GALILEO, University System of Georgia
GALILEO Open Learning Materials
Chemistry Grants Collections
Chemistry
Spring 2016
Survey of Chemistry I
Jonathan Cannon
Middle Georgia State University,
[email protected]
Estelle Nuckels
Middle Georgia State University,
[email protected]
Renat Khatmullin
Middle Georgia State University,
[email protected]
Andrew Lauer
Middle Georgia State University,
[email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: http://oer.galileo.usg.edu/chemistry-collections
Part of the Chemistry Commons
Recommended Citation
Cannon, Jonathan; Nuckels, Estelle; Khatmullin, Renat; and Lauer, Andrew, "Survey of Chemistry I" (2016). Chemistry Grants
Collections. Book 1.
http://oer.galileo.usg.edu/chemistry-collections/1
This Course Syllabus/Schedule is brought to you for free and open access by the Chemistry at GALILEO Open Learning Materials. It has been
accepted for inclusion in Chemistry Grants Collections by an authorized administrator of GALILEO Open Learning Materials. For more information,
please contact
[email protected].
Grants Collection
Middle Georgia State University
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
OF GEORGIA
Jonathan Cannon, Estelle Nuckels, Renat Khatmullin,
Andrew Lauer
Survey of
Chemistry I
Grants Collection
Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide
faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same
materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims
and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation
process.
Each collection contains the following materials:
Linked Syllabus
o The syllabus should provide the framework for both direct
implementation of the grant team’s selected and created
materials and the adaptation/transformation of these
materials.
Initial Proposal
o The initial proposal describes the grant project’s aims in detail.
Final Report
o The final report describes the outcomes of the project and any
lessons learned.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Grants Collection materials are licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Syllabus
Sample Syllabus for Chem 1151 Survey of Chemistry 1 including OpenStax link to readings.
Students were required to read the chapters listed below in Openstax textbook prior attending the
class
https://openstaxcollege.org/files/textbook_version/hi_res_pdf/53/Chemistry-OP.pdf
Read before attending class.
Date
8/17
8/19
8/24
8/26
8/31
9/2
9/9
9/14
9/16
9/21
9/23
9/28
9/30
10/5
10/7
10/12
10/14
10/19
10/21
10/26
10/28
11/2
11/4
11/9
11/11
11/16
11/18
11/30
12/2
12/7
Reading
1.1-1.2
1.4-1.5
1.6, 5.1
2.1, 2.3-2.5
2.6-2.7
3.1
4.1-4.2
4.3-4.4
7.2-7.3
7.4, 7.6
10.1-10.2
10.3-10.5
11.1, 3.3-3.4
11.2-11.4
11.4-11.5
9.1-9.3
9.5
12.1-12.3, 12.7
12.5, 21.2
21.3-21.6
13.1-13.3
14.1
14.2-14.3
14.6-14.7
14.6
12/9, 1:00-3:00pm
Topic
Introduction, States of Matter
Significant Figures, Unit Conversion
Density, Temperature, Specific Heat
Atomic Theory, Periodic Table, Ionic Bonds, Covalent Bonds
Nomenclature, Review
Exam 1
Formula and Molecular Weights, Moles vs. Molecules
Balancing Reactions, Chemical Reactions (products and redox)
Mass Relationships, Limiting Reagents, Percent Yield
Octet Rule, Chemical Bonds, Lewis Dot Structures
Resonance Structures, Molecular Geometry, Polarity, Review
Exam 2
Intermolecular Interactions, Liquid and Solid Behavior
Phase Change, Solutions
Concentration
Concentration, Solvation, Colligative Properties
Osmotic Pressure, Colloids
Exam 3
States of Matter, Gas Laws
Kinetic Molecular Theory
Reaction Rates, Orders
Collision Theory, Radioactivity
Radioactivity, Emissions, Half-Life, Nuclear Medicine,
Fusion, Fission
Exam 4
Reaction Equilibrium, Le Chatelier’s Principle
Acids and Bases, Acid/Base Equilibrium
pKa, pH and pOH
Titrations, Buffers
pH of a Buffer, Review
Exam 5
Final Exam: Cumulative
Initial Proposal
Affordable Learning Georgia Textbook Transformation Grants
Round 2
Summer 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016
Proposal Form and Narrative
Institution
Name(s)
Middle Georgia State College
Team Members
(Name, Title,
Department,
Institutions if
different, and
email address for
each)
Andrew
Lauer,
Assistant
[email protected]
Jonathan
G.
