Surviving Organic Chemistry

Aug 01, 2011

chem

Summer school can be a daunting task for Concordia students. In a summer session, an entire semester worth of knowledge and labs are covered in a month’s time, which can leave students tense and stressed.

Organic chemistry is an often-dreaded class, even during a traditional semester.

Dr. Graeme Wyllie, chemistry laboratory coordinator, came up with a way to ease the stress during the summer sessions – Organic Chemistry Survivor. Based off the hit reality TV show "Survivor," O-Chem Survivor pits two teams against each other.

“Taking organic chemistry in the summer isn’t exactly most people’s idea of a good time, so O-Chem Survivor was a nice way to lighten the mood a little bit,” says Jamie Kern ’14, Verndale, Minn.

The two teams get points based on how well their labs went. The outcomes of the game do not affect student’s grading, but it is a good way to get them involved and excited about chemistry.

“Being on a team makes the students more accountable,” says Wyllie, who has been doing O-Chem Survivor for five years. Because of the accountability, students learn better and do better in class.

At the end of the summer session, both teams take a trip to Dairy Queen to celebrate their survival.

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students