harteveld, who was hired a few years ago as a junior lecturer to redesign the organic chemistry part within the curriculum, while also pursuing his PhD research. “That’s a shame, because it’s a beautiful subject, and we really want to convey that passion.”
When you draw and explain simultaneously, students can see exactly what’s happening’
To engage students with the secrets of organic chemistry, Hansen and Harteveld eventually developed lightboard videos – videos where they use glowing markers to draw solutions on a transparent screen. The videos appear flipped, so the writing displays correctly. “You need to draw chemical reactions to really understand them”, explains Hansen. “When you draw and explain simultaneously, students can see exactly what’s happening.”
Pass rates increased
In the videos, the two teachers stand together behind the screen, naturally alternating their explanations. “Hi, welcome back to Chapter 26, Problem 11.” Some videos run up to twenty minutes. But thanks to the natural dynamic between the teachers and their palpable enthusiasm for the material, the videos are never boring.
The effectiveness of their approach is evident from improved exam pass rates, which climbed from around 30 percent to 60 percent two years ago. Last year, the rate dipped slightly to 43 percent. While Hansen and Harteveld aren’t entirely sure why it dipped, they are determined to maintain a pass rate above 50 percent in the future.
Harteveld and Hansen have truly found their stride with lightboard videos, producing around 120 so far. They began with assignments for the first-year course Organic Structure and Chemical Reactivity and later expanded to cover all assignments for the second-year course Organic Chemistry and Synthesis. Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Many students credit the videos for helping them pass exams. “Sometimes during a tutorial, I suddenly hear my own voice”, Hansen laughs. “They’re re-watching our videos.”
A refresher
The two educators are now the primary users of the lightboard at VU, managed by the Centre for Teaching and Learning. However, they hope more teachers will explore this and other innovative teaching tools. “There’s so much technology available, but many teachers don’t know where to start or how to use it”, says Harteveld. “We had to figure it out ourselves at first, and our early videos were far less polished.” His advice? Visit the teaching workshop, where experts can guide you – even if you’re not tech-savvy.
In addition to solving problems, students expressed interest in short videos explaining theoretical concepts – so-called knowledge clips. Hansen and Harteveld now produce those too. Noticing that some students struggled with basic knowledge, such as drawing molecules, they created clips on foundational topics. “For those that need a refresher, it’s a valuable resource”, Harteveld says.
Beyond videos, Hansen and Harteveld incorporate quizzes and other active teaching methods. “I’ve learned that it’s good to let students engage actively after about ten minutes of explanation”, Hansen says. “For instance, by giving them a question to discuss in pairs. It’s become a routine now, and it works smoothly.”
Hands-on practice
One frustration for the teachers is that organic chemistry lab practicals for Pharmaceutical Sciences don’t coincide with the course itself. “Chemistry is inherently practical—that’s the beauty of it”, says Hansen. “I only became excited about chemistry when I got to experience it firsthand.”
Harteveld sighs: “When I started here a few years ago, I immediately noticed that issue. I thought it would be an easy fix, but it turned out to be very complex.”
Until changes are made, Hansen and Harteveld are taking matters into their own hands: they plan to produce lab demonstration videos. While it’s not the same as hands-on practice, it’s the next best thing.