Chemistry vote

[Warren Whitmore]

I got a rather odd request last October. The local community college called and asked me to teach an entry level Chemistry class. The teacher who had been teaching it quit part way into the term and they were desperate for a replacement.

I was a statistical chemist for 18 years and so knew the material but had zero teaching experiance. As with everything else I attempt I analyzed the heck out of it. Then I optimized the teaching throughout the semester to maximimize learning, minimize the time spent by the students, and minimize memorization of material.

I took a rather unorthodox approach. Open book tests, going over each problem any student got wrong with them idividually until they understood the underlying concepts etc.

On the student evaluations I got the highest rating the college ever had. They invited me back to teach the spring semester.

I have thought about some ways to increase thier learning while reducing thier studying even more. The college I am certain would not approve and could result in my not being invited back again.

The main thing the college would object to I believe is this. To have all of the exam questions
(1) real life.
(2) Allow colaberative effort for those who wish to take a 10% reduction in thier test grade for using that option. and
(3) After the exam having those problems which a student got wrong re taught to them until they got it and then be given half credit for it.

I noticed as a statistical chemist in a research and development department that the major error most of my co workers made was spending all of thier time at the development part. I spent 95% of my time on the research part and it made all of the difference.

The same thing with poker. Most people who fail it seems to me spend 5% of thier time researching current players stratagies and 95% of thier time on thier own ideas. I spend 95% of my time studying superior players and 5% improving upon them. That matters.

It is traditional teaching methods which I believe is the cause of this. I would like to change this. As an additional point I don't care if I get fired because I make more money doing other things. I only care if I get fired in the sense that if I do I will not be able to teach student with the optimizations I have made up to this point.

Opinions please!

I make no claim to proper spelling or punctuation expressed or implied.

[ClaytonN]

I'm going to be a freshman next fall, so here's my input:

I like options 1 and 2, but not 3.

3 seems to be rewarding students who didn't have the initiative to learn your concepts in the first place.

[Warren Whitmore]

This is true of course. Still it is a teachers basic function to teach. Therefor it seems it would be ideal for everyone in the class to learn everything before they left it. Not so much in the best students get the best grades sense more in the average amount of information that can be covered in a fixed amount of time sense.

[beernutz]

Why fix what's not broken?

[Leo99]

The purpose of the final exam is to show/prove that you're learned the material. Teaching after the final is pointless. Once you take the final, the class is over.

What is a statistical chemist? I majored in statistics and I worked as a chemist in an R&D analytical lab but I've never heard of a statistical chemist.

[Warren Whitmore]

To optimize systems is what I do. To quote Frank Zappa "without deviation from the norm progress is not possible."

[Warren Whitmore]

The purpose of the final exam is to make certain that everyone in the class understands all of the material that was covered. If any student does not fully understand all of the material before they leave than I have failed to that extent.

A statistical chemist in my case atleast moved products from the R & D stage to the production stage. Used statistical process control to find out where the system was. Then used Taguchi DOE to optimize the system.

[Zeno]

I think that you should try the 'unorthodox' approach to the fullest extent possible. Real-life experiments in teaching methods, like you are doing, need to be done more often. Especially in Science, where, unfortunately, many students get lost and lose interest etc. I would recommend keeping a journal of your experiences with this teaching method and also to contact, if possible, other teachers to gain other ideas and/or get feedback and comments that may help you with this 'experimental' teaching method(s). A journal would prove, I think, invaluable to you and to other teachers also to solidify thoughts and ideas and to track informal student feedback, which may be more useful than formal student evaluations. Good Luck and Kudos for your efforts.

-Zeno

[Ray Zee]

the only courses i ever learnt anything other than what i could just read in the book were taught by unorthodox instructors.
do whatever you feel you want to do. nothing else will eventually matter.

[uuDevil]

[ QUOTE ]
Used statistical process control to find out where the system was. Then used Taguchi DOE to optimize the system.

[/ QUOTE ]

W. Edwards Deming gave all his students A's. The standard methods fail too often. Do it your way.

[Phat Mack]

Do it your way. The last thing you want to do is comply with your perception of the education establishment.

BTW, I experienced all the methods you propose as an undergrad, just not all from one prof. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I taught information management to adults for ten years at the local CC. I did it my way, and never got any flack from the admins. The only question I have: why the 10% reduction for collaboration on the final?

[scrub]

I think you should give it a shot.

One of the best courses I took in college was Maitland Jones's unorthodox organic chemistry course at Princeton. The course involved very little homework and a lot of in class problem solving in small groups.

He wrote a bunch of stuff about the course here (http://www.princeton.edu/~mjjr/) --you might want to check it out or get in touch with him.

Good luck!

scrub

[Warren Whitmore]

Thank You,

That a good idea I will do it.

[Warren Whitmore]

I thnak you all for your input and appreciate all of the comments. The 10% reduction for collaborative effort would be because if someone chose to not learn chemistry or ever attend class it would be possible to get a grade of 100%. Thats not a good thing.

