Molecular Science: Network-Deliverable Curricula

Abstract

The Molecular Science systemic reform project, which has just begun its third year, is developing network-deliverable curricula for the first two years of Chemistry. 1 The goals of the project are to prepare students who have a deep understanding of chemistry concepts and principles, have learned collaboration skills, can use the modern-technology tools of the chemist, and can write about chemistry. In addition, the project is integrating technology and telecommunications into the instructional process and shifting the instruction from lecture to active student learning. Faculty from six institutions (Crossroads School, East Los Angeles College, Pasadena City College, Mt. San Antonio College, California State University, Fullerton [CSUF], and the University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA]) form the core of the project. This crosssection represents the common and shared responsibility that exists for teaching the first two years of chemistry and the diversity of students in the nation.Consortium faculty are primarily responsible for development and testing of the new curricular materials and processes, although other institutions that have joined us during the project are also developing and field-testing materials. Our strategy is based on active learning and consists of four levels of curricular development. At the bottom-and everything rests on this-is the creation of a large number of databases that allow students to explore, examine, and study fundamental chemical observations and data. Students encounter these data sets through exploration assignments, which are structured tasks and tutorials that lead to generalizations and classifications and then theories. This process yields a physical and practical understanding of the theoretical and conceptual foundation of molecular science. After the explorations students use the data in new ways in constructions, which are sets of problem-oriented tasks that force students to propose and test models and to think critically about the theory. Applications, the highest-level tasks, address real-world problems, bridge databases, require students to transfer information across areas, and require "system thinking". Working through the problems requires that students use nuanced judgment and apply multiple criteria. They must impose meaning on the information and evaluate the relevance and significance of the data.Five themes encompass the core concepts for the databases: molecular structure, mechanism and reactivity, reactions and synthesis, theory and concepts, and ethics and policy. Within each theme, there are constructions and applications focused towards the biological sciences, material science, environmental science as well as "pure chemistry." Assessment drives the instructional design. Evaluation guidelines and assessment criteria for the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students are expected to acquire in each activity are prepared first. These inform the development of the explorations, constructions, and applications. In effect, these guidelines becom...

Software for the Synergistic Integration of Science with ICT Education

“…In this stage, they read and assess portfolios created by other groups, assigning scores and providing justification. Peer assessment has long been used in writing courses as well as in a variety of other fields (Bonwell & Eison, 1991;Freeman, 1995;Rafiq & Fullerton, 1996;Russell, Chapman & Wegner, 1998). This research has shown that peer evaluation supports collaborative group work in general and, in particular, it supports a shift in students' perspective from writing for the teacher to writing for their peers and, ultimately, for a larger audience.…”

Getting Help from Course Management Software to Teach a Large-Enrollment Introductory Geology Class

“…Although I would like to believe that using WebCT enhanced student learning, I cannot demonstrate this. To my knowledge, only one web-based writing tool, Calibrated Peer Review (Russell et al, 1998) has been shown to consistently improve student learning in various disciplines in a measurable way. It is instead likely that students who are interested in the subject matter, and who would earn good grades with or without an Internet component, are also the ones who made most use of WebCT and read and wrote most of the "Discussion postings".…”

“…Apparently what worked best in his case was to require discussion of a question each week, something that would unfortunately be quite impractical in a class of several hundred students. Calibrated Peer Review™ (Russell et al, 1998) is a fully automated system to grade written assignments, but its scope and extent goes well beyond the simple online discussion provided by WebCT and requires intensive preparation and planning.…”

An Integrated Approach for Development of Scientific Writing Skills in Undergraduate Organic Lab

“…While we were concerned with plagiarism, the PeerMark feature of the program also allowed for online peer evaluation, similar to that of Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), an online program which allows for electronic submission and review of student work (16)(17)(18). Teaching assistants graded all writing assignments using the GradeMark component of Turnitin.…”