Enhancing Chemistry Courses for Non-Majors ... - ACS Publications

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Chapter 5

Enhancing Chemistry Courses for Non-Majors: Implementation of Simple SENCER Teaching Strategies at the University of Dayton Mark B. Masthay* Department of Chemistry, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-2357 *[email protected]

Following a frustrating experience teaching a non-majors chemistry course at the University of Dayton, I attended the 2008 SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities) meeting. As a result of this meeting, I implemented two important pedagogical changes in the fall of 2007. First, at the end of the lecture periods I distributed comment cards on which the students were asked to describe something in the class period which was (a) surprising, (b) interesting or useful, and (c) confusing. I used these comments as a springboard for discussion in subsequent lectures. Second, I made the learning objectives more specific and relevant to current social concerns; in short, I “SENCERized” the course. In this paper I detail the impact of these changes on student (and instructor!) attitudes and on student learning outcomes in non-majors chemistry courses, as well as the potential impact of SENCER strategies in courses for chemistry majors.

Introduction I began my current appointment as Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Dayton (UD) during the summer of 2006. As this was my first Chair position, I wanted to maximize my time commitment to Chair responsibilities. I accordingly taught our non-majors chemistry course (“Science

© 2010 American Chemical Society Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.


220”; SCI220 hereafter), which I anticipated would require little preparation, as I had taught comparable courses many times at other institutions. My SCI220 lectures went well during the fall of 2006, during which my administrative responsibilities were reasonably light. I did not fare as well during the spring of 2007, during which my administrative responsibilities were significantly heavier, causing my lecture preparation to suffer. As a result, many of my lectures were poorly organized and presented at a level which was too advanced for the majority of the students – with predictable effects. The students were frustrated and de-motivated, and there was a palpable sense of tension in the classroom. Because of the poor classroom dynamic, I expected to receive poor student teaching evaluations. This expectation proved prophetic: my evaluations were among the worst I have received since my first semester as a college professor (fall, 1988). Needless to say this motivated me to take corrective action. The difficulty lay in finding the time to redesign the lectures appropriately given my administrative and research responsibilities. It was my good fortune to have a Dean who was desirous of implementing SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities) principles in our non-major INSS (Integrative Natural Science Sequence) courses (1). As a result, I was able to attend the 7th Annual SENCER Summer Institute (SSI) held at the University of Southern Maine in August of 2007. Though I benefitted from many presentations at the conference, two of the presentations impacted my teaching in immediate, positive, and practical ways. In the first of these especially helpful sessions (2), Dr. Terry McGuire, Professor and Vice Chair of Genetics at Rutgers University, detailed his use of comment cards on which he asked students to describe (a) one thing mentioned in the lecture that was surprising, (b) one thing that was interesting or useful, and (c) one thing that was confusing at the end of each of his lectures. Dr. McGuire then used these comments as a springboard for discussion in the following lecture. In the second helpful session (3), Dr. Barbara Tewksbury, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Geosciences and Upton Chair for Public Discourse at Hamilton College, discussed course and syllabus design, with an emphasis on “SENCERization” of student learning objectives. In particular, she advocated the development of learning objectives which are (i) specific, (ii) measurable, and (iii) relevant to current social issues. The impact of my implementation of comment cards, SENCERized learning objectives, and SENCERized essay topics in my SCI220 course during the fall of 2007, as well as their potential impact in future majors courses, were presented in preliminary form at the 236th Annual Meeting of the American Chemical Society (4), and are detailed below. In detailing my implementation of SENCER principles, I am as transparent as pride will allow, as the process proved to be incremental, progressive, very imperfect, and humbling. It is, in fact, ongoing. While I found the implementation of the strategies challenging, I have become a SENCER convert as a result of the positive impact the strategies have made on my own classes and teaching. The improvements have been so great, in fact, that I am now somewhat embarrassed about many of my teaching efforts prior to my attempts at SENCERization. 64 Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.


Figure 1. 4″ × 6″ comment cards with questions pre-printed to provide students with a clear format and to facilitate interpretation of student comments.

Implementation of SENCER Teaching Strategies in SCI220 Use of Comment Cards in Lectures During the last five minutes of my SCI220 lectures in the fall of 2007, I distributed 4′′ × 6′′ comment cards with Dr. McGuire’s three questions pre-printed to facilitate my interpretation of the students’ comments (see Figure 1). I read the cards prior to each subsequent lecture, noting points of common surprise, interest or utility, and confusion. Summarizing the comments from ~45 comment cards in this fashion required ~20 minutes. I then used the comment summaries as a springboard for discussion during the subsequent lecture.

