Chemistry Program Review
CHEMISTRY DISCIPLINE
COMPREHENSIVE
PROGRAM REVIEW
2011
Riverside City Community College
Chemistry Faculty involved in Program Review:
Daniel Bernier
Stacie Eldridge
Bobbie Grey
Ellen Kime-Hunt
Paul Richardson
Leo Truttmann
Jarrod Williamson
Web Resources: http://www.rccdfaculty.net/pages/PR_status.htm
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Chemistry Program Review
A. Mission and Relationships to Riverside City College
1. The Mission Statements
Riverside City College Mission Statement: Riverside City
College provides a high-quality, affordable education, including
comprehensive student services, student activities, and community
programs, and empowers and supports a diverse community of
learners as they work toward individual achievement and life-long
learning. To help students achieve their goals, the College offers
learning support services, pre-college and transferable courses,
and career and technical programs leading to certificates or
associate degrees. Based on a learner-centered philosophy, the
College fosters critical thinking, develops information and
communication skills, expands the breadth and application of
knowledge, and promotes community and global awareness.
Chemistry Department Mission Statement:
The Chemistry Department of Riverside City College empowers a
diverse community of students to develop to their highest potential
in chemistry in order meet their academic, professional, and lifelong
learning goals. We strive to assist students in their efforts to
transfer to 4 year institutions or to allied health programs by offering
a broad base of chemistry courses.
Chemistry’s Relationship:
The relationship of the Chemistry department’s mission to that of
the general RCC mission has not changed in the past three years.
The main roles played by the chemistry department are: providing
education in chemistry, transfer preparation, program preparation,
and general education.
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Chemistry classes are a typical part of the freshman and
sophomore level curriculum in university offerings,
particularly for science majors. At RCC we teach
introductory level chemistry (CHE 2A and 3) to prepare
students for subsequent college-level chemistry courses.
General (freshman level, 1AB) and Organic (sophomore
level, 12AB) Chemistry offerings are transferable to 4 year
institutions including CSU and UC.
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Chemistry Program Review
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Introductory Chemistry classes (2AB) are also necessary for
many nursing and allied health programs, including the
Nursing, PA, and Dental Hygiene programs.
The content of chemistry classes requires critical thinking in
mathematical problem solving as well as the ability to
assimilate many abstract concepts and theories. Students
who study chemistry often find that their abilities are
stretched and strengthened due to the challenging material
presented. Many transfer schools require Math majors to
take Chemistry.
Understanding basic chemical concepts is important to the
General Education breadth requirement. Many important
issues in the news today (i.e. Environment and Energy)
require “chemical literacy” to understand.
2. Departmental Goals
1. Curricular Projects
 Curriculum development to incorporate chemically relevant,
current topics
 Adoption of new “Green” labs
 Revision of CHE 1A/1B, 2A/2B, and 3 Lab Manuals
 Hybrid Course Development (CHE 2A and 3)
 Chem 1A/1B and12A/12B laboratory enhancement using
computer based modeling and spectroscopy (UV/Vis, GC,
and IR)
2. Goals to Improve Student Learning
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Increase Student Access – Due to budget constraints (not
caused by the Chemistry Dept.), Chemistry 2A has become
impacted in its enrollments. This course is a gateway
leading to Chemistry 1A/1B, 2B, and 12A/12B as well as
microbiology. It is required for many programs across the
District such as Nursing and Dental Hygiene. In order to
continue to provide students with educational opportunities
and to encourage transfer, more classes must be opened
when funds are once again available.
Increase Course Retention – While retention in our transfer
courses remains high, there has been low retention with
some part-time faculty. In an effort to hire and retain high
quality part-time faculty, we are participating in a mentoring
program.
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Chemistry Program Review
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Increase Successful Course Completion - Success rates
for Chemistry courses vary depending on the type of course
offering. Discussion among faculty members indicates that
students need substantial support in problem solving skills to
improve their learning outcomes. The Chemistry
Department continues to meet in order to discuss teaching
methods and new technologies that may increase student
success. Strategies for students to improve their problem
solving skills are being examined as part of our assessment
process.
