JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
JESSE H. DAY Ohio University, Athens, Ohio in chemistry is a course offered to THE special groups of students who need chemistry only incidentally to fulfill the requirements for a degree in another field, with the purpose of determining how widely such courses are offered, questionnaires were sent to 142 colleges having enrollments in excess of 3500 students. Replies from 118 colleges replying are tabulated. To find whether such courses are effective in preparing premedical students for medical school, questionnaires were sent to the 44 medical schools, 31 of which replied. Thirty of the 118 colleges offer no short courses in chemistry. Eighty-eight colleges offer a total of 39 quantitative analysis, 64 organic, and 57 physical chemistry short courses. The greatest number of short courses are offered in general by the state colleges, which also offer preprofessional training in many fields which require a small amount of chemistry-nursing, dietetics, forestry, basic engineering, comprehensive physical science for education majors, textiles, pharmacy, home economics, as well as liberal arts. Many of these state schools offer several short courses in each branch of chemistry. Usually the short courses are deemed satisfactory and adequate for students other than premedical students. In general the premedical student is urged to take the short course in quantitative analysis and the regular year course in organic chemistry. Six of the 31 medical schools also advise or recommend the short course in physical chemistry. While the minimum requirements in chemistry for entrance to medical school vary rather widely, few entering medical students present the minimum. The average is about 18 t o 20 credit hours of chemistry. The medical schools in general view a short course in organic as inadequate. The attitude of the teaching faculty-and hence in-
evitably, the caliber and effectiveness of the short courses taught-depends largely on the importance attached to these courses by the administration. If the teacher feels that no recognition will attend a good teaching job, that preparation for the short course is merely time lost from activities which might advance him professionally-then he feels that short courses are unsatisfactory, and with reason. When the load of Replies from 118 College. and Universities of over 3500 Student Enrollment Short courses oferedfm special curricula Number of achools 39 analysis,. , . , . , , , , , , . , , , . , Organio chemistry.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Physical chemistry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 30 No short e o u r ~ eoffered. ~ .............. D,,, the short cover essentially h e+ , same material as the regular long course? Yes 18 No 63
Is$
;".:gE,"r attk":&bzerof trcsted? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
( b ) Less rigorous consideration of topics?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,,, (,) Both means mentioned Does the short course contain svecial milterid, sueh as is pertinent .to special groups which w e not treated in the regular course?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Do the facult,y feel that the short courses me somewhat unsatisfactory for the teacher?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Do the faculty feel that the short course is important, a challenge and an opportunity for the teacher? ............... Do the faculty teaching short courses have special training in allied medical fields sueh as eoology, biochemistry, or the like? ...............................
15 4
65
Yes 32
No
Yes 37
No 44
Yes
49
No 30
Yes
16
No
43
49
short courses falls fairly evenly throughout the d ~ partment as a regular part of the teaching load, the attitude and result seem to be entirely different. The short course in physical chemistry deserves a special word of comment. This course is usually sub-
JUNE. 1953 The Quantitative Analysis Short Coune
The Organic Chemistrv Short Course
Hours of lecture and laboratory in the quantitative analysis short course offeredby 26 colleges. All are one semester courses except as noted. No. of No. of Lab. Colleges Lectu~e Lab. Colleges Lecture
Hours of lrcture and laboratory in the orgauic chemistry short course offeredby 45 colleges. No. of No. qf Colleoes Lecture Lab. Colleoes Ledure Lab.
1 5 2 1 9
1 1 2 2 2
1
-
2
3 6 4
5 6
1
2 1 2 1
2 3 3 3 3
9 3 5 6 9
R
One school offers a course of 1 lecture hour and 6 lahamtory hours for two semesters.
stantially the same as the regular course, except that calculus is not used. This makes the course available not only to premedical students, but also to those majors in education who plan to teach science, and to those students majoring in chemistry for the B.A. degree, who otherwise would have no experience in physical chemistrv. The iiterest and degree of feeling on the part of the teaching faculty and the medical schools were apparent return of the questionnaires, acin the very companied in most cases by rather extensive comment and letters of observation. These comments have been mimeographed and may be obtained from the author on request. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author is grateful to the 145 collaborators who made this compilation possible.
One-Semester Courses 2 2 3 1 2 4
2
v
"
4
3
One-Quarter Courses 1 3 0 1 4 3
Two-SernesferCourses
The Physical Chemistry Short Course Hours of lecture and l~baratoryin the physical chemistry short course offered bv 35 colleees. No. qf No. of Lab. Colleges Lecture Lab. Colleges Lecture One-Semester Courses
One-Quarter Courses
