Teaching problem solving is a primary goal of chemistry
education.1,2 Unfortunately, students frequently leave
chemistry courses without developing problem solving
abilities.3,4 As instructors, we often mistake student engagement
with routine textbook exercises as problem solving. However,
true problem solving, described by Wheately as “what you do
when you don’t know what to do,” occurs when students are
faced with a novel problem that places them in unfamiliar
territory.5 Numerous studies have investigated problem solving
in chemistry in order to identify strategies employed by
students in this context.