Increase Student Term-to-Term Persistence – This issue
remains to be analyzed.
Improve Student Learning Outcomes – The department
has extensively revised and improved SLO’s and COR’s this
year. Methods of assessment continue to be reviewed
annually.
Improve the Quality of the Student Experience –New
facilities will be available at Riverside City Campus
beginning spring 2012. The new building will enhance
student experience through modernization of instruction
methods and chemical equipment (Smart lecture and lab
rooms, computer technology, efficient laboratory layout, and
increased safety).
Chemistry Laboratories and Lecture materials are constantly
being revised, incorporating updated information, for
example:
o Development and/or modification of the current
Chemistry 2A/2B and1A/1B laboratory experiments
(on-going since 2004).
o Incorporation of “Clickers” as an instruction and
assessment tool.
o Development of individual professor websites
o Taking advantage of a Supplemental Instructional (SI)
tutor in Chemistry 1A for the first time (Fall 2007) and
in Chemistry 2A for the first time (Fall 2007). The first
impressions after using SIs have been very
encouraging. The additional help has helped some
students to improve their grade or in a few cases
allowed them to pass the class. The perception of the
instructor is that some students would have failed the
class without the extra help.
o Began Poster Sessions in Chemistry 1A (Fall 2006)
Develop a Comprehensive Enrollment Management
Program – Efficiencies for the Discipline across the District
are high. We continue to cooperate in offering our low
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Chemistry Program Review
enrollment courses at only one Campus per term.
Availability of large lecture facilities (at least 64 students)
suitable for chemistry lectures will allow us to remain
efficient.
3. Discipline SLO’s
CHEMISTRY DISCIPLINE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of a course in the Chemistry Discipline,
students should be able to:
1. Apply chemical concepts and vocabulary to a variety of fields of
knowledge including health and the environment.
2. Relate the nature of chemical bonding and types of chemical
reactions to the properties of materials.
3. For courses with a math prerequisite, solve multi-step problems
(using formulae and unit-analysis) relating to elements and
compounds, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, and mixtures.
4. For Laboratory courses, collect and analyze data from chemical
experiments, including graphing, calculations and qualitative
understanding of how data relates to the concept studied.
Construct and manipulate equipment to secure reasonably
accurate measurements.
5. Apply the scientific method to chemical concepts of atoms and
elements, chemical bonding and molecular geometry, chemical
reactions and stoichiometry, properties of the states of matter,
phase changes and solutions.
Other skills and competencies developed through the chemistry
courses include:
1. Logical thinking and critical analysis through data analysis and
interpretation of trends and patterns. Scientific methodology
incorporates these skills.
2. Oral/Written Communications through team projects and written
assignments.
3. Quantitative Reasoning through collection of measurements and
calculations.
4. Social/Team-building through collaborative assignments in lecture
and/or laboratory.
5. Informational Competency through research projects.
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Chemistry Program Review
6. Technological Competency through use of instrumentation and
computers.
7. Motor Skills through manipulation of equipment in laboratory
courses.
B. History
1. Major Developments
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Three new full-time tenure track faculty have joined the
Chemistry Dept. in the past three years. This brings the
department back to full strength, employing 7 full-time faculty.
Spring 2012 will be the inaugural semester for the new Math
and Sciences building. The Chemistry Dept. will be located on
the 4th floor.
Demand for Chemistry 2A is consistently high. Due to budget
constraints, courses have been cut and the chemical and
chemical equipment budgets have not been increased in order
to meet rising costs. Because of this, wait lists will continue to
be long and student access to classes, particularly Chem 2A,
will suffer.
2. Recommendations from the last program review.
Summary
1. Faculty
a. Immediate faculty needs have been met through recent
hires.
2. Staff
a. Staff needs have been met.