Cannon,
[email protected]
Professor
Assistant
Estelle Nuckels, Assistant
[email protected]
of
Organic
Professor
of
Professor
of
Chemistry,
Biochemistry,
Physical
Chemistry,
Department of Natural Sciences and Engineering
Sponsor, Title,
Department,
Institution
Dr. Martha Venn, Provost, Office of Academic Affairs
Course Names,
Course Numbers
and Semesters
Offered
(Summer 2015,
Fall 2015, or
Spring 2016)
Survey of Chemistry I and Survey of Chemistry II
CHEM 1151, 1152
Fall 2015, Spring 2016
Average Number 20
of Students Per
Course Section
Award Category
(pick one)
[Proposal No.]
Number of
Course Sections
Affected by
Implementation
in Academic
Year 2016
15
Total Number of
Students
Affected by
Implementation
in Academic Year
2016
300
☐ No-Cost-to-Students Learning Materials
☐ OpenStax Textbooks
☐ Course Pack Pilots
☒ Transformations-at-Scale
1
[Publish Date]
List the original
course materials
for students
(including title,
whether
optional or
required, & cost
for each item)
[Material Title, optional or required]
[Cost]
OWL with Introduction to General,
Organic, and Biochemistry, req
$126/student
Hardcopy with OWL access code, opt
Or $258/student
Total Cost
$37800 - $77400
Plan for Hosting
Materials
☐ OpenStax CNX
☒ D2L
☐ LibGuides
☒ Other ____Sapling Learning ______________________________
Projected Per
Student Cost
$40
Projected Per
Student Savings (%)
68-84%
1.
Project Goals
Reduce the costs to students of textbooks and online homework software.
Align course outcomes more closely with the goals and programs of the majority
of the students, particularly the Nursing Program.
Assemble independent, free, or low cost resources typically provided by
textbook publishers to support professors in course preparation in conjunction
with the selected, open textbook.
1.1
STATEMENT OF TRANSFORMATION
Describe the transformation
Students are required to purchase electronic access to a textbook with the
purchase of their online homework system. Being required to purchase a specific
publisher’s textbook artificially inflates the cost of course materials.
Identify stakeholders affected by the transformation
Survey of Chemistry is a primary requirement for students desiring to enter the
Nursing Program, and recommended or required for some other healthcare
related professions. It also serves as a core curriculum lab science elective, with
more than 200 students taking the first semester course each year, and
approximately 130 taking the second semester.
Describe the impact of this transformation on stakeholders and course success.
[Proposal No.]
2
[Publish Date]
With the current digital textbook, students lose access to the text after 6 or 24
months, while a hardcopy of the book is more than twice as expensive. In
addition, the current course has been designed with little input from the
programs which provide the majority of the students. This makes the course
primarily a dreaded, gateway course rather than a valued, core skill building
course for many of our students. Direct feedback from the programs requiring
this course will improve the applicability of the skills learned. Students would
benefit from continued access to and knowledge of online resources. Textbook
and homework system changes will save up to 84% per student and provide
continued access to frequently updated materials without fees.
1.2
TRANSFORMATION ACTION PLAN
1.3
Describe the transformative impact on the program, department, institutions,
access institution, and/or multiple courses.
We propose to replace the current textbook with a free textbook or textbooks,
and to replace the online homework system with a less expensive, textbook
independent system. We will also align the topics emphasized in the course
more closely with the needs of Nursing and other health care students. Thus
students will save money, have continued access to course materials after their
old subscriptions would have expired, and experience a course more in line with
the core skills and knowledge the hope to use in their lives.
