provoccrtive opinion Trends and Issues in International Chemical Education Marjorie Gardner University of Maryland, College Park, MD As nrohlems become annarent in the teachinn of chemistry, committed instructors aitkmpt to find solutio~s.Thus issues are identified and trends developed. This is a continuing and evolutionaryprocess. Some issues appear to be cyclic; they wax and wane during fairly distinct time periods (e.g., the theory versus application debate). Some appear to he continuous; thev have existed for decades and seem to defy solution (e.g., how to integrate effectively, or a t least relate,the theoretical and practical work). From time to time, truly new problems emerge (e.g., how to utilize fully microelectronics in instruction): these require trail-blazing in chemical education. Alll~oughn nunilwr of trends c;ln be identiiitd, let us focus attenrim on right d the currrnt t n d ; ; . Each grows uut of a cleilrlv .-...--,idrntiiiahle n e d . z\Itlwueh tnerr ma\. Iw differences in degree, each transcends all educational levels (primary, secondary, tertiary and adultlcontinuing education), and each has relevance for countries in all stages of development. The directions of these trends are toward: ~~~~~~~
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(1)designing courses and curricula for general education, (2) increasing the interdisciplinary content, (3)lowering the costs of laboratory and field work, (4) coping with and utilizing the microelectronics revolution, (5) developing mare versatile examination and evaluation systems, ( 6 ) improving the education and status of teachers, (7) promoting research and advanced degree programs in chemical education, and (8) facilitating national, regional, and international communication and cooperation.
Designing Courses and Curricula for General Education Once the nrimarv. .nurpose . of chemical education was to prepare a limited number of secondary school students for admission to the universities and a limited number of university students for careers in chemistry. Thus, we catered to no more than 15%of the students and ignored the large majority. This is no longer possihle. All of bur people enjoy the benefits andlor suffer the negative consequences of chemistry in everyday life. All have a need for and a right to some understanding of chemistry and of scientific processes, a right to an operational everyday literacy in science. There are a t least three groups, in addition to those who will become chemists, who require some education in chemistry. Together, they overlap to form the entire population. One group is comprised of those who will draw on a knowledge of chemistry in their professional work (e.g., health scientists, engineers, agriculturalists). Another consists of all those who will he the managers, the decision-makers in the society (e.g., the prime ministers, legislators, industrial managers, university administrators). The third includes citizens in every walk of life who must make decisions and manage their lives with respect to foods, additives and substitutes, medications, sources of enerpv, protection of the environment, shelter, transportation, commu&ation, and a myriad of other factors based on chemistry that determine the quality of life and of the culture. Existing courses do not meet these needs: they cannot he adapted successfully since they were designed for entirely different purposes. New courses and approaches to teaching, perhaps modular in design, that are motivational and suffi146
Journal of Chemical Education
cientlv relevant and articulate to promote public underst;tniling of ihrmistry, u i the pc,renrinl~.#nd i:mit;11ions of >ciencc,and i d c i l ~ tOeneitt trldeoit is ~ssrntial.In t h ~trend. i ire are moving tt.\rard !he ~ r . ~ r h i nofy wienre to P I . P ~ ) ( I I I V , cr C T ) > m r . f n m prlmar\. a . h ~ , lthrough nr Ieasr the iirst two e ywr; ~gihiyhtr educ.~tirmw i t h the puhlic 81 l ; ~ r g e e i t h ultimate target audience. Increasing the Interdisciplinary Content Chemistry is increasingly viewed as the most interdiscinlinarv science. the central science, with ties to every critical Hrea df humanendeavor. For example, the health scientists turn to chemistry for new pharmaceuticals, better nutrition, or correction of chemical imbalances caused by organ transplants or those reflected in mental illnesses. Chemotherapy is effectively used in the treatment of cancer. The hiochemicotechnological revolution in agriculture provides other examples. The fertilizers, the pesticides and the chemically based irrigation and food processing systems are all examples of chemistry in action to help feed the world's growing population. Artificial nitrogen fixation and man-enhanced photosynthesis are active areas of research that hold promise for the future. Many more examples could he cited; the list is almost endless. Just let your mind roam through the images conjured hv areas of our discioline such as -neochemistry, .. atmospheric chemistry, chemical oceanography, environmental chemistry, industrial chemistry, cosmochemistry, biochemistry, etc. How do we bring these interdisciplinary aspects of chemistry into our classrooms and laboratories? In fact, how do we take our students out into the natural world where chemistry reactions abound? Good interdisciplinary courses and curricula require very demanding and sophisticated development, implementation, and evaluation efforts. Teachers must be retrained and examinations altered. Leadership must be provided by the chemists with help from the educators. Productive research and effective decision-making both require a broadening of chemistry content for the future scientist and for the citizen. Lowering the Costs of Laboratory and Field Work :\wtvrit\. ha: itruck chemistry depxtnien~sm iwi,o. region o i the world. vet chemists rt main con\.it~cedthat ~)rarticnl work is of ceniral importance in the learning of chemistry. Therefore, it is essential to keep costs a t current levels or to lower them if possible without sacrificing quality. In addition, the expansion of chemistry teaching into interdisciplinary areas such as geochemistry and environmental chemistry brings with it an increase in experimental work. Developing effective equipment for the laboratory is comThis paper was presented as a plenary lecture in the international Workshop on Locally Produced Laboratory Equipment for Chemical Education at the Roval Danish School of Educational Studies. Copenhagen, Denmark, ~hgust11-17, 1983
