Annual Assessment Report

Biological and Chemical Sciences Major

Spring 2010

 

I.       Executive Summary

 

In the past year, the BCS major as a whole continued to concentrate its assessment work on the senior experience, this year focusing on the junior level course, BCS 301, as well as developing rubrics to use while grading senior theses. Although these are important activities, we still cannot assess how well our new approach to the senior thesis is working until next year (2010-2011), when the seniors who took BCS 301 this year complete their senior thesis research. However, we can make some conclusions from the reflective essay that students wrote last year for the Comprehensive Evaluation. Of the 12 seniors that graduated in May 2009, all said that the senior thesis was the most important part of their education. Two of the students mentioned that they had a problem choosing a topic, while three other students mentioned that BCS 301 needed to be changed to help guide their senior thesis research. Thus, the data indicate that the changes we made to BCS 301 in fall 2009 will help the Class of 2011 be better prepared to write the senior thesis.

 

 Summary of Assessment meetings

 

Feb 6 2009 – Collmer, Godert, Schnurr, Vawter – Discussion of changes to BCS 301 and a new syllabus

 

April 2009 – Collmer, Godert, Schnurr, Vawter – Discussion of rubrics for senior thesis

 

October 2009 – Bailey, Collmer, Godert, Schnurr, Vawter, Wahl – Discussion of changes to the BCS curriculum to allow for the planned increased numbers of students in our classes

 

 

II.    Plan for the 2009-2010 school year

 

As part of the on-going discussion of how to prepare for a Wells with more students, we had many discussions about changing our curriculum to accommodate the increased numbers. We have identified a curriculum change that we hope will be sustainable with our current faculty resources, as well as provide an excellent education for our students. In short, we will be replacing our two-year introductory course sequence with four 100-level courses that can be taken in any order by future majors and that are also open to non-majors. Thus we will drop BIOL 151 and BIOL 152 and replace them with two 100-level courses (Cellular Biology and Animal & Plant Diversity), and we will change BIOL 213 (Ecology and Evolution) and Genetics (BIOL 226) to 100-level courses. As part of these changes, BCS will need to assess each course to ensure that we are accomplishing our goals. This is very much a work in progress, however. One course, Chem 107, has already instituted some changes (see aurora.wells.edu/~ctb/genchem/Approach09.pdf for details), which will be evaluated at the end of the current school year (2009-2010).

 

III. Updated Assessment Plan

 

Instead of resubmitting our current plan, we made these major changes to our plan.

·         We streamlined the mission statement to make it more representative of what we do.

·         We focused our goals, program objectives and outcomes to make them measurable.

·         We edited text dealing with BCS 301.

·         Because the alignment of the specific course goals with the overall BCS goals is a work in progress, we removed the specific course objectives that were associated with each BCS goal. However, we did leave the course objectives that we currently have in the plan so that we could work from them.

 


 

Student Learning Assessment

 

Biological and Chemical Sciences Major

Spring 2010

 

 

Wells College Mission Statement

The mission of Wells College is to educate students to think critically, reason wisely, and act humanely as they cultivate meaningful lives. Through Wells’ academic program, residential atmosphere, and community activities, students learn and practice the ideals of the liberal arts. The Wells experience prepares students to appreciate complexity and difference, to embrace new ways of knowing, to be creative, and to respond ethically to the interdependent worlds to which they belong. Committed to excellence in all areas of its reach, Wells College equips students for lifelong learning and for sharing of privileges of education with others.

 

Wells College’s Five Institutional Goals

1.      Provide an educational experience that supports students as unique individuals engaged in the study and practice of the liberal arts.

 

2.      Maintain an excellent faculty that is skilled in teaching, dedicated to rigorous intellectual development, and actively committed to pursuing new knowledge and learning strategies.

 

3.      Develop students’ intellectual curiosity, analytical and critical capabilities, and aesthetic awareness and creativity.

