Assessing a "Mail Man" Analogy to Understand Nomenclature Topic in Organic Chemistry Course

The present study will share the findings of the semester I of a two-semester project evaluating the effects of a “Mail Man” analogy on student learning and perceptions in the teaching of a nomenclature (naming organic compounds) topic in an organic chemistry I course. Two sections of an organic chemistry I course were targeted for the fall semester in which the short and long term effects of student learning were assessed. Pre-test/post-test, exam 1 and final exam data were analyzed to examine gains in student learning. One section served as a control group and was presented with a lecture, whereas the study group learned about the nomenclature topic through a “Mail Man” visual analogy. An additional survey on student perceptions was administered to both sections after teaching the nomenclature topic. The initial results indicate that both groups improved significantly from pretest to post-test, but there was no significant difference between the groups on the post-test, exam I and student perceptions on the survey. The long term effects of the analogy will be analyzed after the final exam data is processed.