Meet with Nursing Program (and other program) representatives
Select any new emphases for course topics
Select a book or books (at least 3 relevant, free, high quality books are available online,
but will require correlation to our particular course)
Collate video lectures with class topics, either for viewing to prepare for class or as
review (selections from Khan Academy and other respected sources have already been
correlated with the current course by Dr. Cannon)
Select a homework system (Sapling Learning, WebAssign, and Quest are options)
Redesign syllabus
Find pre/post tests for content knowledge (Use current departmental exams based on
learning objectives as an internal reference, but look for other, externally verified tests
to compare to state or national averages)
Find questionnaires for measuring student engagement from current scholarship of
teaching and learning
Collect DFW data from previous years and simultaneously in unmodified sections during
Spring (Available for our school in Blackboard Analytics)
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE MEASURES
Every semester we give assessment quizzes, we will give these same quizzes to
our students that take the new courses to make sure that the Student Learning
[Proposal No.]
3
[Publish Date]
Objectives (SLOs) are still being met. We will utilize pre/post tests to also test
content knowledge. We will use blackboard analytics to compare the drop,
withdraw, and fail (DWF) rates. Finally, we will survey student opinions of the
free materials and the current materials, including student preferences and
frequency of use, to make sure that the no cost materials are at least as effective
as current materials and materials used in comparable classes.
1.4
TIMELINE
January / February
March
April
May
August
December
1.5
Consult with representative of the School of Health Sciences.
Select textbooks from among candidate OER textbooks.
Plan calendar of modified curriculum for Fall.
Correlate textbook and video lectures with curriculum.
Develop student surveys for evaluating textbook effectiveness.
Select assessment tools for content outcomes and student
engagement. Collect available data from previous courses.
Provide assessment tools to all professors teaching course in Fall.
Assess student opinions of current materials.
Create Desire2Learn course with access to all planned materials.
Collect assessment data from students completing Chem 1151.
Submit Progress Report.
Implement new course in approximately half of our sections.
Collect final assessment data and provide second progress report.
Provide new course materials to all faculty to sustain and expand the
reduced cost textbook changes into the upcoming year.
BUDGET
$5,000 each to Andrew Lauer, Jonathan Cannon and Estelle Nuckels. Our department
does not have sufficient faculty to cover release time for essential courses, so overload is
required.
$200 for external tests for comparison to state or national averages.
$600 for miscellaneous supplies, materials, and travel.
1.6
SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
We will develop the course materials and curriculum changes using materials maintained
by established organizations so that they will continue to be available for many years
(e.g. Khan Academy, Sapling Learning, FlippedChemistry). We will provide course
materials to other colleagues in Desire2Learn (Brightspace) and other readily accessible
online formats to assist them in curriculum and course material changeover with a
minimum of duplicated labor.
1.7
REFERENCES & ATTACHMENTS
[Proposal No.]
4
[Publish Date]
Office of Academic Affairs
100 College Station Drive
Macon, Georgia 31206
(478) 471-2730
MACON | COCHRAN | DUBLIN
EASTMAN | WARNER ROBINS
December 8, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
From: Dr. Marti Venn, Provost
Middle Georgia State College
RE:
Letter of Support for Affordable Learning Georgia Award
I am pleased to provide this letter of support for Dr. Andrew Lauer, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dr.
Jonathan Cannon, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, and Dr. Estelle Nuckels, Assistant Professor of
Physical Chemistry. Drs. Lauer, Cannon, and Nuckels are proposing to address the “Transformations-atScale”. They are targeting two science courses in AREA D- CHEM 1151 and CHEM 1152and potentially
impacting in one year over 300 students at a savings to students of approximately $77,400 in one year
(for students taking both science courses)! This has not only the potential savings for the first survey
course it may in fact encourage students to take the second CHEM sequence course and thus boost science
progression rates. Over 70% of Middle Georgia State College students are on financial aid and could not
afford to come to college without that support. This fall convocation, I challenged the faculty to “Imagine a
new teaching scholar model” and to align with the institution’s values of service, adaptability, engagement
and leadership. This RFP dovetails well with this new call to serve our students in new and transformative
ways. My office is committed to sustainability of this project after this year. Through our Center for
Teaching Innovation we can provide faculty professional development to assist them in this project. The
college is open to providing faculty course release to sustain as well as transform additional courses based
on the results of this project. If funded, my office stands ready to support, champion, and publically
recognize the trail that Drs. Lauer, Cannon, and Nuckels are blazing for our students and the college!
