Executive Summary
Student Learning Educational Goals of the Department of Chemistry
Assessment Techniques Used
Annual Report Forms - 2002/03, 2003/04
Instrumentation and Documentation
Analysis of Data
Proposed Next Steps

Executive Summary

The Department of Chemistry at IU South Bend strives to produce educated graduates who will be productive citizens in an increasingly technological society; our goal is to provide instruction in fundamental principles and laboratory methods of modern chemistry. More broadly, the department seeks to sharpen the powers of observation, to develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills, and to improve the written and oral communication skills of our students. A graduate of our program typically chooses to use his or her degree as an industrial chemist, to enter graduate school in chemistry or a related field, or to enter a professional school. The department uses a variety of assessment techniques to ensure that we meet our student learning educational goals. These techniques include entry-level assessment, course assessment, standardized tests, and a capstone experience. As a faculty, we meet regularly to evaluate our curriculum, assess our program, and to discuss and implement new pedagogical approaches. Our BS degree is accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and we are required to submit annual and five-year reports to maintain our status. In addition to courses in the major, the department offers courses in support of the campus general education requirements, for students in Nursing and Health Professions, and for students in Education. We are committed to excellence in all of the programs and courses that we offer and in meeting the needs of our constituencies.

Student Learning Educational Goals of the Department of Chemistry

A graduate in chemistry will:

1. demonstrate mastery of the fundamental principles of chemistry

2. demonstrate mastery of laboratory techniques and methods

3. have high-level cognitive skills of observation, analysis, and synthesis

4. possess good critical thinking and problem solving skills

5. have well developed written and oral communication skills

Assessment Techniques Used

The Department of Chemistry uses a variety of assessment tools. Direct (formal) assessment techniques include:

- Entry-level assessment. We have both chemistry and math pre-requisites on all of our major level courses. We adhere strictly to these pre-requisites. This ensures that students have the necessary skills to be successful in our program, from the freshman level general chemistry course through the capstone senior seminar. This is particularly important in our laboratory courses; the skills and techniques learned in our lower-level laboratory course are reinforced an expanded upon in our upper-level laboratory courses.

- Course Assessment: All of our required and elective courses use individual course assessment tools to measure student outcomes. These include exams (both mid-term and final), quizzes, homework, laboratory reports, papers, and presentations. These techniques are designed to address most, if not all, of the student learning educational goals listed above. Individual instructors enjoy a great deal of autonomy in deciding which techniques to use. However, because of the -building-up- or sequential nature of our curriculum (each course having the previous course as a pre-requisite) we are able to determine very quickly if our assessment is on target.

- Standardized Tests: We use standardized test, available from the ACS, in three of our courses; our sophomore-level Organic Chemistry sequence, our junior/senior-level Biochemistry sequence, and our senior-level Inorganic course. This allows us to compare our student learning to national standards and norms.

- Capstone Experience: All of our majors are required to complete the senior seminar course (C301). This course requires the student to complete an independent literature research project and to present the results to the faculty (and students) in the form of a 45-minute oral presentation and a 15 - 20 page written report. It is graded by the entire full-time faculty.

Indirect (informal) assessment techniques include:

- Faculty Inventory: The chemistry faculty meet on a regular basis (usually monthly) and the curriculum and assessment are often the topics of discussion. In particular, this past summer (2004) we held a series of meetings to discuss issues such as assessment at the freshman level, the themes and concepts that hold our curriculum together, and how to ensure that our graduates are successful. In addition, chemistry faculty have been active in attending teaching related conferences and workshops and implementing ideas garnered from these meetings, particularly problem based and group learning techniques, in the classroom.

- Research Experience: Many of our students are involved in research projects mentored by the chemistry faculty. This allows for additional opportunities for assessment - particularly for laboratory skills, and oral and written communication skills. On average, three chemistry students each year present their work at national or regional meetings.

- Laboratory Equipment: In the past three years the department has purchased new IR, UV-Vis, and Raman spectrophotomenters. In addition, we have updated pH meters and general purpose spectrometers used in our general and analytical chemistry courses.

- Library Holdings: We have worked closely with the library staff to ensure that the holdings meet the needs of the chemistry faculty and students. The move to on-line journals has allowed us to expand our holdings significantly.

- Student Course Evaluations: Course evaluations are completed by students in all of our courses. The appropriateness and fairness of classroom assessments techniques can be partly judged from these data.

