I was quickly impressed with the pedagogical approach of this homework system. Many of the questions give individualized answer feedback, so students can correct their mistakes and quickly resolve a misconception. Some problems offer “hints” or guided questions, an approach that complements my use of POGIL (1) in the classroom. This is the feature that my students appreciate the most—they use the instant feedback to assess what they don’t understand, figure out what they did wrong, and fix it immediately. The Mastering Chemistry system also incorporates a variety of instructor diagnostic tools including problem time and difficulty, which are useful indicators for both individual and class performance. When I discovered that my students could either purchase a stand-alone copy of the homework system for $45, or in conjunction with one of six different general chemistry textbooks (some of which are available electronically) for $5 (2), I was convinced I had found my homework solution!

The first semester I used Mastering Chemistry, I missed the book adoption deadline, and thus it was not listed as a required resource for my class. I was very surprised that out of a class of 24 first-semester freshman, all had purchased the resource and completed their initial homework assignment within one week of our first class. In addition, I didn’t have any trouble setting up my class and quickly creating assignments “on the fly” throughout the semester. My general philosophy of “click first, ask later” seemed to work well as I found the system intuitive and easy to navigate. Eventually, I discovered extensive online documentation, how-to videos, email support, and live chat available to users (3). Although not a frequent occurrence, when I have asked a question or reported a wrong answer, I have received both quick and helpful responses from Pearson customer support. They also offer live online training workshops, local on-campus training, and communication with other experienced college professors who use the program in their classes.

Although I only require students to purchase access to Mastering Chemistry, my students have used the system in combination with Tro’s Chemistry: A Molecular Approach (4) for the past three semesters. I assign problems both unique to the Mastering Chemistry system and end-of-chapter problems that are included in electronic format. The problem types vary both in content (symbolic, numeric, conceptual) and answer style (multiple choice, short answer, essay, graphical sorting, molecular drawing, and graphs). The system has graphical templates for inserting both mathematical and chemical formulas and symbols in a way that students find easy to use. While I have found the quantity, quality, and variety of problems accessible through Mastering Chemistry much better than any single textbook, I have taken advantage of the option to edit and create my own questions, a feature I have especially liked.

It seems I try at least one new teaching strategy every semester, with the goal of improving student learning. Some experiments fail miserably, and some work out a great deal better than I expect. Mastering Chemistry definitely falls in the latter category. I never thought that assigning homework online would actually lead to more interaction and engagement with students about solving chemical problems. I attribute this to the fundamental approach of the Mastering Chemistry homework system that has been designed to improve the problem-solving skills of students.

Literature Cited

1. Information about POGIL, Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (accessed Feb 2009).
2. A list of all Pearson/Prentice Hall chemistry texts for which Mastering Chemistry is available online (accessed Mar 2009).
3. Most of the documentation for Mastering Chemistry is available only to users. However, information about tours and training is available online, as is information about program support (both accessed Mar 2009).
4. Tro, Nivaldo Jose Chemistry: A Molecular Approach; Prentice Hall: New York, 2008.