Faculty perspectives of pedagogy, curriculum, and assesment in the undergraduate laboratory

CHED 1533

Stacey Lowery Bretz, bretzsl@muohio.edu1, Marcy Towns2, Laura Whitson, lwhitson@purdue.edu3, and Michael E. Fay, fayme@muohio.edu1. (1) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, 369 Hughes Laboratory, Oxford, OH 45056, (2) Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2084, (3) Department of Chemistry, Purdue Unviersity, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907
The goal of this research is to characterize the diversity of faculty goals for the undergraduate chemistry laboratory, the array of strategies faculty implement in the name of those goals, and the assessments faculty utilize to measure the extent to which they meet those goals. We have interviewed a variety of faculty from different types of institutions, chemistry disciplines, and course levels who have been engaged in NSF-funded research to improve their laboratories. Analysis of the interview transcripts indicates faculty are driven to modernize their instruction goals to emphasize skill building and critical data analysis. However, even though they have been successful in developing and implementing an innovation, they view the lack of time and departmental or course culture as barriers to innovation in laboratory. Analysis and the development of findings will continue to take place as we expand our pool of interviewees this fall and spring.
 

NSF Catalyzed Innovations in the Undergraduate Curriculum
8:30 AM-11:35 AM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- Grand Blrm A, Oral

Division of Chemical Education

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008