 

4.      Provide a rich community environment that fosters awareness and sensitivity to social diversity and encourages responsible action in an interdependent world.

 

5.      Develop self-confident individuals who exercise sound judgment and have the knowledge and skills for thoughtful decision-making.


 

Wells College’s Academic Program Goals

A Wells education enables students to:

 

1.      examine enduring and contemporary questions that shape human understanding

 

2.      use the scholarly and creative traditions of the liberal arts and contemporary technologies to locate and evaluate information

 

3.      communicate reasoned points of view to inform and persuade a variety of audiences

 

4.      incorporate an understanding of diversity in their academic work and as members of a learning community

 

5.      develop an appreciation of languages and cultures in a global context

 

6.      acquire knowledge based on scholarship and research about women

 

7.      engage in collaborative practices in the classroom, in campus life, and in the community at large

 

8.      develop thorough knowledge of basic principles, methods of inquiry, and current issues in an academic field of study

 

 

 


The Major in Biological and Chemical Sciences

 

Mission of the Major

 

The major in biological and chemical sciences provides students the opportunity and the guidance to build for themselves a foundation in the fundamental areas of biology, the study of life, and chemistry, the study of matter, with particular emphasis on the areas integrating biology and chemistry. Students engage in active learning as they apply the scientific method towards understanding the natural world. Students think critically when evaluating data as well as issues related to biology and chemistry in society, and they learn to write and speak effectively about science and scientific issues. Students are prepared for a variety of careers as well as advanced study in graduate school or any of the health professions.

 

Goals

 

  1. Provide students the opportunity and the guidance to learn the fundamental principles of biology and chemistry and how they integrate with each other.
  2. Engage students in practicing the process of science – planning, executing, evaluating, and communicating.
  3. Train students to communicate scientific work in a clear, coherent manner in both written and oral form.
  4. Help students to understand the importance of diversity in the practice of science through collaborative learning where different perspectives are valued and evaluated.
  5. Challenge students to think critically and quantitatively in evaluating data and to apply that skill to issues arising in the world around them, including ethical conflicts surrounding particular scientific theories, technologies, or applications.

 

Alignment of BCS goals with the Wells Academic Program Goals

 

 

 

BCS Goal

Wells APG

1

2

3

4

5

1

 

 

 

 

ü   

2

ü   

ü   

 

 

 

3

 

 

ü   

 

 

4

 

 

 

ü   

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

ü   

 

7

 

 

 

ü   

 

8

ü   

ü   

 

ü   

ü   

 


Required of all BCS majors

 

BCS 301 – Introduction to Research

BCS 402 – Senior Research Paper in BCS

BIOL 151L – The Biology of Cells

BIOL 152L – The Biology of Organisms

CHEM 107L – General Chemistry

CHEM 108L – Chemical Analysis

CHEM 213L – Organic Chemistry I

CHEM 214L – Organic Chemistry II

 

Comprehensive Examination

 

 

We will focus our program assessment on the courses and comprehensive examination that are required of all our majors. We also have specific course objectives for each of our courses (not included here), and these will be discussed when we undergo assessment of each of our concentrations.

 

 

Alignment of BCS Goals, Program Objectives and Learning Outcomes

 

 

Goal 1: Provide students the opportunity and the guidance to learn the fundamental principles of biology and chemistry and how they integrate with each other.

 

Program Objective 1: Knowledge. Students will acquire a working knowledge of basic principles and critical information in the biological and chemical sciences.

 

            Learning Outcome: Students' working knowledge of basic principles is assessed through exams, projects, case studies, problem sets and laboratory reports.

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

 

BIOL 151L

Exam questions, lab reports, oral reports, debates, problem sets

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs, term paper

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

Written Exam

 

Goal 2: Engage students in practicing the process of science – planning, executing, and evaluating.

 

Program Objective 2: Critical Thinking. Students will develop creative and critical thinking as they apply scientific reasoning toward understanding the natural world.

