Teaching Organic Chemistry to Students with Diverse Academic Backgrounds

The paper summarizes our current efforts for the redesign of undergraduate organic chemistry courses at the University of South Dakota, taught to students with very different backgrounds in chemistry. The problem of keeping both top and struggling students interested is approached by the simultaneous use of a set of teaching techniques, balanced to target every student in the class. Extensive use of computer technology and continuous assessment of curriculum changes help us to make organic chemistry courses more efficient and joyful for students.