Student perceptions of a flipped second-semester postsecondary organic chemistry course through the lens of the community of inquiry framework

Abstract

Organic chemistry courses are often viewed as “weed-out” courses, with success traditionally measured by examination performance. However, learning extends beyond cognition as it is also influenced by students’ interactions with their peers and instructors. Affective and social dimensions of the learning environment should also be considered for supporting meaningful engagement with organic chemistry content. In this study, a flipped, peer-led team-learning (PLTL) pedagogical strategy was implemented in the second semester of a yearlong postsecondary organic chemistry course. Using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, we explored how students’ perceptions of their social, cognitive, and teaching presence in the course varied across the semester, by course grade, and admit type (first-time-in-college and transfer). Confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance testing supported the validity of the data collected by the CoI instrument, and nonparametric analyses were used to assess group-level differences. Results indicate that perceptions of all CoI components increased across the organic chemistry course. Students that earned higher course grades reported stronger perceptions of social and cognitive presence, and transfer students were found to report comparable perceptions of the CoI components to their first-time-in-college peers. Overall, the flipped, PLTL course pedagogical strategy cultivated a supportive and cohesive learning environment of organic chemistry over time and across student groups. These results underscore the value of intentionally structured, collaborative environments in challenging gateway chemistry courses and the need to measure affective and social dimensions of learning alongside cognitive outcomes to more fully capture the mechanisms by which course structures influence the learning experience.