- Success of Chemistry Graduates in Finding Employment or Entering Graduate School. We keep track of our graduates success in continuing their careers in chemistry, whether in industry or in graduate or professional school.

Annual Report Forms

The annual reports from 2003 and 2004 can be found attached to this document as Appendix 1.

Instrumentation and Documentation

The most quantifiable assessment instruments used by the department are the ACS standard tests. These tests are normalized from a national sample of students and departments, with the national average being the 50th percentile. We have used these tests in three courses, with the following results:

1. Final Exam for C341/C342, Organic Chemistry I and II. We have used the ACS test since 1997. In that time, 208 students have taken the test and the average score has been the 56th percentile.

2. Final Exam for C430, Inorganic Chemistry. We have used the ACS test since 1997. In that time, 48 students have taken the test and the average score has been the 55th percentile.

3. Final Exam for C484/C485, Biochemistry I and II. We have used the ACS test in two of the past three years. The average score for the 22 students was the 78th percentile.

In each of these cases, students at IU South Bend scored above the national average. The combination of these three tests (sophomore-, junior/senior-, and senior-level courses) allows for broad assessment of our program. The sample size is quite large, given that we have averaged just over 5 graduates/year for the past five years (21 graduates total from 2000 - 2004).

Our students have also been successful after they graduate from our program. The following table indicates the career paths our graduates have chosen in the past five years:

Career Category Number of students Percentage of total
Industry 9 42.8
Graduate school in chemistry 5 23.8
Medical School 1 4.8
Other Professional Schools 1 4.8
Teaching 1 4.8
Other*/Unkown 4 19.0
Total 21 100
* This includes a student who intends to pursue a law degree, and a student who plans to attend a program in cosmetic/fragrance chemistry.

As can be seen, industrial careers are most commonly chosen by our graduates. While we have not yet conducted a survey of employers, the following are comments made by employers regarding recent IU South Bend graduates:

From a laboratory supervisor at Serim Corp. in Elkhart who hired an IU South Bend student.

-...has been a real find for us. Are there more like him?-

From the president of Valley Research of South Bend.

-IU South Bend has played a very big part in my life and, as you know, still is with the new graduates we have been able to hire.-

Another from Serim.

-I was impressed with -----'s knowledge of chemistry for someone with a BS degree. IU South Bend should be given credit for some of that. I first gave ---- a little project trying to assess the purity of a critical raw material we use in one of our products. The following is an excerpt from a technical report ---- and I wrote:

This High Range Water Hardness test, which is called -Monitor™ for Water Hardness- was developed as an extension of an existing product, the -Water Hardness Test Strips-. The Water Hardness Test Strips gave a semi-quantitative assessment of total water hardness from 0 ppm up to 120ppm with 10ppm being the lowest detectable concentration; the intended use is in testing water quality for dialysis. The new higher range water hardness test will give semi-quantitative results from 0 ppm up to 425ppm with 25ppm being the lowest detectable concentration. Both strips use essentially the same chemistry. The high range test uses a background dye and a 3.8 fold larger amount of the indicator, calmagite. The chemistry of the strips are the same. Hard water contains calcium and usually some magnesium (the level of magnesium in ground water is generally less than 10 ppm.) Calmagite binds rather specifically to magnesium. In order to provide some magnesium for the indicator, both strips contain some Magnesium EDTA complex, represented as MgY-2. The binding constant of calcium by EDTA is much larger than that of magnesium. According to literature values, the equilibrium constant [1] for the exchange reaction is,

Ca+2 + MgY-2 ? CaY -2 +Mg+2
Kex = 100.

Therefore, any calcium in solution will displace an equivalent amount of magnesium from the complex. This magnesium is then available to react with the calmagite indicator.

From the above it is clear that if commercially available sodium magnesium EDTA contained excess magnesium or free EDTA, the performance of our product would be adversely affected. ----- worked out the test procedure to insure the quality of this raw material. Because of this experience, when the company made a last minute decision to develop the High range water hardness test strip, he was given responsibility for the project. He has earned the respect of his coworkers in the way he worked on this project and learned the company systems (admittedly complex to the point of being described as Byzantine). We were happy enough with his work that we offered him a permanent position. I would be happy to provide additional information if needed. My phone number is....-

The following are excerpts from two emails received from recent graduates regarding the quality of their experience in chemistry at IU South Bend.