 

            Learning Outcome: Students participate in inquiry-based lab activities, engage in case studies, analyze problem sets, and conduct directed and independent research projects, culminating in a senior thesis.

 

           

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography, in class exercises

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Labs, written and oral lab reports, debates, problem sets

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs, term paper

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

Written exam

 

 

Goal 2: Engage students in practicing the process of science – planning, executing, and evaluating.

 

Goal 3: Train students to communicate scientific work in a clear, coherent manner in both written and oral form.

 

Program Objective 3: Skills. Students will be active participants in learning the skills necessary for work in the fields of biology and chemistry.

 

Learning Outcomes: As BCS majors students learn

a) basic laboratory and field techniques, including appropriate qualitative/quantitative analysis.

b) to work in collaboration with others

c) to apply the scientific method to investigate the natural world

d) to use, evaluate, and appropriately cite the scientific literature

e) to communicate the results of scientific investigation (oral and/or written)

f) to recognize that many problems require cross-disciplinary approaches

 

a) basic laboratory and field techniques, including appropriate qualitative/quantitative analysis.

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Labs and lab reports, problem sets, debates

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

 

 

b) to work in collaboration with others

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Labs, debates, and oral and written reports

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

 

 

c) to apply the scientific method to investigate the natural world

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Labs, debates, and oral and written reports

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs, term paper

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

 

 

d) to use, evaluate, and appropriately cite the scientific literature

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Read literature that supports labs

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs, term paper

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

 

 

e) to communicate the results of scientific investigation (oral and/or written)

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Labs, debates, and oral and written reports

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs, term paper

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

Oral Presentation

 

f) to recognize that many problems require cross-disciplinary approaches

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Debates, analysis of ethical case studies

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs, term paper

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, projects, labs

Comps

 

 

 

Goal 4: Help students to understand the importance of diversity in the practice of science through collaborative learning where different perspectives are valued and evaluated.

 

Program Objective 4: Interconnectedness and Diversity. Students will learn to recognize and appreciate the diversity of the natural world and the interconnectedness of disciplinary approaches towards studying it.

 

            Learning Outcome: Students work in groups, allowing them to appreciate the importance of different perspectives and ideas to solving scientific problems.

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

Presentation, annotated bibliography

BCS 402

 

BIOL 151L

Collaborative oral and written projects

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 107L

 

CHEM 108L

 

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, labs

Comps

Written Examination

 

 

Goal 5: Challenge students to think critically in evaluating data and to apply that skill to issues arising in the world around them, including ethical conflicts surrounding particular scientific theories, technologies, or applications.

 

 

Program Objective 5: Social relevance. Students will develop an understanding of issues related to biology and chemistry in society.

 

            Learning Outcome: Students consider the applications of science in society through case studies and real world scenarios that explore different social, political and ethical viewpoints.

 

COURSE

Specific Assignments

BCS 301

 

BCS 402

Thesis

BIOL 151L

Case studies and discussions

BIOL 152L

Exam questions, labs, term paper

CHEM 107L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 108L

Exam questions, labs

CHEM 213L

Exam questions, case studies, labs

CHEM 214L

Exam questions, labs

Comps

Written Examination

 

 

Means of Assessment of Outcomes

 

The faculty member teaching the targeted courses will continually collect student artifacts throughout the academic year. Each faculty member will evaluate if the students learned what was expected, based on each assignment. Eventually we will use this data to assess how well each of our courses is meeting the overall goals of the BCS program. Finally, next year, the first year we can assess changes to the senior thesis experience, we are hopeful that at least 75% of the students will be able to write a senior thesis at B level or better.

 

How Assessment Data will be utilized

 

The Biological and Chemical Sciences major meet often – we have BCS meetings that usually include some discussion of assessment. At these meetings we discuss if our students, both majors and non-majors, meet our assessment goals, and if not, how to improve student learning for the future. We will ass the changes to BCS 301 after the Class of 2011 has completed their thesis work, and make any further changes if necessary.