www.mga.edu
A unit of the University System of Georgia
Final Report
Affordable Learning Georgia Textbook Transformation Grants
Final Report
Date: May 10, 2016
Grant Number: 111
Institution Name(s): Middle Georgia State University
Team Members (Name, Title, Department, Institutions if different, and email address for
each):
Jonathan G. Cannon
Assistant Professor of
Chemistry
Department of Natural
Sciences
[email protected]
Estelle Nuckels
Associate Professor of
Chemistry
Department of Natural
Sciences
[email protected]
Project Lead: Jonathan G. Cannon
Course Name(s) and Course Numbers: CHEM 1151 and 1152
Semester Project Began: Spring 2015
Semester(s) of Implementation: 2
Average Number of Students Per Course Section: 21
Number of Course Sections Affected by Implementation: 7
Total Number of Students Affected by Implementation: 150
Renat Khatmullin
Assistant Professor of
Chemistry
Department of Natural
Sciences
[email protected]
1. Narrative
Chem 1151 Survey of Chemistry I
The comparison of the data before and after the transition in CHEM 1151 revealed that there
was no overall impact on student learning. However, students spend significantly less money on
course materials, making the transformation positive. Additionally, faculty found the new
homework system more user- friendly. Both homework platforms used were received positively
by students. The OWL platform (before) is approximately triple the cost. The quality of the
product does not justify the additional cost.
The textbook prior to transformation was not well received by students. Many of the students
did not realize the Openstax book was available, so most of the reviews after transformation
were neutral. In the second semester of implementation, faculty repeatedly encouraged
students to use the Openstax book. However, student’s comments showed that students still
did not utilize this resource, still commenting that there was no textbook available for the
course. Depending on student and faculty opinion, we will either continue with this resource or
move to Chemwiki for CHEM 1151 as well. The Openstax book is better suited for the principles
sequence than for survey.
At this point, it is difficult to draw conclusions on the DFW rates. DFW rates Individual
instructors have their own rates, and the instructors teaching the course have changed.
Additionally, the entrance requirements for the institution and core requirements are different,
causing a shift in demographics of students. If we look at the data we currently have, the failure
and withdrawal rate has increased dramatically, from 8% (Spring 2015) to 38% (Fall 2015) to
24% (Spring 2016). We hope that the drop in DFW rate in the second semester of
implementation is the beginning of a trend, as faculty and students become more accustomed
to the new materials.
The delivery method and instructional techniques did not change significantly, however
reference materials changed. Time was used to set up homework problem sets, and lecture
materials which are reusable in the future. Additional instructor resources (test banks, etc.)
were not available, increasing the time required to set up quizzes and ex ams.
Chem 1152 Survey of Chemistry II
While Openstax provided a textbook that adequately matched our departmental course outline
for Chem 1151, no similar OER textbook existed for Chem 1152. We opted to construct an
online textbook using pages selected from Chemwiki hosted by the University of California at
Davis, and to supplement lectures with short, topical videos provided by Khan Academy. We
were able to construct adequate materials, increase student use of these materials over the
previous, purchased textbook, and save students between $70 and >$200 dollars each.
Before beginning to construct the syllabus, we met with faculty from the Department of Health
Sciences since most of our students in this sequence are Health Science majors. The first hurdle
was to make modifications to the emphasis of the course to better match the needs of Health
Science majors without departing from the agreed upon Chemistry department curriculum and
standards. This required a de-emphasis of certain topics typically emphasized in textbooks for
this course, and an increase in emphasis on biochemical topics. We found Chemwiki topic pages
and Khan Academy videos that matched every topic for the course. The videos and wiki pages
were mostly short enough and specific enough that many students found them useful
references. The most typical complaint was that they were more in depth than what was
expected for class, and that they didn't line up perfectly with what was tested. The second most
common problem was that the resources didn't spend enough time on or give enough
examples of the most basic concepts appropriate for the level of preparation of the majority of
our students. This was particularly true of the biochemistry topics where the available pages
dedicated most of their space to giving facts and vocabulary--much of it highly technical and
not of lasting use to non-specialists--and little space tying the concepts back to organic
chemistry and the chemical reasoning we attempted to teach in the first half of the semester.
The flexibility allowed by constructing a textbook from individual topic pages gave greater
choice in the organization of topics in the course, and greater adaptability to the needs of the
students. However, using a new relatively new resource that has undergone less editing and
carried with it fewer instructor resources was challenging. While many topics had good
examples on the Chemwiki pages, some topics had few or completely lacked examples of
problem solving. Others only had problems more difficult than the level of a survey course.