1. -On a more personal note, thank you for a wonderful education and college experience. IU South Bend has a fine chemistry department and I appreciate all your assistance and support through the years (please share this with other faculty members as you see fit). You are the primary reason I chose to stick with chemistry and I can honestly tell you the three IU South Bend chemistry graduates working at Valley Research in the lab (me, ----- and -----) were well equipped for working in industry. We all have a very thorough understanding of basic chemistries and techniques as well as demonstrating the necessary diligence, commitment and compassion necessary to succeed in the industrial climate.

We learned these skills and behaviors in order to fulfill the obligations of the BS degree from your department. We have hired and/or interviewed individuals with bachelor degrees from St Mary's, Ball State, Purdue and other regional schools and although some of them have worked out well, I prefer to work with IU South Bend graduates...I know they have had a first rate experience in school.

What the department may have lacked in funding or equipment when I was a student was more than adequately superseded by the intense, one-on-one learning environment and the commitment to excellence exhibited by the staff. For my money, that is what makes a great undergraduate education. I had all the necessary experiences to prepare myself for a long, successful career in positions related to my course of study.-

2. -I graduated in May 2003 with a BS in Chemistry from IU South Bend and am currently attending IU School of Medicine at the South Bend Center for Medical Education. Having finished finals today (!!!), I just wanted to mention to you briefly a few of my thoughts on how IU South Bend prepared me for this incredibly difficult semester of Human Gross Anatomy Lecture, Cadaver Dissection, Medical Biochemistry, Histology, Clinical Medicine I, and Embryology (which consisted of 30 hours of classroom lecture/week, ~15 hours of lab/week, and innumerable hours studying evenings and nights).

When classes began in August, I was intimidated, to say the least. My 15 fellow students came from a wide variety of schools (Yale, Brown, Notre Dame, U of Illinois, etc). While I was confident in the rigors of my education I received from IU South Bend before Med School began, I am certainly more so now than ever. I received more hands on lab experience (via my work with the SMART program and chemistry course labs), a comparable (if not superior) science background, and an increased understanding of the core scientific reasoning needed to succeed in the above classes than my fellow students who came from the other institutions with degrees in Biochemistry/Chemistry/Biology. I say this not to sound arrogant, but rather to mention some of the professors who made this education possible. I am forever indebted to four professors: Dr. Anderson, Dr. Feighery, Dr. Knowles, and Dr. McMillen for the investment they made in my education and continue to make in numerous students educational endeavors each semester. I have no doubt that I would not be were I am right now were it not for their individual help and the academic programs they have developed at IU South Bend.

I found the Chemistry department and the Honors Programs to be two of the greatest assets that IU South Bend had to offer me. From the perspective of a student preparing to attend medical school, these two academic programs proved priceless. The key courses taught by McMillen and Anderson (Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, respectively) are typically dreadfully difficult courses whose mastery is necessitated for success on both the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and in the first year of medical school. Both of these professors have developed courses that present this material in a dynamic and effective manner. I have come to further appreciate their method of teaching after having worked side by side with students this semester who were taught these courses by different professors. Furthermore, the curriculum of the chemistry major was an invaluable tool in the development of the foundational -science language- that I needed for this semester.-

Analysis of Data

The data that the department has collected in terms of assessment have been positive with respect to our stated Student Learning Educational Goals. Across the curriculum, our students score at an above average rate on independent, national, standardized tests. Our students are successful in their career goals, whether that is in industry or graduate and professional school. Informal feedback from employers and students indicate a high level of satisfaction with the chemistry program at IU South Bend.

Summary of Actions Taken

The following actions have been taken by the department related to assessment our program:

- Standardized testing of students at a variety of stages in our curriculum.

- Summer faculty meetings to discuss assessment-related activities, particularly at the freshman-level.

- Implementation of problem-based and group learning techniques across the curriculum.

- Continued updating of equipment available to students in the laboratory.

- Regular meetings with faculty and staff in Nursing and Health Professions to review chemistry courses required in their curriculum.

Proposed Next Steps

While we will continue as a faculty to fine-tune our curriculum in order to improve our program, there are two steps that we would like to take that we consider critical to our assessment efforts. These are to conduct an employer survey and to conduct an alumni survey. In order to prepare to collect such data, we are planning to publish a departmental newsletter (both web and print version) twice per year, beginning this summer. Our hope is that this newsletter will allow us to maintain contact with our alumni and there places of employment, present opportunities for feedback from both alumni and employers, and to allow us to develop and maintain a network of alumni and potential employers.

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