 

 

Specific Course Objectives and Assessment Measures for Required Courses

 

Each course objective – with the exception of the Comprehensive Examination and BCS 301 and BCS 402 – has an assessment measure associated with it. For the Comprehensive Exam and BCS 301 and BCS 402, the assessment measures are located in the bulleted list below the list of specific course objectives. Artifacts of many of these are located in Stratton 315. 

 

Comprehensive Examination

 

Written Exam

  1. To assess the overall student learning of basic principles in the Biological and Chemical Sciences
  2. To assess student development of creative and critical thinking in application of scientific reasoning toward understanding the natural world.
  3. To assess student recognition and appreciation of the diversity of the natural world and the interconnectedness towards studying it.
  4. To assess student understanding of issues related to biology and chemistry in society.

 

  • The comprehensive examination for the Class of 2009 was simply the reflective essay as well as an oral presentation based on their senior thesis research.
  • The comprehensive examination for the Class of 2010 will include the reflective essay and the oral presentation, as well as completion of the ETS exam (biology) or ACS exam (chemistry).

 

 

Oral Presentation

  1. To know how to condense a paper into an oral abstract.
  2. To be competent in choosing helpful visual aids.

 

  • Faculty use a rubric to assess student senior presentations. Rubric is under construction.

 

 

 

BCS courses

 

BCS 301: Introduction to Scientific Literature

  1. Articulate the power of the scientific method for understanding the world.
  2. Design and conduct a research project based on past work on the subject.
  3. Read, comprehend, and present scientific literature in your field.
  4. Write a ‘mini-thesis’ that addresses an original thesis statement that you argue using current scientific literature.
  5. Focus your interests on a capstone project.

 

BCS 402: Senior Research Paper in Biological and Chemical Sciences

1.      To complete an in-depth review of the current literature on a research question (the “capstone project”) developed with the faculty advisor.

2.      To assemble, rehearse, and deliver a scholarly oral presentation of findings to a community of peers.

3.      To gain the skills necessary to work independently and to think critically and in depth about a topic in the discipline.

 

  • Student’s thesis.

 

Biology Courses

 

BIOL 151L: Principles of Biology I – The Biology of Cells

 

1.  For each student to master enough of the basic information about the biology of the cell to build a "big picture" about how cells work.

         

          See, for example, answer keys to Chem Quiz (Fall, 2005), Exam I (October 30, 2005), Exam II
           (October 28, 2005), Exam III (November 21-22, 2005), Final Exam (December 15, 2005 – Part I).

 

2.  For each student to experience the process of science – to ask a question, to design and conduct experiments, to analyze the data, to communicate the results both orally and in writing

 

          See, for example, the instructions and grading keys for two major lab reports:

                    1) Oral and Written reports on “Independent Investigations on the Enzyme
                             Tyrosinase” and

                    2) a) Short oral and written reports on “The Alcohol Dehydrogenase Gene in
                             Drosophila” – see instructions on page 4 of the lab (“Lab 8”)

                              description

                        b) Written report – “Drosophila Lab Report” – on the genetic analysis of a

                              mutant

 

3. For each student to develop critical thinking and cooperative learning skills.

 

                    For “critical thinking,” see for example Genetics Problem Set – problems

                     and answer key;  also, see example of “clicker” thought question during

                    class time, and answer sheet from student responses

 

                    For “cooperative learning skills” see instructions for Oral report on

                    “Independent Investigations on the Enzyme Tyrosinase”; see instructions for

                    Oral report on “The Alcohol Dehydrogenase Gene in Drosophila” – page 4

 

4.  For each student to see the applications of the biology of the cell to the world around us, and to consider the ethical implications of related technology

 

                    See, for example, description of Lab #1, Resource Packet, and Hand-In Sheet

                    – “Embryonic Stem Cells, Cloning, and the Law”   an ethical analysis of a

                    bill passed by the US Congress, but vetoed by President Bush, on research

                    on human embryonic stem cells

 

