A Cooperative Project between Junior Colleges and Kansas State University The "Kansas Association of Junior College Chemistry Teachers," a program far the coordination and articulation of chemistry courses taught in the f i n t two years both a t the junior college and the university level, was instituted a t Kansas State University during the Fall of 1969.' Phase I, a five-day conference a t Kansas State University, was devoted to an exchange of ideas and programs encountered in the teaching of chemistry. Twoof the projects which resulted from these meetings were (1) To work toward a goal of having every junior college in the state offer a full year of organic chemistry. (2) To consider a study of the basic essential topics that should he taught in a full year of general chemistry, the best sequences in which to teach these topics, and a list of textbooks best suited to meet these objectives. It also was decided that the same should he attempted for a full year of organic chemistry.
Phase II, a series of weekend meetings held a t each of the sixteen member schools, has had a two-fold purpose: To discuss a primly agreed upon topic of chemical education interest and to examine and evaluate the chemical program a t the host school(s). Guest consultants have led many of the discussions which have included such topics as, "Cbemical Instrumentation and Electronics," "Units t o he Taught in a Two-Semester Sequence of Organic Chemistry," "Audio-tutorial Methods for Teaching Chemistry," "The Various Methods of Purchasing and Obtaining Laboratory Equipment," "Evaluation of Teaching Loads in Chemistry," and "Units Taught in the First Year of College Chemistry." At the conclusion of eaeh meeting partieipants filled out a form listing strengths and weaknesses of various aspects of the chemistry program of the host school. After the forms were compiled, a summary letter was sent t o the host school instructor. These evaluations have demonstrated that most schools have similar problems such as poor laboratory ventilation-ven though all but one of the junior colleges have new facilities-and an overloading of the duties of the teaching staff. Solutions ta these common problems are being sought by the Association. Phase III was a n eight-week summer session at Kansas State University in which the participants enrolled in a t least one chemistry course of their choice as well as a two-credit-hour seminar a t which outside speakers discussed various subjects pertaining to the teaching of c h e m i s t ~ y .Other ~ programs included the presentation of unusual, hut effective experiments and demonstrations used by individual participants and ideas on an approach t o teaching chemistry to nonscience majors. Various films were previewed with the idea of starting a film library for the Association. The wind-up of the present program will he a two-day meeting in 1973 to summarize and evaluate the program to date. The Association hopes to make this Co-Sip a continuing program as the meetings have served to better acquaint members of the profession and have given them an opportunity to discuss needs and exchange ideas. They now have a means of helping eaeh other meet both their individual and common problems. T h e program is supported hy rhe Nat~onalScience Foundntion. I hrough Fan1 numher GY-9266.
At rhc present rune there are ruteen junior collcye. rrpreamred in the .%swmrun. %me of the topics were lecture drmonsrrsrims. lahuratug safer", legal respons~bilityof the reacher. and cmtent of courses. 1
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F. C. Lanning C. J. Hiebert Kansas State University Manhattan, 66506
Volume 50, Number 3. March 1973
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