SENCERization of Learning Objectives Prior to the fall of 2007, my student learning objectives in SCI220 were few (3) in number, non-specific, and only minimally quantifiable and testable, though the third of the three objectives did refer to current social issues (see Figure 2A). I accordingly began SENCERizing the learning objectives in my syllabus in accord with Dr. Tewksbury’s suggestions, as illustrated in Figures 2B. The principle changes were (a) a more than threefold increase in the number of objectives (new total of 10), (b) an increased specificity of the objectives, and (c) an increase 65 Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.

n social relevance, as each of the ten new objectives related to a current issue of personal or social concern. The objectives were developed “on the fly” and introduced gradually throughout the course of the semester.


SENCERization of Essay Topics I provided SENCERized essay topics both prior to (Figure 3A) and during and after (Figure 3B) the fall of 2007. Though the topics used in the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007 dealt with current issues of social concern (Figure 3A), they did not have clear, detailed connections to chemistry. The revised essay topics used in the fall of 2007 and spring of 2009 (Figure 3B) were designed to address this prior deficiency by delineating clear and specific applications of chemistry to current issues of social concern.

Impact of SENCER Teaching Strategies in SCI220 Impact of Comment Cards The utility of the comment cards became apparent within the first two weeks of my fall, 2007 class. I was immediately impressed with the obtuseness of my lectures in prior semesters, as principles which I had previously assumed were clear were in reality highly confusing to the students. The comment cards enabled me to adjust my lectures in a timely fashion, making them more relevant, understandable, and interesting. As a side benefit, offering a (very) small amount of credit for submitting comment cards appeared to increase student motivation to attend the lectures and provided me with a convenient format for keeping track of attendance. Another particularly important benefit of the comment cards is their simplicity: they can be implemented with a minimum of effort. This ease of implementation stands in distinct contrast to the SENCERization of learning objectives (see below). The comment cards may also help in the generation of learning objectives which are relevant to student interests and concerns. The data in Table I demonstrate that SENCERization resulted in a number of significant improvements in my student evaluations for each of the five questions used by the UD Chemistry Department to evaluate faculty teaching performance. In particular, it resulted in increases of 4% (in students’ self-assessment of the amount of material learned), 14% (in students’ willingness to recommend SCI220 to other students), 19% (in students’ willingness to recommend the instructor[!] to other students), 14% (in students’ rating of the course), and 16% (in students’ rating of the instructor[!]), for an overall average improvement of 13% for the five responses. Though I have no definitive proof, I suspect that much of the improvement resulted not from changes in the content covered, or even the speed and mode of coverage, but rather from the students’ perception that I was listening to them and was trying to cover the material in a way designed to genuinely tie into their 66 Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.

interests and benefit them. In short, my use of the cards conveyed respect for the students and their educational and professional goals and interests. And respect begets respect: the students not only enjoyed the course more, but conveyed their enjoyment and concomitant respect back to me, which improved the social dynamic of the classroom and increased my motivation.


Impact of SENCERized Learning Objectives In my enthusiasm for implementing learning objectives relevant to current social issues in the fall of 2007, I failed to generate learning objectives detailing more conventional – but nevertheless essential – aspects of chemistry. In fact, all of the objectives which I listed in my fall, 2007 syllabus related to current social issues (see Figure 2B). In retrospect, I regard this as a mistake, as it undersells the important role of chemical fundamentals in addressing current social issues. The SENCERized learning objectives probably played a smaller role in the improvements in classroom dynamic, student teaching evaluations, and student learning outcomes (see below) than the comment cards – for two reasons. First, as noted above, all of the learning objectives used in the fall of 2007 related to issues of social concern, whereas a significant percentage of the exam problems did not. Second, due to time constraints, the learning objectives used in the fall of 2007 were developed and delivered as the semester progressed. Hence, the objectives constituted a kind of “moving target” for the students, which precluded – at least partially – their utility as learning aids. They would likely have been more useful to the students had they been delivered in their entirety at the outset of the semester. In this regard, the new and more extensive set of learning objectives which I have implemented this semester (spring, 2009; see Figure 2C) is having a large and very positive impact on classroom dynamics and student study strategies thus far this semester, as detailed in “Ongoing SENCERization of SCI220” below.

Impact of SENCERized Essay Topics As with the learning objectives, I believe that the SENCERized essay topics played a smaller role in the improvements in classroom dynamic, student teaching evaluations, and student learning outcomes (see below) than the comment cards. I also believe, however, that the increased detail provided in the essay topics, as well as their increased emphasis on using chemistry to address topics of current social concern (Figure 3B) constitute a significant improvement over the topics used prior to the fall of 2007 (Figure 3A). One novel approach introduced during the fall of 2007 is the use of “geographically relevant” essay topics. For example, Essay Topic #3 asks students to scientifically engage with a bill on the floor of the Ohio State House of Representatives designed to regulate the use of tanning salons by minors. In similar fashion, Essay Topic #4 asks students to weigh the economic and social benefits of coal-based technology against its social and environmental costs in 67 Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.

light of the fact that the economies of Ohio and Kentucky are heavily invested in coal mining and coal-fired power plants.


