Requiring Good Writing in Chemistry Courses Estelle K. Meislich Bergen Community College, Paramus, NJ 07652
A recent "Provocative Opinion" expressed the point of view that writing instruction should not he included in a science course for nonscience majors.' Some of the reasons given were (1) The teaching of writing will take time away from the teaching of
science. (2) Teachers of chemistry have been trained in their discipline hut
are not necessarily trained to teach good writing. (3) Writing in the sciences is "not the same" as writing in the
humanities. The above ohiections mav he valid. but can be circumvented. Chemistry i&uctors do not have to teach good writing r Teachinah u t onlv to recoanize and not accevt ~ o o writina. good writing is best left to teachers OF writing. Is there some way of requiring good writing from students that will not diminish the science content? Here is a method that I have used successfulls for the vast eizht sears in courses for hoth chemistry majors and nmmaj&. o n every examination, I ask a t least one and often several questions that require a written response. Students are told that their answers must he written in "acceptable" English for credit. If I decide that a scientificallv correct resvonse is . noorlv written, the student cannot getcredit for the correct answer until it is rewritten in correct Enelish. T h e student has one week to return the rewritten paper for credit. During this time, srudents are encouraged to meet with a writing instructor fur help in rewiring. (1 send the writing insrructor a copy of the examination with correctly written answers to prepare him or her for students' requests for help.) Of course, incorrect answers, no matter how well written, cannot be rewritten for credit. A paper that requires a rewritten answer will have two grades. The first one is for the originally submitted examination. The second grade, shown in parentheses, is the one that the student will receive if an acceptable rewritten answer is returned on time. For example, a grade of 70(75) means that
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' Labianca. D. A,; Reeves. W. J. J. Chem. Educ. 1985, 62,400.
a designated five-point question was answered correctly, hut was poorly written. T h e grade will he changed from 70 to 75 if the response is rewritten properly. On the first exam, about 10-15% of the students have papers returned that need further work. However, once students accept the fact that correct but poorly written answers are unacceptable, most of them write more carefully. Eventually, very few of them have to rewrite a t all. In this way, writing becomes an integral part of the course without diminishing the chemical rontcnt. What kinds of questions are suital~lefor this approach'! Here ar(:someexamples fromcxaminations that I havegiven in general and organic chemistry for majors, and introductory chemistry for nonmajors. Explaining a Multiple-Cholce Question No credit is given for the correct answer without a correct explanation. 1. Which suhstanee has a higher boiling point, CH3CHzOH or CHsOCHs? 2. Which has a smaller ionization energy, Na or Cs? Explaining Why a Given Statement is False 1. According to modem atomic theory, electrons travel around the nucleus in well-definedorbits. 2. AS more nrrurnte inarrumenrs are constructed, arientistr will be nhle ro measwe simultmeously the enact lwation and momentum of an electron ~
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1. Describe an experiment that can indicate which C-0 bond in an
ester is broken when it is hydrolyzed by hydroxide ion by using (a) a ehiral compound, and (h) a compound with an isotopic element as a tracer. Exolain how the results of each exoeriment will distinguish between the two possibilities. 2. How can you decide experimentally which layer in a separatory funnelis organicand which is aqueous? Describe what you would do, what you would see, and what you would conclude.
Volume 64
Number 6
June 1967
505
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Writing a Brief Essay 1. Living systems are more complex than nonliving systems,yet life
started and exists on this planet. Explain why the existenceof life does not violate the second law of thermodvnamics. 2. Ernest Rutherford and co-workers bombarded a thin layer of gold foil with alpha particles coming from the radioactive decay of radium. What were the results of this emeriment? How did these results lead him to propose a modei of the atom that differed from J. J. Thomson's "plum-pudding" model? Multiple-choice questions are very popular ways of testing
506
Journal of Chemical Education
knowledee. in classes with lame numbers of stu- . esoeciallv . dents. However, a more complete underst.anding is demonstrated bv the abilitv to e x ~ l a i oFrom . the written explanations, w; get a better idea of the depth of the stidents' understanding. We can also learn about their possible misconceptions. Thus, written communication becomes an intearal Dart of the course in a very direct way, with rapid feedl;srk and the opportunity ro correct ernwsin a nonpunitivu manner. TIw ability tu write well is a skill that students should be orenared to use in all courses.'rhat isu8hvIdo not accept poorly written English in my chemistry classes.
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