Using Supplemental Instruction in CHEM 111B

General Chemistry is an essential class for students who are considering a science career, however, for CSULB students passing General Chemistry is often a major challenge! This class traditionally had such a high failure rate (> 40% DWF) that its first semester component, CHEM111A, was targeted to become part of CSULB’s Highly Valued Degree Initiative program. Now CHEM111A is a model of success. Through a combined approach of instituting a chemistry placement exam prior to student enrolment, additional training of laboratory Teaching Associates, and an increased student advising and early warning system, students in CHEM111A now average an 85 percent pass rate, and score well above the national average on the standard American Chemical Society final. In this project the same approach was incorporated into the second half of this course, CHEM111B, starting in Fall 2013. The goal was to improve overall student success in the entire year-long class.