Chemwiki provides no lecture slides or test bank. The quality and quantity of figures are
frequently lower than in textbooks. But while these seem like significant drawbacks from the
perspective of a professor, it should be remembered that: 1. the majority of students never
used the textbook they purchased, 2. we found it easy to adapt or borrow old, or create new,
lecture slides for the material, and 3. it was possible to acquire and adapt exam materials
simply by asking colleagues who had taught similar courses.
Three factors constrained our changes. Some faculty were willing to change to an OER textbook
as long as it didn't significantly change what they teach. Consequently, changes had to be
minimal. Second, the faculty implementing the changes (Dr. Cannon and Dr. Khatmullin) were
inexperienced in teaching this course. Third, we had to use the already existing departmental
assessment test which was geared toward the previous curriculum, and not to the emphasis
suggested by the Health Sciences faculty.
We were able to modify the assessment test during the Spring 2016 semester in an attempt to
better test fundamentals common to all instructors’ choices in course emphasis. Students using
the open resources scored much better than their counterparts; however, we fear that this was
a function of the revised questions and not the abilities or learning of the students.
In summary, the cost savings to students provided by the changes, and the absence of negative
impacts on learning outcomes, are sufficient reasons for us to contribute to further
development and improvement of OER materials. Dr. Cannon has made contacts and plans to
be involved with development of interactive sample problems and ancillary instructor materials
for the Chemwiki project. However, the lack of fully developed resources for the organic and
biochemistry portions of the course, and the needs of some of our faculty to have a print
textbook, preclude our continuing with Chemwiki as the primary text for these courses at this
time. Nevertheless, as a consequence of our exploration of low cost textbook options, we have
plans as a department to switch to an intermediate cost, primarily electronic text and tutorial
system with an optional print book.
2. Quotes
Chem 1151
The textbook is helpful when looking for a worked example in order to figure out a
complex problem.
I enjoy being able to reference the textbook anywhere I have an internet connection
without toting a bulky book around, although I seem to comprehend the material better
with a physical book.
The textbook is easy to understand. I think it was an extra bonus that we didn't have to
pay for it. As far as the helpfulness for studying, I really didn't use it for that. I used it
more as a supplemental source when I couldn't figure something out from old exams, or
my notes, homework, or the internet.
Chem 1152
[Sapling Learning] was very easy to use. I used it to study some, but some questions
proved to be quite difficult.
The textbook was easy to navigate but I found it had a lot of information that we didn't
use for some topics.
I did not like the textbook. However the videos were nice.
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Measures
3a. Overall Measurements
Student Opinion of Materials
Was the overall student opinion about the materials used in the course positive,
neutral, or negative?
Chem 1151
Total number of students affected in this project: ___93_____
Homework Opinion
Positive: __70___ % of ___72___ number of respondents
Neutral: __22___ % of ___72___ number of respondents
Negative: __8___ % of ___72___ number of respondents
Textbook Opinion
Positive: __6___ % of ___72___ number of respondents
Neutral: __75___ % of ___72___ number of respondents
Negative: __19___ % of ___72___ number of respondents
Chem 1152
Total number of students affected in this project: ___51_____
Homework Opinion
Positive: __48___ % of ___31___ number of respondents
Neutral: __35___ % of ___31___ number of respondents
Negative: __16___ % of ___31___ number of respondents
Textbook Opinion
Positive: __39___ % of ___29___ number of respondents
Neutral: __32___ % of ___29___ number of respondents
Negative: __23___ % of ___29___ number of respondents
Total
Total number of students affected in this project: ___134____
Homework Opinion
Positive: __60___ % of ___103___ number of respondents
Neutral: __25___ % of ___103___ number of respondents
Negative: __15___ % of ___103___ number of respondents
Textbook Opinion
Positive: __15___ % of ___101___ number of respondents
Neutral: __56___ % of ___101___ number of respondents
Negative: __29___ % of ___101___ number of respondents
Student Learning Outcomes and Grades
Chem 1151
Choose One:
___ Positive: Higher performance outcomes measured over previous semester(s)
_x__ Neutral: Same performance outcomes over previous semester(s)
___ Negative: Lower performance outcomes over previous semester(s)
Chem 1152
Choose One:
___ Positive: Higher performance outcomes measured over previous semester(s)
_x__ Neutral: Same performance outcomes over previous semester(s)
___ Negative: Lower performance outcomes over previous semester(s)
Student Drop/Fail/Withdraw (DFW) Rates
Drop/Fail/Withdraw Rate:
Chem 1151
___32____% of students, out of a total ___115____ students affected,
dropped/failed/withdrew from the course in the final semester of implementation.
