INTEGRATING COMPUTATIONAL THINKING AND WRITING-TO-LEARN AS A METHOD FOR ORGANIC COMPOUND ANALYSIS AND STRUCTURAL ELUCIDATION

This report describes how 25 second-year undergraduate chemistry students perceived and were impacted by an active learning strategy introduced in the Organic Compounds Analysis course at the São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo. The intervention centered on a class activity where students developed structured protocols for interpreting organic spectroscopic data. The activity integrated principles from Computational Thinking and Writing-to-Learn, encouraging students to decompose complex problems, recognize data patterns, and articulate reasoning in written form. To evaluate the impact of this intervention, a descriptive educational study was conducted using post-activity questionnaires to collect quantitative data on students’ motivation, confidence, and perceptions of the protocols’ usefulness. Results showed that 15 out of 25 students felt more motivated to study in advance, and 13 reported increased confidence during exams when using the protocols. Additionally, 23 students indicated that preparing the protocols deepened their understanding of organic spectroscopy concepts and improved exam performance. Although some students reported difficulties synthesizing information from multiple spectroscopic techniques, the overall reception was positive. The findings suggest this activity not only enhanced learning efficacy in organic spectroscopy but also helped students develop greater confidence during assessments.