The LSSU School of Physical Science consists of 11 full time faculty, and offers programs in the chemical sciences (chemistry, biochemistry, and forensic chemistry), the environmental sciences
(environmental science, environmental health), geology, and secondary education (chemistry and physical science). The current school was formed during through several rounds of academic reorganization through the combination of the historical Departments of Chemistry &
Environmental Sciences, and Geology & Physics.
The current faculty consists of 10 Ph.D. tenure track faculty, of which 5 are tenured, and 1 full time temporary hire. Of these faculty, 7 have expertise in the chemical sciences (including environmental chemistry) and 1 in physics, and participate in offering the B.S. Physical Science program.
The B.S. Physical Science, Secondary Education degree is one of the schools three current offerings in secondary education. Like the traditional programs in the chemical sciences, it is a rigorous degree program that has been approved by the American Chemical Society since 2009.
ACS describes approved programs as having the following attributes and benefits
1
:

Institutions with an ACS-approved chemistry program attract top high school talent looking for established and rigorous departments.

Approved departments are staffed by accomplished faculty, contain a modern and well-maintained infrastructure, and provide a coherent chemistry curriculum.

Employers find graduates of approved programs to be better prepared for technical employment.
In addition to rigorous study of educational, physical, and chemical theory, our program offers extensive hands on experience though faculty supervised undergraduate research, and hands on classroom training. Secondary education students are also eligible for a variety of discipline specific internships/employment in both the Environmental Analysis Lab (the regions only contract analytical lab) and the Chemical Prep lab. Each of these attributes directly supports both LSSU’s mission and vision statement.
Another distinctive attribute of our program is the Chemistry & Environmental Sciences Living
Learning Community. This student housing facility offers a unique learning environment that facilitates close interaction between students at all stages of their studies of the chemical and environmental sciences.

In fall 2013, all programs in the School of Physical Sciences totaled 136 majors. School faculty averaged 276 Student Credit Hours (276 SCH/FTE) in Fall 2013, and 12.4 majors/FTE. Courses taught by the school are used in a various STEM programs on campus, in particular, those in the
School of Biological Sciences, the School of Nursing, and the School of Engineering. As the expertise of the school faculty covers 3 of the 4 classical scientific disciplines, chemistry, physics, and geology, it is unsurprising that school faculty also teach a large proportion of the natural science general education courses, and also cover a large proportion of the non-science majors general education SCH (note: an exact calculation of this proportion is difficult with available data sets, and is not available at this time). Average advising load for faculty in fall
2013 was 17 students (two first year faculty and one temporary faculty were not assigned advisees for this academic year).
Additional metrics on areas such as cost effectiveness and efficiency would also be useful to consider, but data on these areas is not available at this time. Any additional metrics on productivity will be considered in the future reports as they become available.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in secondary education will have a
6% growth rate overall, over the next decade nationally, but that teachers qualified to teach science (especially chemistry & physics) will face improved job prospects. Efforts to track the success of program graduates is currently still underway school wide, but lack of recent graduates from this program precludes useful analysis of this data for the B.S. Physical Sciences,
Secondary Education program.
Enrollment in the B.S. Physical Science, Secondary Education program was 3 students as of Fall
2013 (out of a total of 12 students in the secondary education programs), and is currently projected tobe ~5 students in Fall 2014, as the current cohort completes their degrees. Enrollment trends further suggest decreasing demand for secondary Education programs at LSSU. This is likely a result of difficulties maintaining state approval of LSSU’s education programs over the past few years.
BS Integrated Sci
BS Phys Sci, Secondary Ed
BS CHEM Secondary Ed
BA CHEM Secondary Ed
F08
1
0
1
F09
1
2
0
3
F10
1
2
1
0
4
F11
3
5
3
0
11
F12
5
5
2
0
12
F13
3
6
3
0
12
F14
1
4
0
0
5
Table 1: enrollment trends in the School of Physical Sciences Secondary Ed programs. F14 enrollment is projected based on projected attrition from F13 including graduation and expected new incoming students based on orientation enrollment and communication with prospective students.