                    See, for example, the description of the student debates on two case studies –

                    - whether or not “Intelligent Design” should be taught in the public schools

                    as part of science classes, and whether or not transgenic plants should be

                    planted on the outskirts of a small town

 

5.  For each student to sharpen the skills of learning how to learn, and to continue the process of life-long learning in biology

 

                    See, for example, description of Lab #1, Resource Packet, and Hand-In Sheet – “Embryonic Stem Cells, Cloning, and the Law” –  where students are directed to talk about the issue in this lab, to make diagrams to explain the techniques involved, to present the techniques to the class, and to write down their decisions whether to vote yes or no on the bill – all different ways of working on the information, with the hope that several of these (but not necessarily the same ones) will be particularly effective for every student)

 

 

 

BIOL 152L - Principles of Biology: The Biology of Organisms

 

  1. Understand science as a process and how it applies to the study of biology

·         In the Rapid Radish lab, students design and conduct an experiment to answer a simple question about plant growth.

·         The term paper

  1. Understand the importance of evolution to explain the diversity of organisms.

·         Labs for the field trips to the Paleontological Research Institute’s Museum of the Earth, Rosalind Gifford Zoo, and Cornell’s Botanical Conservatory

·          Natural Selection Lab

·         Exam questions (for example, 2007 Exam 1 questions 26, 27, 30, 31, 32)

·         Discussion of homology associated with fetal pig dissection and plant and animal diversity displays

 

 

  1. Understand the basics of phylogeny and its importance in understanding relationships among organisms.

·         Labs on the use of Dichotomous keys, as well as field trips.

·         Exam questions (for example, 2007 Exam 1 – question 28; 2007 Exam 3 – question 28, 29)

 

  1. Understand taxonomic relationships among organisms (Bacteria, Archaea, “Protists”, Plants, Fungi, and Animals), as well as the development of anatomical and physiological structures and their functions.

·        Dissection of the fetal pig

·         Exam questions (for example, 2007 Exam 2 - question 25; 2007 Exam 3 - question 28, 29; 2007 Exam 4 - questions 26-28; 2007 Final Exam - question 79)

 

  1. Understand the interconnections among sub-disciplines within biology, including evolution, anatomy, physiology, botany, zoology, ecology, and conservation biology.

·         Field trip to Paleontological Research Institute’s Museum of the Earth

·         Term paper

·         Exam questions, specifically 2007 Final Exam - question 79

 

 

 

 

 

Chemistry Courses

 

CHEM 107L - General Chemistry

 

1. Think about/understand nature at the atomic and molecular level.

 

 

            See, for example, answer key to Exam #1 (28 September, 2006), questions 3 & 6

            See, for example, answer key to Final Exam (December 11, 2006), questions 3, 4

                        &7

 

2. Understand and use the mathematics of chemistry.

 

            See, for example, answer key to Exam #1 (28 September, 2006), questions 1, 2, 4

                        & 5

            See, for example, answer key to Final Exam (December 11, 2006), questions 1, 5

                        & 6

 

3. Understand the role of energy (heat and electromagnetic radiation) in determining the properties of atoms and molecules.

            See, for example, answer key to Final Exam (December 11, 2006), questions 1, 2

                        &7

 

4. Effectively perform laboratory experiments and then clearly communicate the goals and results of these experiments to an outside audience.

 

See, for example, "Writing for General Chemistry Laboratories"; handout shows what is expected of students.

See, for example, "Slake, Smelt & Slake, Ltd."; example of letter from client, plus lab instructions

See, for example, "GenChemCo Industries" letters; first letter shows a well-written student letter with my comments; second letter is example of a less-well-written student letter (no comments are given on this one as this letter is used during peer-editing exercise).

