From STEM to STEAM: Bringing the Arts and Pop Culture into Organic Chemistry with Project-Based Learning

Active learning has been shown to have myriad benefits for students. Many techniques, such as Peer-Led Team Learning, Just-in-Time-Teaching, Classroom Responses Systems, POGIL, Flipped or Semi-Flipped classrooms, and Game-based Learning have become widespread in STEM courses over the last decade. However, approaches that combine the arts and/or pop culture into project-based learning have been largely limited to the humanities through the use of expressivism and multimodal pedagogy or the use of Makerspace pedagogy. In this chapter, two different project-based learning activities that enhance student engagement and application of organic chemistry are highlighted along with their positive impact on student engagement, retention from Organic I to Organic II, critical thinking, and scientific communication in organic chemistry courses. A decrease in DFW rates was also observed with implementation of the projects in the organic sequence.