School of Physical Science faculty have developed a plan to manage enrollment in our programs, including the BS Chemistry. Our enrollment goal for the B.S. Physical Science, Secondary
Education degree is 7 students, based on our current faculty, available resources, and projected demand. Key aspects of our enrollment management plan include:
1.
Establishing a School Recruiting and Retention Committee
2.
Updating and improving our websites
3.
Working with the webmaster to attempt to improve and update program pages
4.
Working closely with admissions staff to keep them informed of our programs
5.
Scheduling a faculty meeting with every prospective student who visits campus
(including Saturday visits)
6.
Developing and printing promotional materials
7.
Working with state and local middle and high school student groups both on and off campus
8.
Installing two large screen TV’s in Crawford hall to increase the visibility of our programs, facilities, and student success
9.
Highlighting student and faculty accomplishments such as research posters, grants awarded, conference presentations, and publications
10.
Faculty contact (generally by email or mailings) with all admitted students
11.
USEM 101 sections for our incoming freshmen to improve retention
All courses within the BS Physical Science, Secondary Education degree are either utilized by other degree programs in the Biological Sciences and Engineering, or by other programs within the School of Physical Sciences as either required courses or chemistry electives. For example,
CHEM 115 is utilized by all bachelors level Biology (all majors including Fisheries & Wildlife and Con. Bio.), Environmental Science, and Geology programs, as well as Engineering
(excluding Engineering Technology). CHEM prefix courses in the BS Chemistry degree that see significant enrollment from programs in other schools include CHEM 115, 116, 225, 226,
231, 332, 351, & 353, especially from programs in the School of Biological Sciences. Other courses in the B.S. Chemistry program are either required or elective courses in B.S.
Biochemistry, Forensic Chemistry, Environmental Science, etc.
Course scheduling within the school follows are regular schedule developed jointly by the
School and the Dean. The following CHEM courses utilized by the BS Chemistry program are scheduled every semester: CHEM 115, CHEM 116, CHEM 225, CHEM 495, CHEM 499. The following courses are scheduled at least once each academic year: CHEM 226, CHEM 231,
CHEM 261, CHEM 332, CHEM 351, CHEM 363, CHEM 395. The following courses are offered on a regular schedule every fourth semester: CHEM 310, CHEM 341, CHEM 353,
CHEM 361, CHEM 362, CHEM 446, CHEM 452, CHEM 461, CHEM 462.

The B.S. Physical Science, Secondary Education degree meets the requirements for approval by the state of Michigan for Secondary Education, as well as approval by the American Chemical
Society (ACS). ACS publishes a series of guidelines for high quality undergraduate programs, which approved programs must adhere to. The guidelines include requirements for:

Highly qualified faculty (minimum number of tenure track PhD faculty)

Facilities and instrumentation

Curriculum (required course offerings, frequency of offerings, content, etc.)

Library resources (ACS and other Journal Access)

Laboratory experience (hands on student learning)
ACS approval for the full review period thus establishes that LSSU offers a rigorous, competitive, high quality program based on each of these criteria. Of the ~2300 four year colleges and universities in the United States, fewer than 700 institutions offer ACS approved programs.
The School of Physical Sciences has successfully implemented many High Impact Educational
Practices in the BS Physical Sciences Program, as identified by the Association of American
Colleges and Universities:
First-Year Seminars and Experiences: beginning in Fall 2014, all Chemistry students will participate in a section of USEM 101 taught by Dr. Christopher Heth (Chemistry)
Common Intellectual Experiences: The ACS Chemistry curriculum requires a core set of courses to be completed by each student consisting of an introductory course sequence
(CHEM 115) and foundation courses in each chemical discipline: Organic (CHEM 225)
Inorganic (CHEM 261) Physical (CHEM 116), Analytical (CHEM 231), and
Biochemistry (CHEM 351). Secondary Education coursework creates a similar cohort among secondary education students.
Writing-Intensive Courses: Our curriculum is designed such that each student completes a writing intensive senior research sequence. In Junior Seminar (CHEM 395), each student prepares a formal research proposal where they outline their research question/hypothesis, review the literature on that topic, and propose a methodology for evaluating their hypothesis. In Senior Seminar (CHEM 499), students then present the results of their research, including a written paper in the formal scientific style. In addition, many courses also have formal scientific writing (term papers, formal lab reports, etc.) as a key component.
Undergraduate Research/Capstone Courses and Projects: Our senior Research
Sequence (CHEM 395, CHEM 495, & CHEM 499) also serves as our capstone course sequence, as well as our primary means of integrating undergraduate research into our curriculum. In addition, highly motivated students often begin research as freshmen or sophomores, either working directly with faculty, or through the Environmental Analysis
Lab (10-12 students/yr) or Chemical Prep Lab (4-6 students/yr).

