M a r w i n K. K e m p University of Tulsa
Oklahoma 74104
II
Tailoring an Advanced Course in Chemistry to Students' Needs A n unexpected spin-off in self-paced instruction
The physical chemistry course a t The University of Tulsa has been adapted to a self-paced learning format which has allowed a new degree of flexibility not available with the traditional lecture system. This flexibility involves ~- tailorine the nhvsical chemistw course to the needs of students majoring in various disciplines such as chemistw. -. eeolow, - -.. and ~etroleumenai" , chemical eneineerine. neering. I The procedures for the course are described elsewhere,' Since the methods used are not significantly different from those in many other self-paced courses they will not he described here. ~~
~~
~~
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Table 1. Topics for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Students seetion
~ v ~ h of e objectives r chem. chem. ~ n g . a B C R
Title
C
Fall Sem--ste', 1973 I Properties of Gases and The Kinetic M ~.. ~-. .. . IT~. ~ 2 1 . .-. ... -. .s* ~ . . 11 ~ ~ t ~to ~d t o~ ~and ~i c M t Oi I ~~ C ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Stmctvre and Stathtieal Mechanics 2 1 111 The First l a w of Thermodrnamies 3 0 IV ha second and m i d ~ a w of s Thermodynamiea 2 1 V F- E n e . ~and Chemicsl Equilibria 2 0 VI phase ~ ~ u i l i b t i a
-
-
0 ~~
Course Outline
While the physical chemistry course in a self-paced format was being taught during the academic years of 197172 and 1972-73, it became obvious that a new degree o f ' flexibility was allowed. Since the self-paced packages had heen written, exams were available, and audiotape-filmstrip packages (used in lieu of lectures) had been made for each section of material. there was no reason for students majoring in one discipline to take exactly the same course as those in another. After this was realized, a list of the topics for which self-paced materials had been written was sent to the heads of various departments involved leum engineering, chemical engineering, and geology). They were asked to consult with their faculty and choose topics which they thought were most important to the students in their disciplines. The departments were cooperative and selected topics and areas of emphasis important to them. These suggestions were used as a basis for assembling a set of self-paced packages for each disc?. pline. The manner in which this was done is illustrated in Tables 1, 2, and 3. Table 1 shows that chemistry and chemical engineering students took the same course for the Fall semester (1973). This was not true in the Spring semester (19741, and will not be true during the Fall in subsequent years. It can be seen in Table 2 that geology students took a somewhat different course than &dents in chemistry and chemical engineering. In general students in geology take only one semester of physical ,.hemistry, so the course has been designed to provide topics of greatest utility for them in the one semester. The first five sections were the same for geology students as for those in chemistry and chemi. Portions of this paper were presented at the ~~~~i~~~ memi. cal Society Southwest Regional Meeting at El Paso, Texas, December 5-7, 1973. 'Kemp, M . K., J. Coll. Sci. Teach.. 111,284 (1974).
spring s.m&rr I Introduction to the Theory of Chemical Bonding 11 ~ o ~ e e u speetr-py ~ar 111 Electrical and ~ ~ p ~~mperties t i c of Molecules IV The Liquid state v chemical ~ i n e t i c s V I Thermodynamics of Solutions VII Colloid and Surface Chemistry VIII ~ ~ ~FO== ~ t ~ ~~~
~~~~~~
~
2
-
1 -
1.
2
1
3
0
2
2
1 0
11
5
2 2. ~.
11
5
2 2
1 1
1 1
1 0
1 1 1 2 2 0~ 11
0 0 1 0 0 0~ 3
1
0
-
-
1
2 2 2 1~ 11
-
0
-
1 0 0 1t 3
' C objectives represent the minimum mastery level for a student to mdifficultmaterial . wive a c in the B objectives represent whkh must be mastered in addition to the C objectives for the student to receivea B. For anA thestudent must tskeammprehensive halexam. Table 2. Topics for Geology Students
Title
umber of objectives C B
I Properties of Gases end The Kinetic Moleculsr Theory
2
1
2 2 2 2
0
I1 Introduction to Atomic and Molecular Stlveture I11
Iv V
VI
VII VIII
and Statistical Mechanics The Firat Law of Thermodynsmiea The Second end Third Laws of Thermodmmies Free Energy and Chemical Equilibria The Solid State phase ~ ~ ~ i ~ i b ~ i ~ Symmetry in Solids and X-Ray Diffraction Methods
1
o
0
1 0 0
a
3
1
11
5
cal engineering except for some differences in emphasis in
'I1. Table 3 lists the course topics that the petroleum engineering majors t w k , some of which were different from those taken by students in chemistry, chemical engineering, and geology. The first five sections were the same as in. geology. Petroleum engineering majors also take only the first semester of physical chemistry. The first semester in which the options listed were available was in the Fall of 1973. It is clear that as stu-
Volume 52, Number I , January
1975
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63
i
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Table 3. Topics for Petroleum Engineering Students
Seetion
Title
Number of Obiectives c- B
I pmputies of Gases and The Kinetic Molecular 2
Theory
1
I1 Introduction to Atomic and Molecular Strudure I11
1v v VI
VII VIlI
Table 4. Student Res~onses Quartion or Statement Having dserent topics for different disciplines irc an ereellent idea a good ides neither a gw.3 nor bad idea a poor idea a terrible idea Method inereass m y desire to learn
P s m t Yes 50
39 11 0 0 84
dents from disciplines not considered here enter the course, topics can be selected or developed which relate to these disciplines. For example, in the Fall semester, 1973, there was one life science student and one physics student. They took the chemical and chemical engineering topics since their enrollment was unexpected. If, in the future, physics, life science, and/or other majors are enrolled in the course, modifications may be made to fit their particular needs. In any self-paced system the instructor (and assistants) must be able to handle questions and problems from any of the topics in the course. The situation is no different if the students are taking different sets of topics except the number of topics is increased somewhat. The 60 students enrolled in this course in the Fall semester and the 30 in the Spring very quickly distributed themselves among the available subject areas. This made it necessary to have a majority of the course materials ready early in the semester.
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Journal of Chemical Education
Discussion From the above considerations it is clear that the students may have a course designed to meet their particular needs. The work involved is not excessive if the self-paced materials have already been written. For this particular course no difficulty was encountered because the topics that have been included in the first semester for geology and petroleum engineering students were topics taken from the second semester of the two semester sequence. These topics were revised slightly and included in the first semester for those groups of students that take only one semester of the course. This procedure has the advantage of allowing the first semester to be designed as a terminal course for those who take only one semester rather than being merely a fragment of a two semester course. In the future thermodynamics will be deemphasized for engineering disciplines since students in those areas take an engineering thermodynamics course. This will allow more emphasis to be placed on other areas not normally considered, such as polymers, solid state chemistry, and colloids. The results in Table 4, from a questionnaire given to the students near the end of the Fall semester, indicate that student response to the tailoring of the course to meet the needs of individual disciplines has been very positive. T h i s procedure generates more interest on the part of the student since information gained in the course can be applied to the area of study in which he is involved. When a student i s convinced that an effort is being made to fit his particular needs in a course he usually responds with more enthusiasm and a greater desire to perform well in the course. The fact that several students signed u p for the second semester even though their particular disciplines require only one semester of physical chemistry is indicative of the success of the program. This has never occurred previously. The above procedures can be applied to any self-paced course. But it is probably necessary that a course be designed in a self-paced learning format before it can he tailored to fit the needs of individual disciplines. Flexibility is one, if not the major, advantage of a self-paced learning system.
