In the Classroom
Technical Writing and Communication in a Senior-Level Chemistry Seminar Anton S. Wallner* and Elizabeth Latosi-Sawin Department of Chemistry, Missouri Western State College, St. Joseph, MO 64507; *
[email protected] Writing is important in the field of chemistry. Recent articles in this Journal have covered writing in introductorylevel (1–3) and upper-division (4–6 ) courses, even as they have explored writing in journals (7, 8), traditional examinations, and out-of-class papers (9, 10). None, however, has yet described a senior-level capstone experience that integrates various communication and research skills in order to prepare majors for their entry into graduate school and professional life. In the senior seminar we designed, each student writes a major research paper, conducts a 45-minute seminar, and prepares a resume and letter of application. Faculty who would like to apply our approach need to (i) guide student research, (ii) emphasize audience and purpose, (iii) illustrate a synthesis of sources, (iv) encourage writing as a process, and (v) help students overcome their fear of public speaking. Before its redesign as a writing-intensive course, Senior Seminar resembled an independent study. At the initial meeting, the faculty member would assign students a research paper and a 45-minute seminar. Students were then left largely on their own to do the necessary research and writing. While students sometimes asked for help, they were more often reluctant to admit that they were unprepared for a project that required extensive library research and an oral presentation. The written and oral performances of students varied in quality for three reasons. 1. Accustomed to reading textbooks, majors were not prepared for the difficulty of understanding professional journals. 2. Practiced at writing individual laboratory reports, they lacked recent experience in synthesizing sources for an academic paper. 3. Comfortable with the informal dialogue in classroom settings, they were nervous about speaking in front of an audience of their peers and departmental faculty.
To improve the quality of students’ performances, the instructor invited the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) to join him in redesigning the seminar. Guide Research On the first day of class, students identify in writing potentially troublesome aspects of the research project. Typically, they reveal anxiety about (i) finding a topic, (ii) doing a thorough review of the literature, (iii) managing their time, and (iv) surviving the oral report. To find an appropriate topic, we urge students to identify their favorite areas of chemistry, successful laboratory work, chemical problems in the public press, issues presented in textbooks, and review articles. We encourage them to ask professors for advice. Learning how to tap informally into such networks of knowledge is part of the process of preparing for graduate school or work in industry.
1404
To help them conduct a literature review, the instructor identifies the premier journals in different branches of chemistry, explaining how scholarly journals present information not found in even the best science magazines meant for public consumption. The instructor then helps students identify the scope of their research, defining important concepts or vocabulary in the research topic. Once students begin to have a sense of direction, the instructor presents to the class the different databases available: online library catalogs, abstracts and periodical indexes, and the World Wide Web. One cannot assume, however, that chemistry majors who have conducted research in laboratories will have the literacy and logic necessary to use these electronic sources efficiently. The instructor schedules class sessions in which he demonstrates how the student can save time by using algorithms, Boolean set theory, and logical operators (e.g., “and”, “or”, “not”) to weigh the location or frequency of a word in a text or database and to retrieve relevant records. Students then immediately apply those methods to their own searches. Emphasize Audience and Purpose Skill at retrieving records will not substitute, however, for a clear sense of purpose and audience. Students need to know why they are doing research and to whom that research is going to be reported. With an audience in mind, the task becomes more manageable. Early in the semester, the WAC director facilitates a conversation among seminar students, the course instructor, and other chemistry faculty. During this open conversation faculty try to convince students that they are not going to come to the students’ seminars as unfriendly interrogators, but as participants eager to learn chemistry in fields other than their own. Faculty also make clear that the primary purpose of the research project is to help students learn how to do independent research and communicate their findings to their peers. Teaching peers is not easy. It requires finding the appropriate starting point for the audience: in this case, students who come to seminar with varying levels of knowledge. Natural science and medical technology majors, for example, have had fewer chemistry courses than chemistry majors. The student presenter must decide what knowledge can be safely assumed and what must be made explicit. As other chemists have discovered, knowing where to begin is the most challenging aspect of research for undergraduates (11). To help seminar students adopt the role of teacher, we ask them to write two summaries of the first technical article they read. One summary is written for the course instructor; the second is written for the WAC director, a faculty member outside chemistry. Writing for the WAC director puts them immediately in a position where they know more chemistry than their