Internships: External i nternship experiences within the discipline, while not required for graduation, are highly encouraged. We typically place several students each summer in competitive internship programs (NSF REU, industrial placements etc.), in addition to internal opportunities (Faculty Research Grants, EAL, Prep. Lab, etc.). Secondary
Education programs also offer the opportunity for significant classroom experience as part of the curriculum.
The faculty in the School of Physical Sciences is actively engaged in program assessment. The
School has established program review subcommittees for each program consisting of the faculty primarily involved in the delivery of courses which address the student learning outcomes. These subcommittees meet on a regular basis and report back to the School. In 2013-2014, the committee met several times to review program assessment data, and discuss alignment of curriculum and student learning outcome with the current and proposed changes to the ACS requirements.
The B.S. Physical Science, Secondary Education degree last underwent major revisions during the 2012-2013 academic year. At that time, the curriculum was aligned to meet new state wide certification standards. During the curriculum revision, non-majors courses such as CHEM 105
(now CHEM 110) were replaced by majors courses to increase rigor. This increase in rigor was deemed appropriate in light of institutional issues with low pass rates on state wide exams
(though this issue did not apply to the secondary education majors in the School of Physical
Sciences, the faculty felt that training educators with a high level of disciplinary expertise was a worthy goal, and the small number of students taking the test made it impossible to draw statistically valid conclusions about pass rates).
Program Outcomes for the revised B.S. Physical Science, secondary education degree have been developed by the faculty. Each outcome is measurable, and the methodology for evaluating each outcome is detailed in the TracDat software. The first four outcomes involve student learning, while the last two outcomes involve the necessary support structure to deliver a high quality program. The B.S. Physical Science outcomes are as follows:

The Physical Science Graduate will demonstrate: 1. Factual and theoretical knowledge of chemistry, physics and educational pedagogy in science 2. Lab knowledge and skills 3.
Competence in the use of chemical and physics-based instruments and computers 4.
Communication skills including effective instructional practices for class and laboratory activities 5. Information retrieval skills 6. safe laboratory practices 7. A passing score on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification for this subject-area

The Physical Science Graduate will demonstrate readiness for employment as a chemistry, physics and physical science teacher in classrooms at grade levels 6-12

The Physical Science Graduate will demonstrate readiness for graduate study in chemistry, biochemistry, physics or physical science related fields, especially advanced study in science education

The Physical Science Graduate will have experience and familiarity with full range of chemical and physics-based instrumentation for education, analysis and research


The University supports an active and engaged faculty in chemistry and physics including science educators

The University provides resources for the maintenance and support of the program including the science labs of Crawford Hall
Faculty are currently in the process of entering program and course level assessment data into
University TracDat software. A curriculum map has been developed, which relates fundamental skill sets (described in the first four outcomes above) to specific courses where those outcomes are achieved. It should be noted that as per the ACS program requirements, fundamental skills related to factual and theoretical knowledge are developed in the introductory course (CHEM
115) and the five foundation courses (CHEM 116, 225, 231, 261, 351). These are assessed in each course, as well as in the capstone course (CHEM 499). The curriculum map is attached at the end of this report as Appendix 1. Course level assessments are in the process of being evaluated and entered into the TracDat software by the faculty.
Table 3 outlines our progress toward formalizing program level assessment across all programs in the School. A number of additional program level assessment activities are currently underway (ex. completed alumni employment survey, instrumentation utilization report, senior capstone report etc.), and are expected to be completed prior to the Fall, 2014 semester. These findings will be utilized by the program assessment committee during the 2014-2105 academic year (which also corresponds to the scheduled update to the ACS program requirements) to further evaluate the success of the program, as well as to recommend any additional necessary changes.
Program
Measurable
Outcomes
Assessment
Methods
Findings Actions
BS Chemistry
BS Biochemistry
BS Forensic Chemistry
BS Environmental Science
BS Envrionmental Health
BS Chemistry Secondary Ed
BS Physical Science Secondary Ed
BS Geology
AS Chemistry
AAS Chemistry
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
12
10
10
6
12
12
12
12
11
11
1
2
3
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total 48 108 25
Table 2: Summary of program assessment activities in Physical Science
0
Long term goals for the B.S. Physical Science, Secondary Ed program include enrollment growth
(target 7 students), further improvements in program quality, maintaining quality of facilities and instrumentation, and faculty development.

