From Bhopal to Cold Fusion: A Case-Study Approach to Writing Assignments in Honors General Chemistry

Abstract

Faculty from the chemistry and English departments have developed a combined second-semester honors general chemistry and college writing course that fosters critical thinking through challenging writing assignments. Examples of case-study writing assignments and guidelines are provided that faculty at other institutions can adapt in similar small-enrollment lower-division chemistry classes. Recommendations for the writing assignments are provided based on our experiences in developing and implementing them. These recommendations include (i) considering pedagogical principles that define instructional objectives, audience, interest and relevance, critical thinking, clarity, document design, scaffolding, scheduling, and evaluation; (ii) providing appropriate references which students use to formulate their arguments; (iii) posing ill-formed problems for students to engage course content and think critically; and (iv) staging these assignments in multiple drafts throughout the semester with detailed grading criteria provided. This guidance is necessary for such lower-division students to strengthen their college-level academic writing skills and increase their knowledge of chemistry content.

The Case Study Method in Chemistry Teaching: A Systematic Review

“…Chamely-Wiik, Haky, and Galin are the only ones who apply the CS method exclusively in I format with undergraduate students in the GC area. In this format, the student is generally asked to solve the case through an individual written task. , This format allows the student to develop the written communication skill alone but is less used as it limits the possibility of discussion among students, not favoring collaborative work.…”

Integrating Chemical Information Instruction into the Chemistry Curriculum on Borrowed Time: A Multiyear Case Study of a Capstone Research Report for Organic Chemistry

“…While an ideal situation would be to integrate information literacy into a capstone seminar, − a multiyear discipline-specific seminar program, − or even lower-level courses specific for chemistry and biochemistry majors, − the addition of such a required course at Rider University would place tremendous burden on the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s resources, as the five full-time faculty are already tasked with one to two course overloads each semester. Furthermore, the high number of general education credits, when combined with the number of courses our department requires for an ACS-certified degree, provide little flexibility in our majors’ schedules to allow for an additional course, especially to permit graduation within a four-year period.…”

“…Over the past several decades, writing has been integrated into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum in a diversity of formats. Even though the creation of an ancillary course strictly for discipline-specific writing ,,,, was not a viable option at our institution, the chemical literature has successful examples of writing via primary article summaries, − microthemes, ,, and short expository prompts to explain chemical phenomena − , for consideration, although the faculty ultimately determined that an integrated, modular term paper ,,,, would be best suited to continually reinforce information literacy competencies throughout the semester. In 2010, the pilot term paper required that students choose a named reaction from an approved list and complete the following: (1) describe the overall transformation, (2) describe the historical significance of the reaction in industry or nature, (3) draw the complete electron-pushing arrow mechanism, and (4) provide two examples within the past five years wherein that reaction was employed.…”

Who’s That Scientist? A Scientist Report Writing Assignment for General Chemistry Students

“…Scientific writing has various requirements distinct from the humanities and utilizes text and diagrams in different way . The Writing Across the Curriculum movement in the 1970s and 1980s focused on providing students with opportunities to write in all their courses. ,,− This movement grew out of illiteracy concerns, yet it is still appropriate for science students. In addition, it helped lead to the development of the Writing-to-Learn technique that has been seen in chemistry classes and elsewhere. ,,− …”