 

CHEM 108L - Chemical Analysis

 

1.      Continue to work on the goals from Chem 107L

2.      Understand the dynamic and predictive properties of chemistry.

 

            See, for example, Chem 108L Exam #1 (8 March 2007), questions 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

 

 

 

CHEM 213L - Organic Chemistry I

Chemistry 213L is the first semester of a two-semester lecture and laboratory class.  The lecture portion of the class teaches students the fundamental concepts in organic chemistry. In the laboratory section students practice important techniques used in the organic chemistry lab.  A pre-requisite for the course is general chemistry (Chem108L), and students in the class are typically in their sophomore year.  This is a core class in the BCS major and is taken by students in all three major concentrations.

 

1.      Recognize how the structure of carbon based molecules can aid in predicting reactivity, including acid/base and nucleophile/electrophile chemistry

-       These are assessed on the in-class exams and quizzes.  I have given a specific example from one of the exams.  Questions 5 and 6 test the students’ knowledge of acids/bases as well as nucleophiles.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem213L final exam - Questions 5 and 6

o   Chem213L in-class exam #3 - Questions 8, 9, and 10

2.      Evaluate how organic chemistry plays a role in our lives and how it is all around us.

-       I typically use case-studies and in-class exercises that the students work on in groups.  The exercises are not typically collected, but the worksheets the students are given illustrate how this objective is met.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Rubbers and Raincoats in-class exercise*

o   A Case-study: Thalidomide: The pros and cons*

3.      Become familiar with the techniques used by an organic chemist in the lab and learn how to keep a good lab notebook.

-     Keeping a good lab notebook is essential for scientists and the students’ ability to write in one is assessed by grading them.  Each laboratory exercise teaches the students a new technique in organic chemistry.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem213L Lab Notebook sheet and grading rubric

o   Week 1 – Introduction to Techniques in the Organic Chemistry Lab (technique: melting point) and example lab notebook

o   Week 2 – Fractional Distillation (technique: distillation) and example lab notebook*

o   Week 3 – Extraction and Crystallization of Benzoic Acid and Triphenylmethane (techniques: extraction, crystallization) and example lab notebook*

o   Week 4 and 5 – Extraction of Caffeine from Tea (techniques: extraction, sublimation, thin layer chromatography) and example lab notebook*

4.      Identify trends in mechanisms and reactivity to reduce the amount of memorization needed.

-       There are a number of reactions that must be learned in organic chemistry.  To aid the students in recognizing trends, they must complete a reaction notebook.  This exercise highlights important trends in reactivity as well as reaction mechanisms.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   List of topics/information needed in your notebook

o   Chem213L Student Reaction Notebook

5.      Work together to solve a problem that has not been previously encountered and present the information to the class.

-       In their final lab project, students are given a new reaction that they have not previously seen in lab.  They are to use the skills developed previously in lab as well as the knowledge gained in class to work through the problem.  The information must be presented to the class.

-       Relevant artifacts included:

o   Chem213L Final Lab Project handout

o   Chem213L student grading rubric and presentation

o   Chem213L Acid catalyzed hydration of 1-hexene and student presentation

o   Chem213L Oxymercuration/reduction of 1-hexene and student lab notebook

o   Chem213L Free Radical Polymerization Reactions and student lab notebook

6.      Work through a series of organic transformations in the lab and in class (a multi-step reaction sequence).

-       These are assessed both in the lab and in-class on the exams, quizzes and in-class exercises.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem213L – in-class exercises*

o   Chem213L – Synthesis of Aspirin from Oil of Wintergreen*

7.      Apply knowledge of reactions learned in class to laboratory exercises.

-       This is actually done in a number of the labs, but I will give a specific example.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem213L – Acid catalyzed hydration of 1-hexene and student lab notebook

 

 

CHEM 214L - Organic Chemistry II

Chemistry 214L is the second semester of a two-semester lecture and laboratory class.  The lecture portion of the class teaches students the fundamental concepts in organic chemistry. In the laboratory section students practice important techniques used in the organic chemistry lab and learn how to search the primary scientific literature.  A pre-requisite for the course is the first semester of organic chemistry (Chem213L), and students in the class are typically in their sophomore year.  This is a core class in the BCS major and is taken by students in all three major concentrations.

