June 30, 1998

A departmental Assessment Committee is charged with developing assessment procedures, collecting relevant data, interacting with department faculty regarding assessment issues, and preparing the annual report. The committee members for 1997-1998 were Professor Gary W. Small (Chair), Associate Professor Karen E. Eichstadt, and Assistant Professor Anthony R. J. Andrews. The Assessment Committee interacted with other departmental committees such as the General Chemistry Committee, the Departmental Awards Committee, and the Graduate Committee in the collection of assessment data. The committee also worked in consultation with the Department Chair, Professor Kenneth L. Brown, in the preparation of this report.

The service teaching activities of the Department of Chemistry focus on: (1) courses that fulfill Ohio University’s General Education Requirement in the natural sciences and mathematics (Chemistry 121, 122, 123, 151, 152, 153), (2) courses in organic chemistry that are designed for non majors (Chemistry 301, 302, 303, 304), as well as the major sequence (Chemistry 305, 306, 307, 308, 309) which serves some BIOS and all Chemical Engineering students, (3) a course in instrumental analysis with a significant service enrollment (Chemistry 325), and (4) a course in applied chemistry for students in the Colleges of Business, Fine Arts, and Communications, (Chemistry 101). The 121/122/123 and 151/152/153 sequences are year-long lecture/laboratory courses in general chemistry. The 151/152/153 sequence is the more advanced of the two and is required for many degree programs in science and engineering. The organic chemistry courses are separate lecture (301/302 and 305/306/307) and laboratory (303/304 and 308/309) sequences.

The goals established for our service teaching activities are :

The most important recommendation from the 1996-1997 report focused on the implementation of a placement examination for students entering general chemistry. This recommendation grew out of concerns regarding declining performances of students in Chemistry 151. Efforts to implement this placement exam were begun in 1996-1997. The exam was implemented fully in 1997-1998.

Regarding the assessment of student outcomes in general and organic chemistry, the 1996-1997 report recommended the Chemistry faculty begin an effort to incorporate national standardized exams into the curriculum. The ACS Exams Institute publishes exams that are designed for students who have completed various chemistry sequences as well as a placement exam for general chemistry. National norms are available for these exams. The 1996-1997 report recommended that a feasibility study be conducted to evaluate the incorporation of these exams into our existing course framework. In response to this recommendation, the ACS general chemistry exam was administered in 1997-1998.

Placement Exam. The general chemistry placement examination was completely implemented in 1997-1998. A national exam written by a committee of experts from the Division of Chemical Education of the ACS and published by the ACS Exams Institute was purchased, and this exam was administered to beginning students during the summer Precollege activities. Continuing students were given opportunities to take the exam each quarter. A minimum passing score for the exam was established on the basis of national norms. Students failing to pass the exam were recommended to enroll in the lower-level Chemistry 121 course.

Two questions were addressed in assessing the effectiveness of the exam. First, what was the correlation between the performance on the exam and the subsequent course outcome? To address this question, data were obtained from the Office of Institutional Research for 533 students who took Chemistry 151 in Fall 1997. The average course grade was studied as a function of placement exam score. There was a reasonably good positive correlation between placement exam score and average grade. Our general conclusion from these results is that the placement exam does provide a reasonable predictor of student outcomes and that the pass/fail cutoff we used (34 out of 60) is appropriate.

The second issue evaluated was whether the success rate for students in Chemistry 151 improved in 1997-1998 with the inception of the placement exam. Successful completion of Chemistry 151 is judged to be a grade of "C-" or better, as this is the minimum standard of performance to allow entry into Chemistry 152. Before institution of the placement exam, success rates over the past several years have declined to approximately 55%. We were pleased to observe that in 1997-1998, this success rate improved to 70%. Furthermore, students who initially placed into Chemistry 121 and received a grade of "C-" or better were admitted into Chemistry 151 in winter quarter, 1998. These students also achieved a success rate of approximately 70%. These results suggest that the placement exam is effective in identifying students who are not sufficiently prepared for Chemistry 151 and that the Chemistry 121 course is a useful preparatory course for these students.

National Standardized Exams. The potential utility of standardized exams was evaluated by administering the ACS standardized final exam in general chemistry to students who had completed the mainstream Chemistry 151, 152, 153 course sequence. This exam was administered at the end of Spring quarter. The Ohio University students scored 48.44 on the exam compared to a national average of 40.93 points. This represents an improvement of approximately 18% relative to the national average. Note that students who began the sequence in winter quarter, 1998, have not yet been tested with this national exam, but will be tested at the end of fall quarter, 1998-1999.

Recommendations for 1998-1999

On the basis of our assessment activities this year, our recommendations for the 1998-1999 academic year are: (1) to continue the use of the ACS Placement Exam for Chemistry 151 with the same procedures and pass/fail cutoffs as in 1997-1998, (2) to continue the use of the ACS general chemistry exam for students who complete the Chemistry 151, 152, 153 sequence, (3) to incorporate the ACS subject exam into the organic chemistry course sequences, and (4) to increase the use of technology in lecture and laboratory courses.