Impact of SENCERization on Student Learning Outcomes The final exams in SCI220 are cumulative, with some problems offered for extra credit. The averages for the final exams – normalized to account for the different amounts of extra credit offered in the different semesters – were 79.45% (fall, 2006), 72.14% (spring, 2007), and 82.24 (fall, 2007). These results suggest that student learning was enhanced as a result of SENCERization in the fall of 2007. These results are only suggestive, however, as the exams differed in length and topics covered from semester to semester. This being said, the exam averages are consistent with student evaluations, which were highest in the fall of 2007 and lowest in the spring of 2007 (see Table I).

Table I. Impact of course SENCERization on student teaching evaluationsa in SCI220 Fall 07 Average

Question

Fall 06 b

Spring 07 c

Fall 07 d

Q1: Learned from Course e

2.4

2.0

2.3

1.04

Q2: Recommend Course f

1.9

1.6

2.0

1.14

Q3: Recommend Instructor g

2.4

1.8

2.5

1.19

Q4: Rate Course h

1.9

1.8

2.1

1.14

Q5: Rate Instructor i

2.4

2.1

2.6

1.16

Average for Q1-Q5 j

2.20

1.86

1.28

1.13

Pre–Fall 07 Average

a

Average scores for class based on a five-point scale in which 1 is unacceptable and 5 is outstanding. b Pre-SENCERization (46 students enrolled in class, 42 evaluations received). c Pre-SENCERization (53 students enrolled in class, 33 evaluations received). d Post-SENCERization (47 students enrolled in class, 37 evaluations received). e Students responded to the statement “I learned a great deal from this course” (Question #1). f Students responded to the statement “I would recommend this course to other students” (Question #2). g Students responded to the statement “I would recommend this instructor to other students” (Question #3). h Students responded to the question “Everything considered, how would you rate this course?” (Question #4). i Students responded to the question “Everything considered, how would you rate this instructor?” (Question #5). j Average score by semester.

68 Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.


Ongoing SENCERization of SCI220 As is apparent from much of the discussion above, the SENCERization of my SCI220 course is very much a “work in progress”, as SENCERization is an inherently incremental and progressive process. Since the fall of 2007, I have incorporated a large number of learning objectives related to conventional chemical concepts in addition to learning objectives related to current social issues. I am using this expanded set of learning objectives in my current (Spring, 2009) SCI220 course, as illustrated in Figure 2C. To date these improved learning objectives are yielding exceptionally promising results in at least three ways. First, the students in my spring, 2009 course have expressed gratitude for the highly detailed list of learning objectives. Second, and more importantly, the students are using the objectives extensively during their preparation for exams. Third, while it may go without saying, I find it easier to accomplish the new set of learning objectives because of their greater clarity and focus. For example, six of the ten SENCERized learning objectives (60% of the total) were accomplished during the fall of 2007. In contrast, more than 85% of the learning objectives have been accomplished for the material covered to date in the spring, 2009 SCI220 course. The incremental and progressive implementation of SENCERized learning objectives highlight what I believe is one of the most important factors to be kept in mind when implementing SENCER principles into existing courses, namely that it is best to make small, workable changes rather than globally reworking a course, particularly during a first attempt at SENCERization. In fact, it is clear that while my first attempt at SENCERization (see Figure 2B) was a significant improvement over my woefully inadequate learning objectives in prior semesters (see Figure 2A), the fall, 2007 learning objectives were still poor by way of comparison with my current, expanded set of learning objectives (see Figure 2C). However, the current (Spring, 2009) set of learning objectives derives much of its quality from the earlier, less successful efforts which began with my initial attempt at SENCERization in the fall of 2007. It is noteworthy in this regard that the comment cards – which can be implemented with no prior experience and minimal time investment – can help facilitate the time-intensive task of developing good learning objectives. I have also increased the repertoire of essay topics to include (a) the proposed but controversial connection between exposure the mercury-containing preservative present in many vaccines for childhood diseases and the subsequent development of autism and (b) the legitimacy of opinions of reputable scientists who diverge from the mainstream view that global warming is principally anthropogenic (Essay Topics #7 and #8, respectively; see Figure 3B). The addition of these two new topics illustrates the flexibility of the SENCER approach, as SENCERized learning objectives and essay topics can be added or deleted at will based upon faculty and student interest and the continually changing marketplace of social concerns. One strategy which I have not yet attempted is use of the SENCER-SALG (Student Assessment of Learning Gains) (5). Via pre-course and post-course tests developed by members of the SENCER community, this online tool allows 69 Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.

students to self-assess their interest in and knowledge of science, particularly as it relates to civic engagement. I plan to use the SENCER-SALG in future iterations of SCI220, as it will help me to assess my effectiveness in motivating students to engage in science learning and civic involvement as a permanent lifestyle.