3. Facilities
a. New Science Lab facilities for Riverside projected for 2012.
b. Large Science Lecture Hall (at least 64 students) to run multilab section lectures. Must be suitable for chemical
demonstrations and electronic media.
c. All new facilities will need to be appropriately equipped.
d. Supply budgets need to be increased to reflect increased
costs of supplies and to increased transportation and shipping
fees.
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Chemistry Program Review
Areas of Discipline Improvement:
1. Communications
a. The department meets once monthly, if not more often, to
discuss assessment, pedagogy, curriculum issues etc.
b. Intercampus discipline meetings have taken place at regular
intervals for the last 3 years.
2. Assessment Procedures
a. Implementation of the Discipline Assessment Plan.
b. Regular Analysis of Data Provided.
c. The Assessment plan has been developed and revised to make
it more meaningful by connecting it to improvement in
instruction.
C. Data and Environmental Scan
Student enrollment in Chemistry at the Riverside Campus has been fairly
constant between 2007 and 2010, but since the fall of 2010, the department had
to cut sections, and reduce the offerings by more than 10%. Unfortunately over
the same time period we experienced an increase in demand for classes. Every
semester all sections are filling faster and the waitlists are getting longer. In
some cases, the classes filled before general registration started. This is a
troubling trend, because it makes it very difficult for the general student
population to get their course work done. Since the fall of 2010 the situation has
become even more difficult, due to the sections cuts. It is particularly sad to have
to send students away, who need, for example, just one class to advance toward
the nursing program.
Going forward, the department hopes to increase course offerings to
accommodate student demand. After moving into the new Science building we
hope to increase the offering somewhat.
The success rates in our department are in average between 70 and 85%.
Obviously there is quite a fluctuation, but no correlation is detectable. The same
pattern applies to the retention rate. In general the department has a very high
retention rate with usually 80% or more students finishing the classes.
Efficiencies are high for the chemistry courses and are generally above 500. The
average efficiency over the last five years is highest in Chem 2A with 696 and
lowest in Chem 1B with 459. Chem 2A is also our most popular course with the
largest student number, so overall our efficiency must be somewhere in the 600
range. The discipline is, however, limited in improving these numbers, because
we are limited in student number by our lab spaces.
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Chemistry Program Review
In average we have about 28 to 30 students in Labs and about 60 students in
lectures. In classes were the numbers are lower it is usually caused by the
smaller size of our laboratories. After the move into the new building, efficiencies
for Chem 1B and Chem 3 should increase, because the new labs can
accommodate up to 32 students.
D. Programs and Curriculum
A. Programs/Course Sequences
1. Transfer Preparation for Science, Engineering, Medicine, and
Pharmacy Majors:
 Preparation Course: Chemistry 2A or 3
 General Chemistry Sequence: 1A and 1B (Transfers to CSU
and UC systems)
 Organic Chemistry Sequence: 12A and 12 B (Transfers to
CSU and UC systems)
The majority of students who take the General and Organic
Chemistry sequences intend to transfer to a four-year degree
program, mostly to UC or CSU or Loma Linda University.
B. Preparation for Certificate Programs (i.e. Nursing, Paramedic,
Biotechnology,
Dental Hygiene, Physical Therapy, Inhalation Therapy)
Introductory Chemistry Sequence: Chemistry 2A and in some
cases Chemistry 2B
C. General Education Breadth Requirements
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Science Without a Laboratory: Chemistry 10
IGETC and CSU historical background (D6): Chemistry 17
Science With a Laboratory: Chemistry 2A, 2B, 3, 1A, 1B,
12A, 12B
D. Development of Curriculum
The core of the Chemistry Discipline Curriculum (Chemistry 1A, 1B,
2A, 2B, 3, 12A, and 12B) has remained fairly constant. This is
because they meet needs for transfer degree articulation,
vocational/occupational certificates, and degree requirements for
RCC and other institutions.
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Chemistry Program Review
Courses cut or not opened due to budget constraints include Chem
17, Chem 10, and Chem 1AH/1BH. The discipline wishes to reopen/launch these courses once resources become available.