Overview

The Department of Chemistry offers undergraduate degrees in seven areas of specialization. Degrees are offered in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Forensic Chemistry, and Environmental Chemistry. In addition, three pre-professional degrees are offered for students who wish to pursue advanced study in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy. Both B.S. and B.A. degrees are offered in several of these specialties. The B.S. Chemistry degree requirements meet the standards set by the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training for certification as a professional chemist.

The goals for the undergraduate degree programs are:

The key recommendations from the 1996-1997 report were to implement modernization of the Forensic Chemistry laboratory course, to increase the participation of undergraduates in research, and to continue to improve our data gathering capabilities related to student outcomes.

In 1997-1998, Professor Anthony Andrews assumed responsibility for the Forensic Chemistry program and hence for Chemistry 487, the lecture/laboratory course in forensic chemistry that is a key component of the Forensic Chemistry degree. The department provided Professor Andrews with release time in the Fall quarter to allow him to modernize the course prior to teaching it in the Winter quarter. Significant enhancements were made to both lecture and laboratory components of the course.

To encourage more participation in undergraduate research, a proposal was written to the 1804 Fund to acquire funds for sponsoring undergraduate research students. Funding for this proposal was approved in 1997, and the program was implemented during the 1997-1998 academic year. Ten undergraduate students were selected for the program and matched to a faculty research advisor through an application and review process. These students were provided with academic-year and 1998 summer stipends and a supplies budget for research expenditures.

In addition, the department sponsored a separate undergraduate research/teaching associate training program for six students during the summer of 1997. The six student participants were chosen through an application and review process and were provided with a stipend for a ten-week period. Each student received training to allow them to be hired during 1997-1998 as a teaching associate in the general chemistry program. In addition, the students performed research under the direction of faculty mentors. Several Chemistry Department faculty participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program sponsored by the Molecular and Cellular Biology program, and several other faculty employed undergraduate research assistants through external grants.

In the area of data gathering, increased attempts were made to hold exit interviews with graduating seniors and to have them complete written exit surveys and advising surveys. Also, increased use was made of data obtained from alumni surveys and provided by the Office of Institutional Research.

Assessment data were acquired through exit interviews with graduating seniors, use of data from alumni surveys conducted by the Office of Institutional Research, and use of data acquired from departmental faculty regarding research contributions of undergraduate students.

Results of Exit Interviews and Surveys. Efforts were made in 1997-1998 to hold exit interviews with graduating students and to have them complete written exit surveys. Of the 37 graduating students, 16 either completed written exit surveys or participated in interviews with the Department Chair. Seven students did both. This participation rate of 43% represents a 43% increase relative to 1996-1997 when 12 of 40 students participated in either the surveys or interviews.

Results from the exit interviews revealed that the graduates were generally satisfied with their experience at Ohio University. Of the 11 students who completed exit surveys, three rated their education "extremely effective", while the remaining eight gave a rating of "very effective" to this question.

In terms of job and graduate school placement after graduation, four students have already secured employment, seven will enroll in graduate or professional programs in the Fall, and five are still seeking employment. Only three of the students provided standardized test scores (GRE 1960, GRE 2100, MCAT 28).

Several issues were raised by students in either the interviews or in response to the surveys. Concern was expressed by several of the Forensic Chemistry majors about the design of the Chemistry 460 course. This course is cross-listed with Chemistry 560, and is a senior undergraduate/beginning graduate course in the interpretation of data from spectroscopic experiments. The Forensic Chemistry students felt that even though there were only a small number of graduate students in the course, the course emphasis was on methods that were primarily of importance to graduate students performing research in organic chemistry rather than on techniques that were relevant to forensic chemistry.

The students also underscored the importance of well-designed laboratory courses. The efforts made in 1997-1998 to modernize and improve the laboratory course in forensic chemistry were acknowledged by several students. Several students also suggested that continued efforts need to be made to modernize and improve the laboratory instrumentation available for student use.

Results of Research Capstone Experience. One way to assess of the abilities of graduates at the end of their undergraduate careers is their involvement in independent research and the measures that exist of their research productivity. This represents the capstone experience for Chemistry majors. In 1997-1998, 32 undergraduates participated in research through the Chemistry 499 course (Undergraduate Research). This represents an increase of four students relative to 1996-1997. Eight students attended professional meetings during the year (vs. five in 1996-1997), and undergraduates were co-authors on 18 presentations (vs. 10 in 1996-1997). Undergraduates were co-authors on three publications that are currently in press in scientific journals and on two papers that have been submitted (vs. four papers published, one publication in press and four papers submitted during 1996-1997). Overall, the level of undergraduate research activity in the department is increasing. Increases in the number of research students and the number of presentations indicate that more students are involved in projects that are at an early stage of development. Since presentations typically precede publications, this increased activity should translate into increased numbers of publications in subsequent years.