[BeerMoney]

Just out of curiousity, what was your grade distribution. Its a well known fact that evaluations and grades are highly correlated. I'm sure if you gave 50% of the class c's or lower like is the case in most intro chem. classes, you would not have had the greatest evaluations ever.

Now, I'm not saying you aren't a good teacher. Its just that a lot of students aren't intelligent enough to even realize they have a good teacher. Some will, and a lot will notice the extra effort you put in, but evaluations are b___S__t.

They really are. You can have 2 students say exact opposite things that are not really opinions.

Consider a question like:

Was the teacher readily available outside of class?
One student will say "Yes, he/she was always available, and willing to help." another will say "No, he/she was never there and didn't give a damn." Now, these can't both be true, and one student is obviously bitter about something.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

[Warren Whitmore]

I agree with your post. I dont know the distribution as it was not given to me. As for being a good teacher I am certain I am not. That class was the first class I ever had. What I am attempting to do is to impart the most information in the shortest amount of time. After the first class I used design of experiment to determine the optimal teaching parameters.

I would teach each class to a predetermined pattern. Then at test time use the grades for each individual question which was taught diffently to optimize each parameter. For example: Parameter one A. Lecture concept B. Lecture homework problems. Than I would spend 75% of one class on lecture and 25% of class time on homework problems. One of the test questions would be from the first lecture another from the second.

This was all done on an orthogonal basis and then optimized for each variable. For the "paper champion" I had the students shooting baskets with crumpled up pieces of paper. Some underhand, overhand, from 10 feet, 20 feet, standing on one leg , while jogging in place...etc. The idea was to teach them how to set up a lab to get to the right answer in the shortest amount of experiments. Not to just run the labs in the lab book which teaches nothing.

[BeerMoney]

Warren, I like the idea that you are taking a scientific way to teaching effectively. However, the fact that you are making the grading softer does not make you a a better teacher, it just makes the class easy.

What if all students collaborated with the smartest kid in the class? Would anyone learn anything? I would have taken a B if I knew I wouldn't have to do anything.

If you are confident that your teaching methods are most effective, than you should be willing to let your students take the test and score higher, cause your methods are effective, right?

I don't understand this making sure they get it, then giving half credit.. What's the point of testing in the first place.

I think an interesting and interactive classroom is great, but I don't think it justifies old fashioned tests and evaluation.

Students who work the hardest and know the most should be rewarded, a class designed otherwise is flawed.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't understand this making sure they get it, then giving half credit.. What's the point of testing in the first place.

[/ QUOTE ]
The goal of any class is to have the students understand the material when they're done. The competetive aspect of grades is for other people to worry about. That's not to say I'm some hippy why must we compete pansy. I'm all for competition, grading tough and having an A being an A (and a C being average), but the end goal is learning. From the teacher's perspective and the 'true' student's perspective, I think this approach is great. I'd only have a problem with it if there were other professors teaching the same class and grading differently - that's unfair to the competition.

[BeerMoney]

[ QUOTE ]
From the teacher's perspective and the 'true' student's perspective, I think this approach is great.

[/ QUOTE ]

"True" students are few and far between. Come the end of the semester, all 99.5% want to do is get their grade and be done. Even the best will be lazy if you let them.

[ QUOTE ]
I'd only have a problem with it if there were other professors teaching the same class and grading differently - that's unfair to the competition.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, that's what I'm saying too. This is usually the case in an intro chem class.

[beernutz]

Optimization is great, however, it sounds from your description of what you did this year that your current methods are working pretty well. I'm just curious as to why you feel the need to make such a drastic change. I'd also be interested in what beermoney asked about--what is your grade distribution? I don't think the correlation is 1 between student evaluations and grades but there is a definite influence. If you give everyone As and Bs, keep their workload easy, and keep them semi-entertained in the classroom, students will often tell you you're the greatest thing since internet porn even though they didn't learn a thing.

I've taught information systems and information technology at two regional four-year institutions for the last 15 years and I applaude attempts to improve pedagogy. The one thing they don't generally instruct you on when you are getting a Ph.D is how to effectively teach what you know.

A couple of books that have really helped me are McKeachie's Teaching Tips (Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers) by Wilbert J. McKeachie and Engaging Ideas - The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom by John C. Bean.

I wish you the best of luck.

[TruePoker CEO]

I once attended a lecture by Deming. I did not understand a damn thing he said, but I do not think he would have repeated it for that reason.

[uuDevil]

[ QUOTE ]
I did not understand a damn thing he said, but I do not think he would have repeated it for that reason.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't know what your background is, but I find the first part of this statement surprising. I've only seen short films of him speaking and read brief transcripts, but I thought he was pretty effective. After WWII, thousands of Japanese engineers and managers understood him just fine.

As for the second part of your statement, I would not be surprised if he was a stubborn, uncompromising SOB.

[Stork]

[ QUOTE ]
To optimize systems is what I do. To quote Frank Zappa "without deviation from the norm progress is not possible."

[/ QUOTE ]

Will you be my chemistry teacher?

[tech]

What do you think the college would object to? I have taught at three different universities and none of them would have any objection to what you describe. In fact, you probably would have been rewarded for innovation in teaching.