Chemistry 17 was added to develop a different approach to a
general education breadth requirement for Physical Sciences. This
interdisciplinary course provides a format for non-scientists to
understand the roles of the physical sciences and related
technologies in the framework of history.
At this point in time the discipline feels that Chemistry 10 should
undergo revision to focus on the content of different topic areas to
better meet the needs of the three colleges. Example applications
that Chemistry 10 could use as a focus include Fire Technology,
the Arts, and the Environment.
Chemistry 1AH/1BH has been approved by curriculum committee.
There are no new courses being developed at present.
E. Prerequisites, Co-requisites, and Advisories
The Courses requiring prerequisites are Chemistry 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B,
3, 12A, and 12B. These prerequisites are consistent with courses
that articulate at CSU and/or UC and so are validated by periodic
content review.
Chemistry 17 has an advisory of qualification for English 1A.
Effective written expression is required for the descriptive written
assignments required by this course.
E. Student Outcomes Assessment
The Chemistry Discipline has been in the process of Learning Outcome
Assessment since Fall 2003. At that time a preliminary schedule and goal
was set forth. Since that time we have altered our plan in order to try to
produce processes that are better linked to improvement of teaching and
learning. We are also currently dividing up the task into several “pilot”
projects so that we can determine which assessments yield the most
usable data for improvement of instruction and SLO’s.
As the discipline has worked to understand the assessment process, our
focus has changed from just getting something “done” to developing a
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Chemistry Program Review
process that would produce meaningful improvements in instruction. Our
initial laboratory assessment gave some information about the laboratory
skills that were not learned adequately by our students and gave us the
opportunity to mentor our adjuncts (whose performance was found to be
weaker than that of the full-time faculty).
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Chemistry Program Review
2011/2012 LEARNING OUTCOME ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE and
SUMMARY
CHEMISTRY DISCIPLINE
OUR LONG TERM GOAL IS TO DEVELOP APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT
TOOLS THAT ALLOW US TO DETERMINE THE DEPTH TO WHICH SKILLS
ARE LEARNED BY THE STUDENTS AND TO TEST WHICH CHANGES IN
INSTRUCTION IMPROVE THE SKILL IN THE PARTICULAR LEARNING
OUTCOMES
SEMESTER
FALL 2009
COURSE
CHEMISTRY 3:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: Worksheets used in group learning.
Exam questions allowing students to demonstrate skill in naming
chemicals directly or interpreting formulas and names of products
from reactants given.
RESULTS: 3 specific problems were graded and out of 45 students
48 % of the class got 4/6 or better on this question. 66% got 3/6 or
better.
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: Nomenclature in chemistry is always
a difficult area for students. It requires a lot of repetition. It is taught
at the beginning of the semester but the results reported are for the
final exam. Perhaps spreading these worksheets throughout the
semester would help with retention. We also teach Nomenclature in
general chemistry so the students get a second exposure to this
difficult subject.
FALL 2009
CHEMISTRY 2A:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: Two multiple choice questions on Final
about Buffer Solutions: Question 1 was about understanding the
properties of a buffer and Question 2 was to identify a buffer solution
RESULTS: Question 1: 93 % correct (43 out of 46)
Question 2: 43% correct (20 out of 46)
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: The vast majority of students have a
basic understanding of what a buffer does, however, more than half
still have difficulties identifying the components of a buffer. Overall
this result reflects the skill level of students in this particular class,
which is an introductory class. One possible plan of action is to spend
more time in lab exposing students to buffer solutions either with an
additional Lab or a group activity focusing on buffer problems.
FALL 2009
CHEMISTRY 1A:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: Students were asked to identify, by
multiple choice, the limiting reagent in a reaction using Benedict's
Reagent. A UV-Vis plot was provided, giving a qualitative, but more
importantly, a definitive, quantitative view of the reagent in excess.
