grade point average? Are we doing a student a disservice when we allow him or her to omit freshman chemistry only to have the student get a D or F in the sophomore course? What about lab skills? Are the teachers teaching for an examination and then omitting the laboratory portion of chemistry? Can the lab experience he tested? Is the AP teacher really qualified to teach freshman chemistry? How does the AP teacher keep current? Can the stability of grades in a program that publishes the nonobjective portion of the exam each year be maintained? Can reliability and consistency be assured? Is a disservice beine fostered when approximately half of the student's grade .. comes from serured multiple-choice question+? These are many questions to he answered. The editors will welcome your letters, your contributions, and your suggestions because this is your column.
A Cooperative University-High School AP Lab Program Ronald 0. Ragsdale University of Utah Salt Lake City. UT 84112
A cooperative lab program between local high schools and the University of Utah was first initiated in 1975. The initial program involved 63 students from 11high schools whereas 110 students were registered in the 1980-81 program. The latter students revresented 19 area high schools. About 25% of the students &mmuted 25 to 60 miles. There are several reasons for the university's interest in a cooperative program. Some of the advantages are
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1) An oooortunitv to recruit some of the more able students 2 -,) A means for imorovine " communication with the local schwls. ~~
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3) A means of upgrading some of the local programs. 4) A technique of strengthening and supporting the high school
chemistry teachers. 5) A method of providing better laboratory training for AP
chemistry students. There is no question that AP students are hetter than the averaae student.l'AP chemistry majurs at L'tah have a grade pointaverage of 0.4 points above the average of the non-AP chemistry majors.3 In spite of this difference, many of our faculty have felt that a weakness in the AP chemistry program is the student's laboratory experience. This is many times a consequence of the high schools' time limitation of a one-hour laboratory and the lack of equipment, chemicals, and instrumentation. The initiation of the first program was the result of one high school teacher's reauestine the university's help. in providing . access to our l a b and equipment. For the first two years the the central administration ~rovided52.000 to help inaurmrate program. The cooperative effort is now essentially selffundine. The fee was $65 for each student this past year. This is appr&imately half what a regular university student pays. Students who successfulls complete this lab course receive three quarter hours of university credit. The high school teachers have agreed t o the following guidelines: 1) Students who participate in this program must do supplementary laboratory work in the local schools so that the AP students will have as many hours of laboratory work as freshman chem-
istrv students. 2) The cooperative program must not negate for a student the
opportunity of taking the complete AP lab program in the local school. 3) The AP studentp are expected to take the national AP chemistry examination. 770
Journal of Chemical Education
The program consists of 12 four-hour lahs. A student may take either the Wednedday evening sequence (500-9:00 PhlJ or the Saturday morning sequence (8:00 AM- 12:00 PM).The program begins about November 1st. and the students meet every other week. If a student has a conflict, he or she may switch for a given lab from one tu the other. A I :3th 1ah is held fur studenti who have missed a lah. Two lahsecrionsare held on Wednesday evening and three on Saturday morning. One high srhool tearher helps earh Wednesday and two help each Saturday. This past year 17 differrnt teachers taught in the orwram. For earh lab a teachrr received a $35 honorarium. ~ a c lab h is preceded by a 30 to 50 minute prelah lecture by a university professor. The professor or a graduate assistant then teaches one of the lab sections each Wednesday and Saturday. A student has a prelah sheet which is turned in a t the beginning of each lecture. Usually a student will turn in the lab report sheet a t the end of the lab. Originally we had them maii in the report sheets, but we have found t h a t it is helpful if it is turned in each lab period. Presently the students are using the second edition of Frantz/Malm's "Chemical Principles in the Laboratory." Each high school teacher has a copy of the lab manual and a schedule for the year. Some of the experiments include gravimetric techniques, volumetric titratious, thermochemistry measurements, molecular weight determination, equil i h r h n constant determination us& -. DH meters. and kinetic studies. Unknowns are used in a high percent of the labs. Most of the students who reeister for the cooverative vrogram complete it. The cooperatke effort has heenso successful that the nroeram doubled in size since its . .. has avvroximatelv .. instigation. It would be much larger than it is presently, but two neiehborine institutions ~N'eherState Collecr and Brirham young ~ n h e r s i t y have ) copied the effortsof the Unjversity of Utah. The local teachers are enthusiastic about the program. Some of their comments are "Thanks again for offeringthis program. It is one of the best things this area for the benefit of high school chemistry." "I think the program is great. It fillsa real need. I only have an hour a day for this course, and in order to teach all the necessary hwk work I have to minimize lab time. This extra foui-hour lab is a real service." every done in
Some of the students' responses are "I need the experience of working in a lab; that's why I like the course. It also teaches me to think things out for myself." "My experimental error is decreasing. The class is highly competitive and is fantastic." "An excellent opportunity for high school students to get a better rhemml educatim and college credit." "This rs an cxcellcnt progrnm. I hope it amtinurn lor years to come. ond I'm glad I had the upportunilv ru rnke 11."
The program is alive and healthy; we are currently preparing t o offer the program for the seventh year.
' Bdroacher. P. W., ' A Study of the Effects of the College Entrance Exam nation Board AP Program Upon Stdent Academic Experiences." PhO Thes's. Jn'versiIy of Michigan. Ann Arbor. Michigan. Unwersiry Microfilms, No. 67-17,737,1967. Fry. 0. E., "A Comparison of thecollege Performance in CalculusLevel Mathematics Courses Between Regular-Progress Students and AP Students," PhD Thesis. Temple University, Ann Arbor, Michigan. University Microfilms, No. 73-23,333,1973. Ragsdale, R. 0.. McKean. F. L.. and Christiansen, M. M., J. CHEM. E ~ u c55,253 . (1978).
