Exploring Everyday Chemistry: The Effectiveness of an Organic Chemistry Massive Open Online Course as an Education and Outreach Tool

Abstract

A massive open online course (MOOC), Exploring Everyday Chemistry (eeDc), was delivered four times between 2017 and 2019, attracting a worldwide audience of over 15000 learners from a wide range of backgrounds. This 4-week course was designed to show a variety of everyday applications of organic chemistry, targeted at high school students seeking to study a chemistry-related degree at university. A mix of video, text, polls, quizzes, and practical activities was incorporated with material designed to build on high school studies, highlighting aspects of university-level teaching and research, as well as showcasing some career opportunities for chemistry graduates. We monitored student attitudes toward this course, finding a consistent enthusiasm for the approach and selection of material. The impact of the course was evident from the significant number of students who mentioned it positively in their university applications.