Choose One:
Chem 1152
___ Positive: This is a lower percentage of students with D/F/W than previous
semester(s)
___ Neutral: This is the same percentage of students with D/F/W than previous
semester(s)
_x__ Negative: This is a higher percentage of students with D/F/W than previous
semester(s)
___7____% of students, out of a total ___57____ students affected,
dropped/failed/withdrew from the course in the final semester of implementation.
Choose One:
_x__ Positive: This is a lower percentage of students with D/F/W than previous
semester(s)
___ Neutral: This is the same percentage of students with D/F/W than previous
semester(s)
___ Negative: This is a higher percentage of students with D/F/W than previous
semester(s)
3b. Narrative
Chem 1151 Survey of Chemistry I
In comparison to previous semesters, students seemed indifferent to the change in homework
systems. The previous opinion was 64% of 22 students thought that the OWL homework system
was positive. Student opinion is slightly improved with 69% of 72 students having a positive
opinion of Sapling Learning. Sapling Learning is significantly cheaper for students, significantly
easier for faculty to use, and students are marginally in favor of the change.
The textbook was less well received by students, but students were less polarized. In previous
semesters, 29% of students liked the textbook while 67% disliked it. The ope n source textbook
was neutrally received by students, where 75% were neutral towards the textbook and 20%
dislike it. Many students commented that they did not know of the textbook.
We had a dramatic increase in the number of students that failed or dropped CHEM 1151.
Upon a closer look, we were unsure if the increase was due to the change in course materials,
or other changes. The data collected prior to transformation had a FW rate of 8%, but it was a
different instructor. If we pull data for the same instructor, the FW rate is 9% compared to her
34% for the fall semester and 24% for the spring semester. However, the data collected before
transformation for the same instructor was collected shortly after the school was consolidated.
Consolidation caused many of the core requirements to change, so the demographics have
changed. Prior to consolidation, the vast majority of students were pre -nursing majors. The
current courses include more non-science majors. At this point, we are unable to determine if
the considerable increase in FW rates are due to the textbook transformation, the change in
the demographics of students, the instructor, or some combination thereof. It is also possible
they are ordinary statistical fluctuations, since FW rates for introductory science courses at our
school are often 30% or more.
Student success for learning objectives seems to be nearly the same. Prior to transformation,
students averaged 73.6% correct on our assessment questions. After transformation, there was
a slight drop to 69.5% correct. With the limited amount of data, we attribute this change to
variation in the class demographics. Learning was not hindered by the transformation.
For CHEM 1151, the transformation retained a positive opinion on the homework system,
removed the negative opinion on the textbook, but may have contributed to an increase in FW
rates (though more research would need to be done to make sure).
Chem 1152 Survey of Chemistry II
The measurable impact on the students was primarily in the form of improved opinions about
the textbook. Our objective assessment remained the same. Fewer students withdrew or failed,
but it is likely within the range of statistical fluctuations for only 57 students. The departmental
assessment had almost exactly the same average and standard deviation of scores between the
spring 2015 and fall 2016 courses before and after the textbook transformation. The modified
assessment given in spring 2016 showed much greater success for the students using OER
materials, 65% correct vs. 40% for students using our previous textbook. This is worth further
examination, but is not a convincing indicator of improved student outcomes. It indicates that
the test better matches the course expectations for students using the OER, but matches the
expectations of students using the previous textbook no better than the unmodified
assessment test.
We had proposed doing a pretest to measure improvements over the course of the semester.
We were unable to do so because of limited willingness to participate of faculty who were not
directly involved with the project. We looked into using past scores and grades from Chem
1151 to compare them with outcomes for the same students in 1152, but we had insufficient
overlap between the students involved in both semesters of the study to draw any meaningful
conclusions.