manding most of the attention a t present. Related questions should include the following: What new experiments that teach the important principles of chemistry a t lower cost can he designed? Can the cost of chemicals be cut by using suhstitutes, lower-grade reagents or semi-micro quantities? What new equipment is needed as field work increases? How can we manage storage for the extended experiments required in the new interdisciplinary areas (e.g., environmental chemistry)? Could and should computer simlilations replace some of the lahoratory work? Coping with and Effectively Utilizing Microelectronics ~. A relatively new hut rapidly advancing influence o n instruction in chemistry is the use of microelectronic devices such as microcomputer and electronic balances and pH meters. The high technology revolution is here to stay. Computers and robotics are changing the world of work and the daily lives of millions of people, and they most assuredly are changing the world of chemical education. In chemistry, computers are already used extensively in the more developed countries and are beginning to he used in developing nations as well. In instruction they are used for interfacing with laboratory apparatus, to promote comprehension of the three-dimensional geometry of molecules and of dynamic systems and reaction mechanisms through graphics, to simulate experiments, analyze data, manage complex calculations, for drill and practice, to manage assessment, and to handle the interminable record-keeping. The hardware is increasing in versatility and decreasing in cost. Software is the limitine" factor. Creative chemical educators are needed as never before to generate effective instructional software. Developing More Versatile Examination and Evaluation Systems Wherever external examinations that determine a young person's future exist, teachers are under pressure to prepare students for the examinations. If the examinations require "pure" chemistry and the recall of facts, the teaching will be tailored to these . eoals. With the -nrowine - convictions of the importance of interdisciplinary content, of social relevancy, and of the develowment of such intellectual skills as wrohlem-solving, applickion, interpretation, and decision-making, the examinations must he dramatically altered in content and in style to reflect the new learning goals. The teaching will change quickly if new knowledge and thinking is expected from students in order to score well on these examinations. But how can these changes be implemented? Who will provide the leadership for change? Who will supply the ideas and shape the questions? This type of effort draws few professional rewards. Other changes in the evaluation system are needed, and innovators are a t work. Examples can he found in continuous evaluationlassessment systems, Keller-type mastery teaching, and the use of the computerized question hanks that promote flexibility, individualization, and varied, yet balanced, assessment instruments Improving Teacher ducat ion and Status The youth of a nation is its most valuable resource. How then can concern for the quality of teaching and for the care and encouragement of competent teachers have such a low priority in so many nations around the world? New modes of teacher trainine" are desoeratelv needed and are heine" explored in some instances. Incentives to enter the teaching profession and ways of rewarding excellence are being tested. Recognition that a nation's future is a t risk when the quality of its teaching is declining is finally dawning on national
leaders and the oublic a t laree. T o be a comnetent teacher a t the secondary oitertiary levzrequires as many years of higher education as the much hinher . oavine . orofessions of medicine. engineering, or law. ~ h monetary k and social rewards of teaching must he similar to those of the other professions in order to keep good teachers in the classrooms and to attract a strong new generation of teachers. Although this will require social change, revamping of budgets, new methods and materials for teacher traming, and a host of other actions, it must he done, and it must move from the very small beginnings now evident to large scale programs within this decade. Promoting Research and Advanced Degrees in chemical Education A strong base of research in chemical education is needed; a comoarativelv weak one exists now. but chemical education is growing inreiognition asa researcharea. This can be further facilitated by the development of stronger master's and doctoral degree programs in chemical education. More funding is urgently needed for research. There is evidence now of in-sophistication of research design and techniques. More centers where chemical education is recognized as a sub-discipline of chemistry are developing, and the international exchange of research results and ideas is occurring through the literature and in seminars, conferences, study tours, and student exchange programs. This is happening, for example, in Israel, Australia, Yugoslavia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Let there be no apologies for the developmental base for much of our research and advanced degree thesis work. Advances in chemical education are heavily dependent on research and development work. Instead, let this groundswell grow, and help it to thrive. Facilitating National, Regional, and International Communication and Cooperation During the past decade, there has been steady growth in chemical education programs in such established organizations as the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and through the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). New organizations with chemical education interests are emereine. Examoles are the u International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Develooment (IOCD) and Chemical Research Aoolied to World Needs (CHEMRAWN). The programs of ihese and other organizations are growing in strength and variety (e.g., newsletters, seminars, workshops, conferences, the pnhlishihg of monographs and source hooks, the exchange of curricula and teaching materials as sources of ideas and experiments). This workshop provides a prime e x a m ~ l ethrough the ex-
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ternational organizations such as the Danish Chemical Society, IUPAC, and UNESCO. These eight trends are global. Each is apparent in most nations regardless of stage of development. They differ in degree of urgency, of course. For example, the trend of "Lowering the Costs of Instruction" is a high priority in many develupilig ct~unrrit~s, hut il i: c d imp8rt~nce.l w . i n the mcm d ~ . \ d u p e dcountrit.~."('oping with and utilizing microelrct r m ~ c s "is a t n m ~ l vaffet.riny rhrniical educ;mm in many c . i the ind11s~riaii7ed narion.. IUI (her cwn[rie$ are ;iIw t,xpcriencing iht: ~nirial\,ibraricms 1 ~this 1 change. I r nil1 Iw intt rearing ro comp;lrtt tht:s(. trends wit11 thtjre a p p r e n t i:\,e year* htmct.. Iiuw many nil1 1 mtinuc rc, dwelt,p.' \Vill sume h a w diwppwr~d''l i real proorvcs t.v~dl:nr"I r snuuld I*. ~ntt!r+!.