Implementation of SENCER Principles in Chemistry Majors Courses As Dr. McGuire noted in his presentation at the 7th SSI, faculty typically do not “own” non-majors courses (2). I have accordingly felt free to experiment with a variety of SENCER strategies in SCI220, resulting in the positive outcomes detailed above. I have no reason to believe that the positive outcomes achieved via the use of comment cards and SENCERized learning objectives to date in SCI220 should not apply equally well to chemistry majors courses at the university level, as well as to high school and (possibly) middle school science courses. Accordingly, I plan to employ these seem strategies in my general chemistry and physical chemistry (undergraduate and graduate) courses in the future. In contrast to non-majors courses, faculty “own” majors courses. While I have no desire to interfere with academic freedom in the teaching of these courses, I have begun to recommend the use of comment cards and SENCERized learning objectives to the chemistry faculty at UD, as well as faculty from other departments. I am obtaining significant faculty buy-in, as two members of the Chemistry faculty have begun using the comment cards, and one has begun using SENCERized learning objectives in his course syllabus – all to good effect. If the enthusiasm continues to grow, we may have the good fortune of sending a Chemistry cohort to the 2009 SSI in Chicago.

Figure 2A. Non-SENCERized SCI220 student learning objectives used prior to the fall of 2007.


Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.

71



Figure 2B. SENCERized SCI220 student learning objectives used during the fall of 2007. Italicized objectives were not accomplished during the fall of 2007.



73



74



75



76



77



Figure 2C. SENCERized SCI220 student learning objectives used during the spring of 2009. Italicized objectives were not accomplished in during the fall of 2007.



Figure 3A. SCI220 essay topics used during the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007. These topics relate to current issues of social concern, but do not all have a clear tie-in to chemistry.



80



81



82



Figure 3B. SENCERized SCI220 essay topics #1-#6 were used during the fall of 2007. Topics #7 and #8 were added in the spring of 2009.

Acknowledgments I am grateful to the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Dayton for funding my attendance at the 2007 SENCER Summer Institute (2007 SSI) and the 236th National Meeting of the ACS, at the latter of which this work was presented in preliminary form (4), Drs. Terry McGuire and Barbara Tewksbury for their helpful presentations at the 2007 SSI, the 2007 SSI staff, and colleagues from the University of Dayton who attended the 2007 SSI with me (Drs. Paul H. Benson, Rex L. Berney, Daniel C. Fouke, Mary K. Kelly, and Donald L. Pair) for interesting and helpful discussions. I would also like to thank Dr. Richard 83 Sheardy; Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2010.


Sheardy for facilitating the “Science Education and Civic Engagement: The SENCER Approach” session at the 236th Annual ACS Meeting and this ACS Symposium Series publication, one member of the audience of my presentation at the ACS meeting for a very helpful comment regarding student learning objectives, and Dr. Judy Ratliff, who introduced me to the use of “SENCERized” essay topics in non-majors chemistry courses. I would like to especially thank Drs. Paul H. Benson and Donald L. Pair, who encouraged me to attend the 2007 SENCER Summer Institute, from which this project emanated.

References 1.

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The Integrative Natural Science Sequence (INSS) is an 11-credit hour course sequence which is required for all students in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Dayton not majoring in mathematics, the natural sciences, or pre-medicine. The INSS is centered on common themes of energy, evolution, and the environment, and is comprised of 3 credit hour lecture courses in physics, chemistry, geology, and biology, plus accompanying 1-hour laboratory courses. All students are required to take physics and biology; students must choose to take either chemistry or geology, for a total of 9 lecture credit hours. The balance of the additional two hours is comprised of any two of the four 1-hour laboratories. McGuire, T. SENCER and the Education of Science Majors. http://www.sencer.net/Institutes/pdfs/SSI_2007/Presentations/ CS2_Science_Majors.pdf (accessed February 25, 2009). Tewksbury, B. Designing a SENCER Course: Don’t Just Beat It to Fit and Paint It to Match. http://www.sencer.net/Institutes/pdfs/SSI_2005/ DesigningaSENCERCourse.pdf (accessed February 25, 2009). Masthay, M. B. Enhancing Chemistry Courses for Non-Majors: Implementation of Two Simple SENCER Teaching Strategies, 236th Annual Meeting of the American Chemical Society, August 17−21, 2008, Philadelphia, PA. http://oasys2.confex.com/acs/236nm/techprogram/ P1206776.HTM (accessed February 25, 2009). SENCER Home Page. http://www.sencer.net/Assessment/assessmenttools. cfm (accessed February 25, 2009).


Enhancing Chemistry Courses for Non-Majors ... - ACS Publications

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