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 10 October 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
In the Classroom
audience. Most students simply deTable 1. Technical and Nontechnical Student Openings lete longer technical terms and write Example Technical Nontechnical shorter sentences in their summaries for 1 Stable hemoglobin–acetaldehyde Capillary electrophoresis is an experithe director, but such surface features adducts present in hemoglobin fractions, mental way of testing a sample to disdo not get at the root of understandseparated by polyaspartic acid cation cover its chemical make-up. This highly ing. Sentence length and word choice exchange chromatography, were sensitive detection process involves the do not necessarily make texts more or quantified by fluorimetric HPLC. use of capillary tubes and a laser. less readable (12). However, a few stu2 Endisch et al. became interested in Morphine, a major analgesic drug used dents establish some common for pharmaceutical purposes, often metalloporphyrin heterodimers that showed binding constants similar to leads to addiction. ground with the WAC director by those of the chlorophylls in water. defining terms, by using metaphors 3 This is a review of the work by…they Herbicides are used in the control of to explain concepts, by setting a hisgrasses and various weeds. researched the destruction of monotorical context for the research, or by chlorobenzene at low concentrations explaining its practical value. Interusing titanium dioxide as a catalyst and estingly, the course instructor has simulated ultraviolet light from the sun. found that those students who make little or no attempt to vary their presentation for the WAC director also do a less competent job Table 2. Synthesis of Sources of summarizing the material for the course instructor. They Article 1 (ref) Article 2 (ref) Article 3 (ref) Article 4 (ref) rely heavily on paraphrasing the original source and give little Abstract evidence that they understand what they have read. Samples of student work meant for a technical and a nontechnical Conclusion audience are found in Table 1. Theory– The WAC director responds to the summaries in writMain Idea ing, showing each student what was clear and what needed Application– to be defined, and when she could no longer follow the chemMain Idea istry. Since students receive examples of summaries that are more or less successful in reaching her, they learn what stratA egies might be useful in their own seminars and begin to think Summary– about their audience of undergraduate science majors. Notes Illustrate a Synthesis of Sources Although students do not foresee any problems once they have gathered their sources, we anticipate their reading difficulties. We advise them to read the abstract first, then the conclusion, and finally the discussion section of each article. When unfamiliar terms or processes arise, we tell them to consult textbooks and other faculty for clarification. We also encourage them to write down the gist of each article in their own words. The very process of trying to summarize content forces their problems in understanding to the surface. To help students synthesize sources, we suggest that they construct a brief chart of relevant articles. At the top, they identify each article, and at the left the standard parts of a research report. In each field of the chart, they make the very briefest of comments. If students follow this procedure, they “see” at a glance the currents of research, findings in the field, and areas of scholarly dispute. See Table 2. Support Writing as a Process While many chemistry majors think research is a process of collecting sources, reading, and then writing at the end, a 20-page research paper and 45-minute seminar are best approached step by step. We require individual progress reports and drafts to guard against last-minute writing. Every time seminar meets, students respond in writing to the following questions: “What do you know about your topic that you didn’t know last week? What difficulties have you encountered?” These progress reports establish communication between each student and the instructor, who becomes aware of unfocused
Table 3. Seminar Deadlines Date
Project Portion
3 Sep
Seminar topic choice/Approval
5 Sep
Computer database search completed
17 Sep
Outline due
1 & 3 Oct
Short, in-class presentations
8 & 10 Oct
Abstracts due/Abstract writing workshop
31 Oct
Rough draft due
26 Nov
Formal report due
