Table 3 Content Delivery and Assessment Comparison

Aspects Compared	Stand-alone Chem. 100	LC Chem. 100 + English Comp
Curriculum	· Introductory general chemistry · Applications – supplemental as time permits.	· Introductory chemistry, including some organic and biochem. · Applications - integral part or major theme.
Textbook used^1	· “Basic Chemistry”, G. W. Daub & W. S. Seese, Simon & Shuster (1996). · “Introductory Chemistry”, 2^nd ed. N. J. Tro, Prentice Hall (2006)	· “Fundamental Chemistry Concepts” & “Chemistry in the Environment” Learning Activity Packets (LAPs)^2, M. R. Wang, Stipes (1999) & supplemental handouts. · Same text by N. J. Tro. · “Chemistry in Context”, 5^th ed. ACS / McGraw Hill (2006)
Teaching & Learning activities	· Lectures – hour long with overhead transparencies or Power Point presentations, quick-time movies, lab demonstrations, etc. · In-class and take-home drill & practice worksheets on topics such as: unit conversions, nomenclature, balancing equations, stoichiometry, etc. · World of Chemistry video programs, Annenberg /CPB Project	· Lectures – same as stand-alone, but shorter than one hour. · Group work o Interactive / hands-on LAPs^2 o Seminars^3 o Learning Objectives (LOs)^4 · Field Trips and Projects^5 o Class project o Research project
Assessment strategies / Grading policy	· 50 – 60% Tests - all closed-book, timed, with short answer, multiple-choice, fill-in-blank questions. o Three hour-long unit tests o One two-hour Final exam · 25 – 30% Lab exercises · 15 – 20% In-class & take-home work	· 15 – 20 % Tests - format varied among LC sections: o Four LC sections had chapter tests and final exams that were similar to, but shorter than, those of stand-alone. o One LC section had no tests except a take-home final exam. · 20 – 25 % Lab exercises · 25 – 35 % Group work (LAP, LO, etc.) · 25 – 30% Other Writing assignments^6

¹ Textbook used – Two LC sections taught by RW did not specified any textbook. Students may use any basic chemistry textbook (including ones provided on loan by RW) to supplement the series of hand-on learning

¹ Textbook used – Two LC sections taught by RW did not specified any textbook. Students may use any basic chemistry textbook (including ones provided on loan by RW) to supplement the series of hand-on learning activity packets (LAPs) described in footnote 2 below. Fall 02 and Spring 06 LC sections used similar basic chemistry text as stand-alone sections. The Spring 07 LC adopted the American Chemistry Society’s “Chemistry in Context” for its applications and focus on environmental issues. Although the text served well in this respect, it was challenging for students to learn basic skills such as naming compounds and balancing equations, due to its lack of extensive directions and examples as found in traditional texts. AB had to step in to provide extra help with longer lectures on these topics.

² Interactive/hands-on LAPs - This refers to a series of learning activity packets (LAPs) of 10- to 12-page each in a workbook format. Developed by RW through a National Science Foundation grant (DUE-9452258), the LAPs introduce chemistry concepts by engaging students in hands-on / interactive exercises (17). A typical “LAP day” in the LC begins with a 15- to 20-minute introductory lecture, followed by students working in groups of 4 to 6 around a table to complete the LAP. As the group comes to a hands-on exercise, they would retrieve necessary equipment and materials from a central table and conduct the exercise either at their own table or at a designated location in the classroom. RW monitors class progress, answers questions from table to table, and leads a 10-minute debriefing session at the end. (Note that hand-on exercises in the LAPs are usually safe in the classroom setting; they involve physical observations, measurements, household products and non-volatile chemical changes in microscale. The few that require a fume hood or gas burner were completed in the Chem. Lab during arranged lab hours.) Each LAP takes about 2 hours class time; 20 to 25 LAPs were completed in the LC and counted for 15% of course grade.