 

1.      Recognize how the structure of carbon based molecules can aid in predicting reactivity, including acid/base and nucleophile/electrophile chemistry

-       These are assessed on the in-class exams and quizzes.  I have given a specific example from one of the exams. 

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem214L Final exam – question 1

2.      Evaluate how organic chemistry plays a role in our lives and how it is all around us.

-       Here I show how handouts are used to relate information to students as well as how exams and labs are used to test the ability of the students’ ability to work through problems relevant to their lives.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem214L Final exam - Question 6

o   Chem214L – Multi-step synthesis of N-methyl prozac and student lab notebook*

o   Chem214L – Useful chemistry… making soap and student lab notebook*

3.      Become familiar with the techniques used by an organic chemist in the lab and learn how to keep a good lab notebook.

-       In order to illustrate some of the important spectrophotometric techniques used in organic chemistry, I have the supplement my lecture with in-class exercises that are completed as the lecture progresses.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem214L – 1H-NMR worksheets*

4.      Identify trends in mechanisms and reactivity to reduce the amount of memorization needed.

-       There are a number of reactions that must be learned in organic chemistry.  To aid the students in recognizing trends, they must complete a reaction notebook.  This exercise highlights important trends in reactivity as well as reaction mechanisms.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem214L Student Reaction Notebook

5.      Work together to solve a problem that has not been previously encountered and present the information to the class.

-       In their final lab project, students are given a new reaction that they have not previously seen in lab.  They are to use the skills developed previously in lab as well as the knowledge gained in class to work through the problem.  The information must be presented to the class.  They must also identify a viable alternative synthesis to the one they will be carrying out using the primary scientific literature.

-       Relevant artifacts included:

o   Chem214L Final Project - Presentation handout and grading rubric

o   Chem214L Student rubric and presentation (3-Step Preparation of Polystyrene from Ethylbenzene)

6.      Work through a series of organic transformations in the lab and in class (a multi-step reaction sequence).

-       These are assessed both in the lab and in-class on the exams, quizzes and in-class exercises.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem214L Final exam - Question 4

o   2-Step Semi-microscale Preparation of a Cinnamate Ester Analog instruction sheet and student lab notebook

7.      Apply knowledge of reactions learned in class to laboratory exercises.

-       This is actually done in a number of the labs, but I will give a specific example of how the NMR lectures and worksheets are integrated into the labs.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Addition of I2 to 4-pentenoic acid – with a twist! and student lab notebook*

8.      Identify synthetic routes to complex molecules using reactions encountered in class.

-       Assessing the students’ ability to do this is done using exams, quizzes and in-class exercises.  A few examples are given below:

o   Exam Question 10

o   Chapter 15 in-class exercise – Diels-Alder Reactions

o   Chapter 10 in-class exercise – Retrosynthesis

o   Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution in-class exercise

9.      Choose a problem to study in the lab and design methods using the primary scientific literature to solve the problem utilizing the scientific method.

-       The students are first given a worksheet describing how to examine the scientific literature.  Their ability to search and use the primary literature is done through the writing of a proposal, where they must use and properly cite references.

-       Relevant artifacts:

o   Chem214L library worksheet

o   Chem214L final project overview

o   Chem214L final project synthetic proposal

o   Chem214L – example of a final project (grading rubric and proposal) – Preparation of Polystyrene from Ethylbenzene

 

IV. Data

·        From the reflective essay portion of the comprehensive exam (see Assessment Report from 2009 for the essay) we read through each of twelve essays (available upon request) to look for qualitative patterns.

 

Of the twelve essays:

      12 said that there was good integration between biology and chemistry

      12 mentioned the importance of the thesis

      12 said that the overall BCS mission and goals were met

      2 mentioned problems coming up with a thesis topic

      3 mentioned changes to BCS 301

      2 mentioned that to improve the program we needed to offer more courses