Plans to achieve enrollment growth are outlined under section 3: Internal and External Program
Demand. The largest current impediment to growth is the lack of University marketing support.
We have faced challenges such as 1) challenges with approval of LSSU educational programs 2) difficulties related to School and program websites, 3) lack of general awareness of the
University outside our region, and 4) lack of awareness of program quality within our region.
Over the past year, we have made significant strides in addressing the issues within our control
(updating the departmental website, outreach to local student populations, etc). Of the remaining issues, the primary area where we feel the University can most cost effectively contribute to our enrollment growth is through improvements to the University website (including departmental website template, and increased assistance from the University webmaster in producing attractive, modern looking design elements that reflect the quality of our programs). In the absence of these types of fundamental support, we strongly feel that we will continue to fight an uphill battle.
The School of Physical Sciences maintains a variety of state of the art laboratory and field equipment for delivery of its programs, with an estimated value in excess of 1.5 million dollars, approximately 2/3 of which is chemical instrumentation. This equipment has been acquired and maintained through a combination of faculty grant writing, revenues from the Environmental
Analysis Lab, student fees, federal Perkins funds, and donations. Recent acquisitions include:
AQ1 discreet analyzer for automated colorimetric analysis, a block digester for automated sample preparation, a full spectrum microvolume UV/Vis spectrophotometer for determination of DNA and Protein content, and a BASi Epsilon Electrochemical Analyzer (currently on order).
School faculty also recently submitted a National Science Foundation Major Research
Instrumentation proposal for a LC MS/MS in January 2014 ($220,000, still under review).
The Chemistry & Environmental Science faculty recently prepared an Instrument Acquisition and Replacement Plan (available on TracDat) that prioritizes new acquisitions, and details the anticipated replacement schedule, including funding sources. As part of the development of this plan, we surveyed the instrumentation and facilities available at other regional institutions, and had discussions with faculty at several about funding sources etc. Based on these discussions, it is clear that the School has been highly successful at acquiring instrumentation with significantly less institutional investment than competing programs, and that a combination of innovative solutions such as the EAL, successful grant writing, and sound fiscal management have left the
School well positioned to maintain that distinction. Thus, we do not anticipate at this time that any new University funds (beyond what is currently available) will be necessary to maintain our current chemical instrumentation.
The school is currently supporting faculty development by 1) providing departmental
Professional Development funds to support faculty development in strategic areas, and 2) by aligning departmental instrument acquisitions with both program needs and with faculty expertise/research interests (see Instrument Acquisition and Replacement Plan). Support for faculty development could be improved with an increase in available resources to provide for institutional matching funds for competitive grant applications. Such support would increase the number of potential grant opportunities, and thus should increase grant success rate as well as student research opportunities.

While the secondary education programs (BS Chemistry & BS Physical Science, Secondary Ed) currently have rather limited enrollment, there is very little cost within the school of Physical
Sciences associate with offering these programs. They require no additional course offerings, outside of those within the School of Education (which are common to the secondary education programs). Thus, so long as secondary education programs continue to be offered at LSSU, there is no compelling reason not to offer the BS Physical Science Secondary Education.
1 http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/about/governance/committees/training/acsapproved.html
2 Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce 2013 study "Hard Times:
College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings."
The B.S. Physical Sciences Secondary Education Graduate will demonstrate
1. Factual and theoretical knowledge of chemistry, physics, & ed. pedagogy
2. Lab knowledge and skills
3. Competence in the use of chemical instruments and computers
4. Communication skills
5. Information retrieval skills
6. Safe chemical practices
7. Passing Score on the MTTC test
CHEM 115, 116, 225, 231, 261, 351, PHYS 221/222, EDUC 443/453
CHEM 115, 116, 225, 231, 261, 351, 363
CHEM 225, 231, 310, 332, 362
EDUC 443/453
EDUC 443/453
CHEM 115, 116, 225, 231
External Assessment
The BS Physcial Sciences Education Graduate will demonstrate readiness for employment as a chemist, physics, or physical sciences teacher in classrooms at grade levels 6-12
EDUC 443/453
The BS Physical Sciences Education Graduate will demonstrate readiness for graduate study in chemistry, biochemistry or chemist, physics or physical sciences, especially advanced study in science education
EDUC 443/453
The BS Physical Sciences Education Graduate will demonstrate experience and familiarity with full range of chemical & Physics instrumentation for education, analysis and research
CHEM 225, 332, PHYS 221, PHYS 222