OrgoPrep

OrgoPrep has been designed with the students in mind, and has been shown to significantly improve student outcomes in Organic Chemistry at Boston University. The program is run just-in-time, in the late summer (July-August), right before the start of Organic Chemistry in the fall semester.

OrgoPrep is collaboration between the Chemistry Education teams and the Educational Resource Center (ERC). The program is led by a fantastic group of peer mentors: talented and approachable students who have excelled in Organic Chemistry at BU, and who have been trained by the Chemistry faculty and ERC. The program targets the most important areas for review and preparation ahead of Organic Chemistry 1 (CH203 and CH211).

Students cannot stop raving about OrgoPrep and it’s benefits. OrgoPrep students are:

• 98% more confident entering organic chemistry
• 75% less anxious about succeeding in organic
• Three times less likely to have a negative outcome (drop, C-/D/F) in organic chemistry
• Two times more likely to get an A in organic chemistry
• 97% of former OrgoPrep students say that they recommend the program to students about to take organic chemistry
• … and it’s Free for BU students!!

What to expect

OrgoPrep is a seven-week program that blends self-paced preparation and live “in-person” (remote) webinars. Each week will focus on reviewing and developing a different skill critical for success in Organic Chemistry.  Every week, each participant will work through a module of interactive videos and complete a practice worksheet (self-paced) before joining a live webinar (on Zoom).

Weekly program structure

Participants will start by completing a self-paced learning module that features short video lessons and interactive questions which will help you to review chemistry principles from previous courses and help connect them to organic chemistry. These videos have been designed as active learning tools, encouraging you to solve problems step-by-step concurrently with the video. Each weekly video lesson has been planned to take about 30 mins.

After completing the interactive video lesson you will be able to complete the worksheet. The worksheet will help you master the skills in the video and transition towards applying those skills to organic chemistry. The worksheets take about an hour to complete.

Finally, you will attend a live webinar (on Zoom), during which you will work with your OrgoPrep leader and peers to master the concepts and skills for that week: asking questions, working through nuanced concepts, and solving elegant and meaningful problems as a class and in small groups. These webinars will give you the opportunity to really hone these skills in a completely relaxed and judgement-free environment. Each weekly webinar has been planned to take about an hour.

Overall, the time commitment is about 2.5 hours per week (only 1 hour is synchronous). By the end of the course, you will have reviewed and mastered all of the critical concepts from introductory chemistry which are relevant for organic chemistry. Plus, you will have a significant headstart in your organic chemistry class in the fall!

Benefits of OrgoPrep

The most important benefit is that students who complete OrgoPrep have been shown to be significantly more successful in their Organic Chemistry course (see above for a complete list of observed benefits of the OrgoPrep program).

The organic chemistry faculty recognize the benefits of completing OrgoPrep so much, that they will give some course assignment credit in CH203 Organic Chemistry to students who successfully complete OrgoPrep! All students who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate of completion that can be submitted towards some course assignment credit in CH203 Organic Chemistry in the fall.

Frequently Asked Questions about OrgoPrep

What does OrgoPrep cost? 
Nothing! OrgoPrep is free and only available to current Boston University students.

Can I just come to one or two sessions? 
The OrgoPrep program lasts 7 weeks, and there is only one scheduled meeting per week. Because the program has limited enrollments, anyone signing up for OrgoPrep needs to commit to attending all of the program weeks.

We know that there is always a lot going on, but if you sign up, you’ll get the most out of it by making the commitment to attend all the sessions. Only students who successfully complete all seven weeks will receive the certificate of completion and some course credit towards CH203 Organic Chemistry 1 in the fall.

What if I’m really rusty, can I still sign-up? 
Absolutely! In fact, we encourage you to sign-up especially if you are not confident in your general chemistry skills. Chemistry courses in college build upon each other such that organic chemistry and even biochemistry rely heavily on general chemistry. It’s important to ensure you have a strong general chemistry foundation.

It’s completely alright to be rusty – this is a judgement-free zone! Our only goal is to get you ready for, and to help you succeed in, future chemistry courses regardless of your general chemistry background.

Who sees my grades from OrgoPrep? 
No one! Only your OrgoPrep leader will see your progress in OrgoPrep.

Is there anything I need to do to prepare before OrgoPrep? 
No preparation is required, we’ll teach you everything you need to know during the course! The week before your course begins, you will receive a short tutorial on navigating the interactive video technology and how the program will work.

I have more questions about OrgoPrep. Who should I contact? 
You can contact the Orgoprep team at orgoprep@bu.edu. We’d be happy to answer any other questions you may have!