Activating Students’ Prior Knowledge Using a Bridge Activity as an Initial Interactive Discussion in a Flipped Organic Chemistry Course

A pedagogical technique, named the Bridge activity, has been developed to assist students’ transition from preclass preparation to in-class learning within a flipped organic chemistry course. Bridge activities form the basis of an initial interactive discussion to activate students’ prior knowledge and encourage meaningful learning. This paper describes the rationale and theoretical basis for this technique, provides examples, offers solutions to large-class logistical considerations, and presents results from an analysis of student participation and perceptions of usefulness as reported in a questionnaire.