³ Seminars – This refers to a strategy widely adopted by LCs in general. The seminars practiced in our LCs correspond more or less to this description: “Seminars are forums in which issues are raised and explored, but not necessarily resolved; they require you to think, to practice the skills of analysis and synthesis, and by doing so, possibly leave with more and better ideas than the ones with which you came.”(18, 19) For example, the spring 07 LC scheduled seminars every other week, and they counted towards 10% of course grade. The class was divided into two groups of 14-16 students. Each group met separately for one hour to discuss a specific topic on seminar days. The instructors’ primary role was to observe and assess, with occasional brief interventions or adding conversation during the last few minutes of each seminar. Points were awarded for frequency and quality of contributions to the discussion. The seminars were very popular with students, and often served to clarify misconceptions. For example, a seminar on “energy” exposed a misconception that using ethanol as a fuel prevents production of greenhouse gases. This was clarified later on in the seminar. Sometimes, however, discussions drifted away from the topic. Also, shy students often remained quiet. These were resolved as one or two students spontaneously took on leadership roles to redirect the discussion or call on students who had not participated.

⁴ Learning Objectives (LOs) – The Spring 07 LC used Learning Objectives (LOs) as an alternative form of assessment, modeled after the “Contract Work” portfolio we have used in other chemistry courses at SFCC (20). LOs are designed to help students study text chapters effectively. There are a weekly set of about 20 LOs, plus about 20 end-of-chapter (EOC) exercises, each selected from the textbook and directly relates to an LO. Students write a definition or short explanation in answer to each LO, and do related EOC exercises by showing work in detail. A grading assistant evaluates their work by checking each LO for completeness, neatness and organization. The assignment counted towards 10% of course grade.

While most of the LO work is done at home, the LC scheduled one hour each Friday for students to discuss the more difficult LOs and problems in groups, with occasional help from the instructor. The students liked the opportunity to show their knowledge among their peers. There was one instance of a few students copying each other’s LO answers. This was resolved by a brief conference with those involved, and they were given the opportunity to re-do the work. Student comments in the course evaluation indicated that most would like “a little less LOs” and that “there were too many”, but they liked doing LOs instead of taking tests, because: “…The LOs forced me to apply what I was learning and to me that made a greater impression than taking a test” and “… if I studied for a test, I would only have learned and remembered the material long enough to take the test.”

⁵ Field Trips and Projects – These learning activities correspond to a running theme of all our LC sections: “personal and civil responsibilities to the environment.” Through the years, we arranged sites visits to the regional water treatment plant, the waste-to-energy facility, a hydroelectric power plant (with turbines hidden underground of the River Front Park in downtown Spokane!), a closed landfill under clean-up efforts as a “Superfund” site and local environmental laboratories. Students gathered ideas and information through these field trips for group projects, research papers and presentations. Projects in one LC section included student groups organizing campus events, hosting local officials and experts as guest speakers to the class, and publishing issues of a journal for college students based on a topic found in their chemistry textbook. Another LC section did a “classy waste” project to keep track of wastes generated during class every day by collecting and measuring various types of wastes such as food, paper, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, etc. After tallying data collected through the quarter and extrapolating them, the class found practically how “reduce, reuse and recycle” could impact our college and community.

⁶ Other Writing Assignments – These include: (a) short journal entries and paragraphs dealing with subjects such as lab safety and new terms / concepts learned in Chemistry and English. For example, the prompt on “lab safety” journal entry states: “Discuss the safety video we saw in class today and the brief tour we took of the Chemistry Lab. What surprised you? What will you look for, specifically when you do your Safety Lab this week? (This does not mean re-list what’s on the lab; rather, what interests or concerns YOU as a student?)”. (b) Full-length papers involving research, writing, peer-review and revision. One LC section asked students to write an expository essay on: “Chemistry Discoveries That Have Rocked Our World.” Students were given articles of the journal Chemical Heritage from which to choose their topics. Another LC section assigned a persuasive research paper on an aspect of municipal solid wastes. One of the options is: “Turning Waste to Energy: Benefits and Risks”. Students were asked to examine the chemistry process involved in garbage incineration and possible pollutants and their health effects, plus other issues surrounding modern waste-to-energy facilities. They will take a “stand” on whether the pros outweigh the cons and support this stand, but address the other side. Besides a field trip to the local waste-to-energy plant and background information provided in several environmental chemistry LAPs (17), the paper must refer to three or more outside sources.