Randy Kopper, Ginny Grlce, Bruce Weiman, Tom Jonaitls, Kirk Sanford, and Jav Fox tionmouth College Monmouth, Illinois 61462
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During the fall of 1972, concern with the scientific education of the nonscience major resulted in the conception of a student-originated chemistry course for the nonscientist. Presentation of this course a t Monmouth College was made possible by a National Science Foundation grant. Chemistry 101.102, Chemistry: A Cultural Approach, had the purpose of introducing the non-scientist college freshman t o the methods and limitations of science while fulfilling the two term lab science distribution requirement. Although considered a freshman course, the class was open to anyone wishing to enroll and had no prerequisites, nor did it sewe as a prerequisite for any other course. Believing that communication between scientist and nonscientist could he achieved more effectively among peers than through the classical student-professor relationship, the course was taught entirely by advanced undergraduate science majors. These student-teachers were challenged to experience and deal with the fears and suspicions which the educated nonscientist may harbor. The program was not intended t o develop new educational materials or methods of instruction. Rather, it was a plan for using existing materials in a new way. In the context of liberal education, Chemistry 101-102 was seen as a fresh approach to both sides of the "two-cultures" problem.
Course History At this writing, Chemistry 101-102 has been divided into three time periods: Planning Session I (Nov. 27,1972-Dec. 22,1972), Course Presentation (Jan. 1973June. 19731, and Planning Session I1 (Nov. 26,1973-Dec. 23,1973). The purpose of Planning Session I was to prepare a science course for non-science majors. I t was staffed by six majors from the Monmouth College Department of Chemistry and one student from the college's Department of Mathematics. Three of the students were seniors, three were juniors, and one was a sophomore. A senior sewed as student director and selected staff members from applications received. Faculty members were available for consultation upon request. Since each staff member was inexperienced in the methods employed in preparing a course, the first week was used to orient the staff t o their job. Early meetings were hrainstorming sessions during which topics were put forth and then evaluated by the group. These meetings enabled the staff to experience the topics they would most likely confront as instructors and also helped select a text which would fall within the exposed boundaries. Using the text selected as a reference, the group prepared a syllabus for the course. Laboratory exercises were taken from various sources and, along with supplementary materials such as films, reprints, and guest lecturers, were correlated with the sequence of the text on a final calendar. Course presentation utilized, in a lecture-seminar format, the materials gathered and organized during Planning Session I. Evaluations of the students' progress were made every three weeks by means of a written examination. T o help give an indication of progress by the class, a standardized test was given at the onset of 101 and a t the conclusion of 102. The results of the test gave an indication of the effectiveness of the students as teachers. The control group,
An Experimental Course in Chemical Education A cultural approach consisting of non-science majors with no college experience in science, had a mean score in the 47th percentile. The mean score for students comoletine Chemistrv 101-102 was in the 67th percentile. ~ o w w e r h, e t o theVsmallsample size, these results can not be given undue statistical significance. Planning Session I1 evaluated the first presentation of the course and attempted to modify future presentation to strengthen its utility.
Administrative Poiicles During the initial presentation of the course the weekly format consisted of three lecture sessions, one seminar, and one two-hour laboratory in the afternoon. In subsequent offerings, class will he held daily and seminars will be scheduled a t the discretion of the student-teacher. While lectures covered textual material, seminar days provided for films, guest lecturers, and discussion of reprints. Under the original format, each chapter was taught by a different student-teacher, resulting in approximately eight student-teachers per ten-week trimester. Final course evaluations from students criticized this number as excessive. Recognizing this complaint as valid, limitations were estahlished for future offerings. The number of student-teachers will be restricted to four and, in an attempt to preserve continuity, each student-teacher will teach for two consecutive weeks. Tests and quizzes formed the hasis for grades. Evaluations of lecture material comprised 80% of the final grade with the remaining 20% devoted to the laboratorv. Successful completion o
