Background

1. Comparing the Longitudinal Impacts of Three Michigan State University General Chemistry Courses Background Average response does not change throughout the years Key Findings Shows that students’ opinions about general chemistry did not change in the three years following the class General chemistry courses are high enrollment courses serving about 2,000 students at Michigan State University, as it is a prerequisite for many other science courses. Due to its large impact, it is important to understand the student experience in these courses as they are the building blocks for subsequent classes. The different general chemistry classes offered at MSU include: the standard lecture format (CEM 141, CEM 142, CEM 151, CEM 152), lectures with active learning activities (LB 171, LB172), lectures built around the ChemConnections modules (LB 172), which use real world examples, and lectures with a small class that goes in deeper depth than the other courses (CEM 182H). The ChemConnections were the result of an NSF funded project (DUE 9455918 and DUE-9455924). The resultant modules use large scale problems to allow students to encounter basic chemistry concepts in context. The modules consist of both lecture and laboratory activities that combine to fully explore the problem. The course consisted of three modules focused on the ozone hole, acid rain and soil equilibrium, and the chemical aspects to the origin of life. • ChemConnection students earned higher grades in some upper level courses than other Lyman Briggs students • Students perceive structural problems across all general chemistry courses • Lyman Briggs and Honors general chemistry classes better prepare students at science communication • Students perceptions of their general chemistry experiences do not change in the three years following the class Rebecca J. Tauscher, Alexandra Collins-Webb, Lindsey Phillips, Ryan D. SweederLyman Briggs College, Michigan State University • Other Responses with this similar tendency: • Applicability of chemistry to science education or career • Balance between explanation of concepts and demonstration of applications • General chemistry enriching understanding of chemistry in everyday life • General chemistry influence on • considering a science major before taking the class • students’ interest in science before taking the class • students’ interest in science after taking the class • highest degree students cited as pursuing before taking the class • highest degree students cited as pursuing after taking the class Comparison of grades earned in upper level courses Distribution of general chemistry I grade for LB 172 students Methods Conclusion . • ChemConnection students earn higher grades in some upper level classes • Suggests that applying and explaining concepts helps with retention of the material • Not one specific general chemistry class needs to change the way it is run; all general chemistry classes have similar deficiencies including: • Coherency between topics • More time between topics • Lyman Briggs and Honors chemistry students cite more often that general chemistry helped with their communication skills • Honors chemistry and Lyman Briggs chemistry students cite that general chemistry helped with making connections to everyday life • Students’ opinions about general chemistry do not significantly change in the three years following the class • Experimental and attitudinal data were collected over three years through open-ended and Likert scale questions on a web-based survey • Course data for students who took a general chemistry course in the 2008-2009 academic year was obtained from the registrar • Two raters categorized each open-ended response; inter-rater reliability was found: 0.75 < α < 0.87 • SPSS was used to analyze trends and correlations. • Crosstabulationsshowed correlations or major differences between the topics • z-test used for statistical significance • Frequency analysis highlighted the different responses based upon year or specific general chemistry class • The statistical differences in means was evaluated through an ANOVA table * significantly different at 95% confidence level **significantly different at 99% confidence level ChemConnections students and other LB students earned about the same average grades; one class does not have all of the higher grade earning students ChemConnection students earned significantly higher grades in LB 145, CEM 251, and CEM 252 than students in the other LB 172 classes How much general chemistry II helped in these specific topics? What is one thing that you would change about your general chemistry II experience? Acknowledgements Number of students who responded each year We would like to thank the students who participated in the completion of the surveys. R.T. would like to thank Lyman Briggs College for financial support. This work is based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-1022754. The ChemConnection modules were published by WW Norton. Each letter denotes a subset of classes whose averages do not differ significantly at the .05 level. Most cited changes are universal; they do not depend on the specific chemistry class Lyman Briggs and Honors chemistry classes cited communication skills as more helpful than the other classes