Implementing a Functional Group Analysis Activity to Support Student Learning in Medicinal Chemistry: A Three-Year Experience

Many pharmacy students begin medicinal chemistry with limited experience in chemical structure interpretation and reactivity patterns, making it difficult to connect foundational concepts to real-world drug behavior. We introduced a low-stakes functional group analysis activity that included peer discussion and a follow-up quiz to improve learning and reduce student anxiety. We studied the impact of this activity by comparing Exam 1 scores across three cohorts: one before the activity (2022) and two after implementation (2023 and 2024). The average Exam 1 scores improved in the post-intervention years, and while the overall difference across cohorts did not reach statistical significance, post hoc analysis revealed a significant improvement between the 2022 and 2024 cohorts. The students who engaged more deeply, especially those who performed well on the quiz, consistently earned higher exam scores, with strong positive correlations observed in both years. These results suggest that simple, low-stakes activities that focus on core concepts can promote engagement and support student success, even in challenging, content-heavy courses like medicinal chemistry.