Results from Alumni Surveys. Assessment data were also obtained for Chemistry graduates from the Office of Institutional Research in the form of the Career and Further Education Study for 1995-1996 graduates. In the survey of 1995-1996 graduates, 100% are currently employed or still in school. In terms of satisfaction with courses in their major, 43% reported they were "extremely satisfied" or "very satisfied" and 57% were "somewhat satisfied." None of the respondees were "not at all satisfied". In response to the query regarding how well Ohio University prepared them for their career goals, 43% reported "extremely well" or "very well", 50% reported "somewhat well", and 7% reported "not at all well". Of the 1995-1996 graduates, 84% were characterized by either the natural scientists/mathematics or health/medical job titles. This indicates that the majority of graduates are finding employment in technical areas related to their training.

Even though student participation in the exit surveys and interviews increased in 1997-1998, the rate of participation is still less than 50%. Continuing efforts need to be made to increase this level of participation. Another assessment mechanism related to the exit interviews is the use of focus groups conducted by a moderator who is not connected to the Chemistry Department. The possible use of focus groups to obtain student feedback will be evaluated.

The Department of Chemistry offers the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. During the 1997-1998 academic year, 50 students were engaged in graduate study, with approximately 2/3 pursuing the Ph.D. degree. The mission of the graduate program is to ensure that students who complete the requirements for a M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Chemistry will be proficient in both the theory and practice of research in their area of specialization. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to plan, execute, evaluate, and communicate original chemical research. This will prepare students for higher level positions in both academia and industry.

The specific goals for students completing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are:

The Ph.D. program was reviewed formally in 1995-1996 as part of the Review of Doctoral Programs conducted by the Ohio Board of Regents. This review found serious deficiencies in the doctoral program in terms of standard indicators of viability (e.g., research productivity, external research funding, and numbers of Ph.D. degrees awarded). The review mandated a restructuring of the doctoral program to focus exclusively on two areas of specialization and a series of changes designed to increase research productivity on the part of the faculty and graduate students. This restructuring began in 1996-1997 and continued in 1997-1998.

As a result of the Review of Doctoral Programs, the Department has restructured its graduate program to address problems identified during the review process. We have reorganized the five traditional areas of research in chemistry into two focus areas, Chemical Analysis and Structure and Chemistry of Biological Systems and Processes. The traditional divisions of analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry have been incorporated into these two focus areas. Resources and faculty hires are being directed into the two focus areas. As a result of this reorganization, the graduate curriculum was also updated, new policies on faculty workloads were adopted, and revised faculty promotion and tenure guidelines were written and adopted. The overall theme of these changes is a greater emphasis on research productivity. Over time, an increased emphasis on faculty research productivity will translate into increased research productivity on the part of graduate students and ultimately a higher level of student training.

An overall measure of the effectiveness of the graduate program can be obtained through the standard indicators of research performance in chemistry. These indicators are the numbers of publications by graduate students and the number of presentations made at scientific meetings. In 1997-1998, 20 graduate students co-authored 23 published papers (vs. 27 and 29, respectively, in 1996-1997). In addition, eight students co-authored eight papers that were in press (vs. nine and 12, respectively, in 1996-1997). Also, 13 students co-authored 13 papers that were submitted (vs. 24 and 24, respectively, in 1996-1997). Fifteen graduate students attended 17 scientific meetings (vs. 24 and 17, respectively, in 1996-1997), and 12 students co-authored 22 papers presented at meetings (vs. 32 and 53, respectively, in 1996-1997). This decline in absolute research productivity by graduate students reflects a decrease in the number of senior graduate students in 1997-1998. In 1997-1998, 17 of the 50 students in the department were in their first year of study. It is expected that these productivity measures will increase as these students become active in research.

Recommendations for 1998-1999

Although numbers of publications and presentations per graduate student for chemistry departments across the country are not directly available, numbers of total publications and total graduates for the majority of departments can be obtained. A comparison between the number of publications per graduate student will give evidence of whether we meet or exceed the productivity of peer departments. Peer departments will be identified from a list of Carnegie Research II institutions. Information on publications from these departments can be obtained from the ISI citation index and the number of graduate students in each department can be obtained from the ACS Graduate Student Finder sourcebook.

As part of the recent Ohio Board of Regents review, the Department sent a survey to over 100 Ph.D. graduates. The results of this survey were described in the 1995-1996 assessment report. The Department proposes to repeat this process in 1998-1999 for both M.S. and Ph.D. graduates to determine the satisfaction of the graduates with the education they received, the relevance of the course work to their job immediately after graduation, and the preparation that the research undertaken gave them for their job.