Program: Chemistry (BA, BS)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Tue Aug 31, 2010 - 8:36:56 am
1) Below are the program student learning outcomes submitted last year. Please add/delete/modify as needed.
see curriculum map
2) As of last year, your program's SLOs were published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: www.manoa.hawaii.edu/chem
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: UHM Catalog. Page Number: Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: Other: Other: 3) Below is the link to your program's curriculum map (if submitted in 2009). If it has changed or if we do not have your program's curriculum map, please upload it as a PDF.
- File (03/16/2020)
4) The percentage of courses in 2009 that had course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is indicated below. Please update as needed.
0% 1-50% 51-80% 81-99%
100%5) State the assessment question(s) and/or goals of the assessment activity. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.
Questions were:
To which extent the concenpts of equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics, that were introduced in CHEM 161 and developed in CHEM 274/274L, were retained by students entering CHEM 351 in which these concepts are supposed to be furtehr developed.
To which extent fundamental concepts of stereochemistry and carbon chemistry, first introduced in CHEM 272 and developed in CHEM 273, had been retained by student enetering CHEM 445/445L.
6) State the type(s) of evidence gathered.
in-class discussion of questions that have these concepts as a basis.
7) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected?
Course instructor(s) Faculty committee Ad hoc faculty group Department chairperson Persons or organization outside the university Faculty advisor Advisors (in student support services) Students (graduate or undergraduate) Dean/Director Other: 8) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence?
Used a rubric or scoring guide Scored exams/tests/quizzes Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used) Compiled survey results Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., external organization administered and scored the nursing licensing exam) Other: 9) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated.
If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
Instructors of CHEM 351 and 445
10) Summarize the actual results.
Retention of CHEM 161/CHEM 274 material at the beginning of CHEM 351 is relatively weak. This was exacerbated by the presence of students in the class who as a result of recent modifications of the upper division curriculum had been able to enter CHEM 351 without having enrolled in CHEM 274 first.
Similarly, the retention of relatively basic concenpts of stereochemistry and reaction mechanism was found not to be what it is supposed to be. Particicpating students had come through the CHEM 272/273 sequence by a variety of paths and had taken these courses from different instructors.
11) How did your program use the results? --or-- Explain planned use of results.
Please be specific.
For CHEM 351 we have tightened up the prerequisite requirements and as of next Fall these will be strictly enforced (since CHEM 351 is only offered once a year, a prerequisite change that essentially requires 9 months to be approved, cannot be enforced strictly the Fall following the approval in May).
The organic chemistry problem is much more intractable. We would have to revive "Intermediate Organic Chemistry", which we used to have on the books ten years ago. With current personnel levels that seems a stretch. We'll redo the same analysis this Spring semester with another group of students to strengthen the evidential basis and then revisit this problem.
Greretare emphasis in CHEM 272/273 on concepts important for chemistry majors appears not easily feasible as the greatest number of students enrolled in these courses are biologists. So CHEM 272/273 is a mixed service/ majors course and some of the problems result from this arrangement. The small number of chemistry majors does not justify offering a separate majors course as is typical at other, larger institutuions. A mandatory fourth hour for chemistry majors might be a viable option.
12) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries? This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.
We are now in the second year after the redevelopment of upper division courses at the 400 level in Inorganic Chemistry, CHEM 425/425L. Last year's experience suggests that we need to be very much stricter about insisting that students entering CHEM 425 actually have completed the the prerequisite course CHEM 422 rather than enter with a departmental approval override. We will be working to communicate these stricter policies this Fall before students make their course selection for Spring. The faculty of the Inorganic Division are also working on the rebalancing of course content between CHEM 422 and CHEM 445, which should conclude with the Spring 2011/Fall 2011 cycle of these two courses.
Similarly, we will be taking a stricter line in enforcing the CHEM 274 prerequisite for CHEM 351. After a recent retirement both courses are taught by the same faculty member and content of the latter will be building more closely on the former than has been the case in the past. CHEM 333 used to be a prerequisite for entry into CHEM 351 and CHEM 333 in turn had a prerequisite of CHEM 274. With the elimination of CHEM 333, the implicit prerequiste of CHEM 274 for CHEM 351 was no longer on the books. This problem has been fixed and as of next Fall the CHEM 274 prerequisite can be enforced.