research, misunderstanding of concepts, inappropriate sources, and other unexpected problems that arise with computers or interlibrary loans. These reports also force students to detach themselves from an overdependence on the language of their sources. As they report what they know, they rehearse the explanations they will be making in their formal papers and oral reports and slowly begin to see progress in their own understanding. We establish class deadlines (see Table 3) for topic choice, database search, preliminary outline, abstract, and rough draft. One-third of the grade is based on these parts of the entire project. Students receive full credit for each part, but the instructor responds with an effort equivalent to that demonstrated by each student. A two-page rough draft, for example, would simply receive a recommendation that “more detail” or “depth” is needed. A complete rough draft would be
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 76 No. 10 October 1999 • Journal of Chemical Education
1405
In the Classroom
rewarded with many helpful suggestions for its improvement. Students who take advantage of so thorough a review present much stronger research papers at the end. The additional time spent by the instructor commenting on complete rough drafts is gained back at the end of the semester when less time is needed to grade completed papers. Help Students Overcome Fear The fear of public speaking can best be combated by a thorough knowledge of the topic. Such mastery of content is addressed throughout the course. However, when it comes time for the oral presentation, some students are apprehensive about public speaking. Since people feel safer when they are not the object of everyone’s gaze, we introduce them to PowerPoint, an easily learned presentation software. The computer-generated slides direct the audience’s attention to equations and instrumentation, decreasing the presenter’s nervousness and increasing the audience’s understanding. Since PowerPoint presentations also provide cues about the next topic to be explained, students no longer try to memorize their presentations. Familiarity with an audience also lessens apprehension. Students practice giving their seminars to each other and to the course instructor. When their seminar arrives, students are more at ease. Additional practice also makes students more familiar with their content and transitions. Since students are also advised about appropriate dress and directed to find the friendliest faces in the audience, their confidence increases and seminars are more professional. The students know that in seminar they are to (i) demonstrate a mastery of their subject, (ii) use visuals appropriately, and (iii) present in a style that is pleasing to the audience and comfortable for the presenter. The students evaluate each other’s presentations using these three criteria. Such peer review provides them with more information about their success in communication than they would receive if only the instructor evaluated. Course Evaluation During the final class period, the students fill out a survey that deals with their perceived skill level and comfort with written reports, oral presentation, library research, and resume writing. In all cases, students felt more confident in these areas than they had before the class. Many were “proud” of the work
1406
they did for Senior Seminar and one student even mentioned that she felt a “rite of passage” as each member of the class completed his or her oral report. The chair of the department commented that “these have been the best seminars I have seen in 25 years.” Conclusions The most difficult things for students are the summary of a technical article and the oral performance. It is difficult to understand and represent the content of articles to oneself and then to an expert audience and a less knowledgeable audience. The oral performance is difficult for them because they fear their lack of knowledge will be obvious to faculty who question them after their presentation. Students also complain that there is too much work for this two-credit hour course. We are pleased with how in-class progress reports, drafting, intermediate class deadlines, and the required use of PowerPoint have improved student performances. Students learn that successful writing takes time and requires the responses of other people. Although all things in the course work as a complete package, we are most proud of two things. The first accomplishment is teaching students how to analyze and synthesize technical articles and information. The second achievement is teaching students the techniques of professional oral presentations. After graduation our chemistry majors return and tell the course instructor that these two things, in particular, are most useful to them. There is no better recommendation than having students actually use these techniques in their professional lives. Literature Cited 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Cooper, M. M. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 476. Sunderwirth, S. G. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 474. VanOrden, N. J. Chem. Educ. 1987, 64, 506. Wilson, J. W J. Chem. Educ. 1994, 71, 1019. Ganem, B. J. Chem. Educ. 1990, 67, 1009. Hermann, C. K. F. J. Chem. Educ. 1994, 71, 861. Malachowski, M. R. J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65, 439. Thall, E.; Bays, G. J. Chem. Educ. 1989, 66, 662. Meislich, E. K. J. Chem. Educ. 1987, 64, 505. Beall, H. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 10. Driskill, L.; Lewis, K.; Stearn, J.; Volz, T. Lang. Learn. across Disciplines 1998, 2(3), 3. 12. Gopen, G. D.; Swan, J. A. Am. Sci. 1990, 78, 550.
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 10 October 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
