Permission to Cross-list an Undergraduate Course with a Graduate Course
(To be used only for courses already approved by the UPCC or GPCC)
Title of Undergraduate Course ______The Teaching and Learning of Chemistry________________________
Course Prefix & Number
_______________CHEM 3400
Department Offering Course
_____CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY______________
Title of Graduate Course ___The Teaching and Learning of Chemistry_______________________________
Course Prefix & Number _____CHEM 5400
Graduate Program _______Masters of Arts in Teaching Science (MAT-Science)__________________
(1)
Please provide a brief rationale for cross-listing these courses.
***SUGGESTED GENERAL USE LANGUAGE FOR MAT-SCIENCE COURSES***
One of the primary objectives of the MAT-science degree program is to provide prospective teachers with the
appropriate depth and breadth in their subject area so that they are fully prepared to convey current, in-depth,
and accurate content knowledge to their students. This course, COURSE XXX, is intended to deepen and
broaden the graduate students’ understanding of ideas in XXX, YYY, and ZZZ, and introduce them to advanced
topics in AAA, BBB, and CCC.
Additional Course Specific Language (if appropriate):
CHEM 3400 is currently offered as an upper-level elective content course intended to expose prospective preservice chemistry teachers to the discipline-specific pedagogical strategies most consistent with effective
instruction at the secondary level. As such, it is appropriate for both undergraduates considering teaching as well as
graduate students enrolled in the MAT seeking initial certification as a career goal.
(2)
In what ways will there be a substantial difference between undergraduate and graduate instruction?
***SUGGESTED GENERAL USE LANGUAGE FOR MAT-SCIENCE COURSES***
Undergraduate students will focus primarily on the acquisition of deep conceptual understanding of the core
concepts emphasized during this course (e.g. XXX, YYY, ZZZ) while the graduate students will seek to find
connections and intersections between this course and the state-adopted secondary science curriculum, the
Georgia Performance Standards (GPS).
Additional Course Specific Language (if appropriate):
Undergraduate instruction will focus primarily on acquiring a deep conceptual understanding of the content
knowledge and pedagogical methods emphasized during the class meeting times, while graduates will search for,
read, analyze, and summarize primary research articles relevant to the literature on the topics discussed during the
course. The expectation is that the graduate student will have a stronger foundation of content knowledge and will
thus be expected to extend that understanding further than his/her undergraduate colleague.
(3)
In what ways are there substantially greater expectations for students enrolled for graduate credit?
***SUGGESTED GENERAL USE LANGUAGE FOR MAT-SCIENCE COURSES***
Graduate students will be expected to write at least two lesson plans, aligned with the GPS for their intended
area of content expertise, that explicitly relates a topic covered in the course to the teaching of the GPS for high
school students. Further, graduate students will be expected to write a research paper detailing a recent
development in a field related to the topics covered in this course. The graduate student may be expected to
present this paper to the class.
Additional Course Specific Language (if appropriate):
Weekly homework assignments will have more prompts for the graduate student to consider and respond to; the
graduate students will be expected to present monthly summaries of relevant primary literature articles related to
the course topics at that time in the course; the graduate students will be expected to write a research paper
detailing the prevalent misconceptions students possess on a given fundamental chemical concept (e.g. atomic
structure, bonding, equilibrium, stoichiometry, kinetics, thermodynamics) and the implications for teaching those
ideas at the secondary level.
(4)
In what ways will the combined instruction of graduate and undergraduate students will be structured to
ensure appropriate attention to both groups?
Students will participate in the same classroom-based discussions, investigations, and activities; undergraduates
will be given periodic supplemental readings to consider, while graduate students will be expected to find
their own and lead classroom discussions over them.
(5)
Who will be the Instructor of Record for this course (the instructor of a cross-listed course must meet the
university requirements for Provisional or Full Graduate Faculty status).
Gregory Rushton, Ph.D., 4 years of experience at KSU; graduate faculty status
(6) Please attach an undergraduate syllabus and a graduate syllabus for the cross-listed course (the requirements
and expectations for students in each course must be identified in separate syllabi, which clearly identify evidence
of substantially greater expectations for students enrolled for graduate credit.
See attached syllabi
(7)
Please provide a summary diagram showing a comparison of requirements and expectations for
undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the course.
CHEM 3400/5400
Undergraduate Expectations
Graduate Expectations
Knowledge of laboratory safety protocols, chemical storage and
waste disposal
Knowledge of laboratory safety protocols, chemical storage and
waste disposal
Design and appropriate use of laboratory investigations, classroom
activities, and demonstrations
Design and appropriate use of laboratory investigations, classroom
activities, and demonstrations
Master appropriate chemistry content to be prepared to teach
accurate science content to a diverse student population in a
secondary school setting
Master appropriate chemistry content to be prepared to teach
accurate science content to a diverse student population in a
secondary school setting
Develop teaching strategies to effectively communicate abstract and Develop teaching strategies to effectively communicate abstract
complex chemical concepts to a diverse student population
and complex chemical concepts to a diverse student population
Successfully enact supervised instructional activities in actual
classroom settings to gain experience in presentation skills, selfconfidence and classroom management.
Successfully enact supervised instructional activities in actual
classroom settings to gain experience in presentation skills, selfconfidence and classroom management.
Learn and apply current instructional technologies to the teaching
of chemistry
Learn and apply current instructional technologies to the teaching
of chemistry
Gain proficiency at searching the chemistry education
research literature, analyzing the data collection, results, and
implications for teaching, and presenting them clearly and
succinctly to your colleagues
Gain an in-depth understanding of the most prevalent student
misconceptions on a given fundamental chemistry concept or
topic and write a lesson that would promote the conceptual
change of your future students
Approved _________________________________________________Graduate Program Director
__________Date
Approved _________________________________________________ Department Chair
__________Date
Approved _________________________________________________ GPCC Chair
__________Date
Approved _________________________________________________ Graduate Dean
__________Date