| The importance of organic chemistry is realized primarily in two disciplines: synthetic application and education of chemical concepts, including scientific thought and diagnostic thinking. Mono- and polycyclic lactams, ureas, and sulfamides serve both as synthetic intermediates, and bioactive compounds in their own right. This thesis describes new methodology to access these compounds in a rapid and straightforward manner through the use of palladium-catalyzed carboamination reactions.;In this thesis, Chapter 2 describes the development of palladium-catalyzed carboamination reactions toward the synthesis of gamma- and delta-lactams, and Chapter 3 advances carboamination methodologies to the construction of bicyclic ureas and sulfamides. This stereodivergent synthetic methodology provides access to multiple stereoisomeric products, which serve as attractive synthetic intermediates toward the construction of tricyclic guanidine natural products, as well as additional alkaloids of the tetraponerine family.;Chapter 4 focuses on the impact of implementing a companion course (CHEM 220) to aid the peer-led study group program at the University of Michigan. This study was guided by three questions we had regarding course implementation, focused on facilitator perceptions of value, how facilitation has changed with course implementation, and how content knowledge or confidence may have changed. This is a mixed-methods study that draws from facilitator perceptions, course evaluations of teaching, facilitator surveys, as well as targeted surveys for those both without and with course implementation.;Chapter 5 continues this investigation into the impact of course-support by using audiovisual analysis to investigate facilitator interactions in study group and the support course, and uses this audiovisual data to trace conceptual correctness and instructional coherence. We sought to answer several research questions with this audiovisual data, with an emphasis on tracing how facilitator error in CHEM 220 is resolved, how facilitator error arises in study group, and tracing what facilitators were doing when topics they err in are covered in CHEM 220. |