Both the students and professors noticed the imperfect fit of the Chemwiki textbook and Khan
Academy videos to the course; however, 73% of the students used Chemwiki more than once a
week compared to only 39% with the previous textbook. 48% of students used Chemwiki 3-5
times per week, while only 6% used the previous textbook that often. Student opinions of the
textbook shifted from 6% positive and 61% negative with the previous book to 39% positive and
only 23% negative with Chemwiki. The increased textbook usage is likely partially the result of
differences in teaching methods between Dr. Nuckels and Dr. Cannon. Dr. Nuckels relies heavily
on lecture slides to convey the material expected of her students. Dr. Cannon employed a
flipped classroom approach, requiring students to have watched videos or read and taken notes
before attending class. Dr. Nuckels's students ranked class notes and previous exams as the
most important materials for success in the course with the textbook being lowest ranked,
while Dr. Cannon's students ranked the textbook and course notes equally and only somewhat
higher than other resources.
Our change in online homework system was a bigger success. Student opinions shifted from a
6% positive and 71% negative response with OWL to a 48% positive and 16% negative response
with Sapling Learning. While still an imperfect fit for our expectations of the course, we were
better able to match problems with the desired outcomes than with the previous system, and
there were almost no complaints about the ease of using the system. That is i n contrast to
frequent complaints about OWL. Also, 52% of the students felt that Sapling Learning was the
first or second most important tool for success in the course compared with only 30% ranking
the previous system that highly.
4. Sustainability Plan
For CHEM 1151, the textbook is provided on Openstax.org. Updating and maintenance of
course materials will be done by the publishers. Additional materials are on D2L.
For CHEM 1152, the textbook is maintained by Chemwiki. We will provide professors with the
option of using the specialized textbook map we prepared this semester or one of the
Chemwiki textbook maps that aligns with a published General, Organic, and Biochemistry
textbook. The specialized textbook map will continue to be adapted by individual professors,
while the alternative textbook map will provide a stable reference.
Sapling Learning homework assignments from the study will be provided to professors who can
then modify them in conjunction with support staff from Sapling Learning.
Khan Academy videos are maintained by Khan Academy. We used the most stable links
available, but links will occasionally require updating when Khan Academy updates topical
videos.
Despite all materials being selected or prepared in formats which can be easily distri buted,
reused, and adapted, the limited amounts of ancillary instructor materials available for CHEM
1152, and the lack of an optional printed text for the same course, make continuation of OER
use for this course infeasible for our department at this time.
5. Future Plans
This project has supported our use of Sapling Learning as on online homework system. Students
seem to overall be indifferent to the change in systems, and faculty use is significantly easier.
However, as a department we have decided that a complete shift to OER is impractical at this
time.
Now that we have more knowledge and experience with the available OERs, we have found
better developed materials for Organic and Biochemistry courses, as well as the general
chemistry course for science majors. We have begun incorporating many of these materials as
lower cost options for students in those courses. We have also reexamined the available
commercial materials for CHEM 1151/1152 and identified options costing significantly less than
our previous textbook, if not as little as the open textbooks. In summary, while our project to
shift CHEM 1151/1152 completely to open resources could be described as a failure, we have
managed through this process to 1. Educate our colleagues about the improving OER options, 2.
Shift the courses to a less expensive (if not free) textbook and homework system option, and 3.
Provide lower cost options for students in several other courses who would otherwise pay $2300 for textbooks or try to complete the courses without having any textbook.
Jonathan Cannon and Estelle Nuckels presented our results at the USG Teaching Learning
Conference in April 2016. Dr. Cannon has joined the growing team of associate editors on the
Chemwiki project, and we plan to help improve and expand on the materials available for GOB
Chemistry courses to remove the barriers we experienced for us and for others who wish to
provide affordable resources for their students in the future .
6. Description of Photograph
(left-right, back row) Dr. Khatmullin, instructor for Chem 1151 and co-developer of Chem 1152;
Dr. Cannon, team lead and co-developer/instructor for Chem 1152; Dr. Nuckels, instructor for
Chem 1151 and 1152 and developer for Chem 1151.
(left-right, front row) Delightful distractions.