("more is good" philosophy); liberal education needs preclude expansion of science requirements for majors; research experiences are too focused a t the senior level; the divisional structure of Chemistry (and, to some extent, the departmental structure of science)is inconsistent with the practice of science. Our premises are that: a comprehensive overhaul of chemistrv instruction (both structural and content) is needed; anUincremental'approach will not achieve the objectives of improved instruction; inquirybased instruction should replace the content-based approach to many topics in order to better reflect the practice of science; current curricula lead to wasteful duplication of material, particularly among departments; curriculum reform should be based on a top-down plan that emphasizes student outcome in the development of the model. The Continuity of Chemistry: A Demonstration Curriculum Jeffrey D. Kovac University of Tennessee Knoxville Knoxville, TN 37996
$44,744
Our curriculum proposal emphasizes the continuity of chemistry. We imagine the curriculum as a highly-structured minimal core embellished with electives. Throuehout the curriculum we will emphasize the major themes of characterization of chemical svstems and chemical reactions and dynamics. Within those themes, important topics such as euuilibrium and oeriodicitv will also be developed. In thelower-divisioncore we intend to teach the material in such a way that i t will not have to be retaught in later courses. Mastery-learning concepts will aid in this effort. The laboratory will be thoroughly integrated into the courses with chemicals returned to the center of the curriculum. Modern educational technology will be utilized wherever possible. We will use the twin themes of history and ethics to emphasize that chemistry is also a branch of the liberal arts. Our goal is to produce an innovative curriculum which our wlleagues around the country will be eager to implement. ~
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Multiple Entry Into Undergraduate Chemical Sciences
Texas a t Austin, Trinity University, St. Edwards University, and Austin Community College) will be able to contribute substantially to the develofment of'the curriculum and also he directly involved in instruction. We will also interface with institutions outside the primary group of four, seeking their involvement in this planning stage as well as possible participation. Learning Chemistry By Doing What Chemists Do Brock Spencer Belo t Co lege Belot, WI 53511
Chemists investieate nroblems i m ~ o r t a n to t societv in teams that apply cKemieal concepts A d modem tech;oloeies to answer challeneine We DroDose to re- - questions. . &ructure the first two years of chemistry so that all students experience directly how chemists do chemistry. We will develop, test, and implement theme-based courses that start with important interdisciplinary problems and use open-ended group projects to apply chemical principles and techniques to their solution. Relevance, learning chemistry h i using it, and a cooperative learning environment will better serve students with diverse learning styles and the non-scientists, pre-professionals, and other science majors who comprise the vast majority in those first two vears. Interdisci~linarvthemes will reauire continuing &tact with other disciplines and with scientists in industry and government. Restructuring will require better articulation with curricula in related disciplines and in the sequence and content of u ~ ~ e r - l e vchemistrv el courses. The barticipating liberal a& colleges ( ~ e l o i t , Carleton, Colorado, Grinnell, Hope, Kalamazoo, Knox, Lawrence, Macalester, Rhodes, St. Olaf, Wooster) and research universities (Chicago, Washineton - St. Louis) already have experience working togeth& on chemistry curricular reform. By collaborating with Project Kaleidoscope, they will be able to involve a much more diverse group of schools in making systemic and sustainable changes in undergraduate chemistry education The Chemistry Curriculum: Establishing New Traditions Paul M. Treichel
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison. WI 53706 We have devised a sequence of instruction t h a t addresses many of the concerns that have been raised about the quality of lower-division education in chemistry. At this point, it re~resentsa workine ~ l a that n will be extensiveli modifiediu the next year g w e gather background information and advice from institutions both within and outside the core group of four. The core of the first two years is a two-semester sequence that covers the essences of organic, bioorganic, and bio-inorganic chemistry. This core is preceded and followed by a group of one-semester courses that. on the one hand. introduce the basic elements of chemist& and, on the other, deal in greater detail with s~ecific areas that bridee .. the class divisions. This new orogram of inittruction will require a body of teaching materiuls that. 3t best. must be broueht toecthcr from manv different sources.' Other essential teaching aids m u i t he develo~edfrom scratch. In the next nine months we intend to expiore available resources and to begin the development of these new materials. We are especially keen on developing integrated packages of audio-visual aides to be used in lectures as well as hands on. interactive packaees ofaud~o-visualaides to he used fiw student self-st-udyFurther, we anticipate that fuculty from other departments and culleges within the uni\wsities involved (University of ~~~
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Journal of Chemical Education
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$49,834
A consortium led by the Chemistry Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison will develop a new chemistry curriculum that will have three major components: integrating general, analytical, and organic chemistry into a two-year sequence built around a topic-oriented approach; introducing active-learning techniques such as cooperative group learning, discovery learning, and computer-aided instruction into all courses throughout the curriculum; and develo~inea variety of intellectual tools that students can applykff&tively tosignificant problems, and that can be packaged and disseminated to a variety of institutions. A large number of individuals representing a wide variety of types of institutions will participate in a curriculum plaMiig conference that will generate a large set of ideas from which specifie curriculum reforms can be developed. In two subsequent workshops a smaller group will select the best of these ideas and develop a plan for com~rehensivecurriculum reform. UW-Madison's tradition of commitment and excellence in undergraduate chemistry education, our ability to attract many excellent chemists/educators as participants in the planning conference, and our established means of dissemination make us uniq'uely suited to carry out curriculum reform.
