Remedial Mathematics for the Introductory Chemistry Course: The THEM. 99" Concept James J. Bohning Wilkes College, Wilkes Barre, PA 18766
The continuing decline of hasic academic skills and the spreading of the Grade Thirteen Syndrome' among college freshmen produces an increasing challenge for instructors in the introductory chemistry courses. Faced with a wide disuaritv of abilities within a single class, the instructor's most iogick approach is to focus theiresentation somewhere in the "middle." Unfortunately, normal distribution curves are rarely applicable, and recent experience has shown that many located at each end classes have onlv two major . ~opulations . . of the spectrum: The truly mature and intelligent student in one group may very well succeed regardless of classroom presentation, although his motivation might decline if the instructor's expectations are lower than his own. In the second group i t is important to identify those students who have the innate but undeveloped (or forgotten) ability to succeed in meeting college level standards and to rescue them from the morass which envelops them early in the semester. One of the greatest hindrances to the productivity of a first-vear chemistrv student is the weakness of his mathe-
of the fall semester. Approximately one month earlier a SelfEvaluation Test of Basic Mathematics for Beginning Chemistry is mailed to every student who has registered for an introductory chemistry c o ~ r s eThis . ~ test, which is not multiple choice, contains 84 questions covering the following topics:
retention of facts and weakest in their ability toapply what they know. Consequently, a chemistry student may master word lists, definitions, and the qualitative aspects of chemistry through brute memorization and then falter when the quantitative correlations are introduced. Indicative of this situation is the typical student response: "I know the theory hut I can't work the problems." Various solutions to this general problem of the nnderprepared student have already been described in THIS JOURNAL." We wish to describe an approach which is aimed specificallv and which is hased on ~ - -" at ~ mathematical ~ ~ deficiencies ~ ~ the premise that the deductive reasoning process which accompanies basic mathematical technique is crucial for a meaningful comprehension of general chemistry principles. In order to avoid remedial or "drop-hack" courses during the regular semester, we have established Chem 99: Basic Mathematics for Introductory Chemistry as a noncredit course which is offered during
