One part of this study examined the extent to which small group work influences student confidence in solving problems within undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry courses. It was expected that for a sizeable fraction of students group work would mostly increase (or at least not decrease) their confidence in solving problems compared to working individually; remarkably, this was the case in almost all (~95%) instances. Another aspect of this work sought to characterize how specific course features and practices influence student perceptions of their learning. It is important to note that perception of learning is not the same as actual learning, and this study did not make any attempt to measure actual learning.