The hypothesis being that identifying limiting reagents can be made
more intuitive when providing qualitative information alongside
quantitative. Student's ability to then calculate the initial
concentrations of another reagent (glucose) was also assessed.
RESULTS: Fell within instructor’s expectations. However this was the
first time teaching this course felt that further testing was needed.
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Chemistry Program Review
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: Inconclusive
WINTER 2010
CHEMISTRY 12A:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: A matching question on the final exam
regarding the different types of stereoisomers discussed. The scores
on this question were added and divided by the student number to
obtain an average score. The average score for the Winter 2010
class was compared with the Winter 2009 class.
RESULTS: An improvement of 14% was found for the Winter 2010
class compared to the Winter 2009 class.
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: The instructor believes this result
can be attributed to an additional lab session being spent during the
Winter 2010 course on a stereochemistry worksheet. This gave the
students more practice in small groups with the difficult concept of
stereoisomers. The instructor will continue to use the stereochemistry
worksheet.
SPRING 2010
CHEMISTRY 1B:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: In-class, 1.5 hour exam
RESULTS: 47 students from one lecture section of Chemistry 1B took
the first exam of the semester. The responses to two questions, one
from the topic of kinetics, the other from equilibria, were examined.
The first part of question 1 asked the students to write a rate
expression for a reaction based on the balanced equation. Part two
asked students to find the rate law using the method of initial rates.
Greater than 70% of the class scored above 71% on this portion (5
points out of 7 possible). The second question asked students to
calculate the equilibrium constant for a gas reaction. Sixty-six percent
of the class (31/47) scored in the passing range, above 60%, on this
question.
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: The scores above are completely
within the acceptable range for a course of this rigor. The first
question showed the majority of students exhibiting success within
the SLO and the second question did the same. The equilibrium
question understandably displayed a lesser degree of success, as it
was more challenging.
SPRING 2010
CHEMISTRY 2A:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: In-class, 60 minute exam in short answer
format. Notes and text were allowed, however the context of
assessment was novel; no similar practice provided to students preassessment.
RESULTS: 94% of students were capable of calculating a reasonable
hematocrit value from the data provided. However, only 10% of
students performed measurements and calculations using proper
significant figures.
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: 10% is a disappointing value, though
I can somewhat understand the figure since
measurements were covered several months prior to this exam
material. Next semester, more measurement exercises should be
performed and results compared to see if that improves retention.
SPRING 2010
CHEMISTRY 2A:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: 39 students from 1 section of Chemistry
1A took the final exam during the Winter, 2010 session. The
responses to the two questions were stoichiometry questions
involving calculations of grams of reagent to grams of product.
RESULTS: The overall results were 69% of the students correctly
answered the two stoichiometry questions.
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Chemistry Program Review
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: 69% of the students getting these
problems correct is an acceptable result. However, in the future,
further review on these problems could improve the overall score.
In addition, stoichiometry problems involving limiting reactant
calculations should be included in further assessments.
SPRING 2010
CHEMISTRY 2B:
ASSESSMENT METHOD: 57 students from 1 section of Chemistry
2B took an exam that was given during the Spring, 2009 session.
The responses to the two questions were questions involving
understanding the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane.
RESULTS: The overall results were 74% of the students correctly
answered the two lipid bilayer questions.
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN: 74% of the students getting these
problems correct is an acceptable result. However, in the future,
further review on these problems could improve the overall score.
SPRING 2010
CHEMISTRY 12B:
ASSESSMENT METHOD A question on the final exam regarding
spectroscopy was given. The scores on this question were added and
divided by the student number to obtain an average score. The
average score for the Spring 2009 class was compared with the
Spring 2008 class.
RESULTS: The class average in Spring 2008 was 6.89 and the class
average in Spring 2009 was 6.88. The difference was just over 1%.
COMMENTS/REMEDIAL PLAN This result shows that both semester
classes have learned to interpret spectroscopic data fairly well. The
lecture and lab exercises and worksheets that the instructor has
employed the last 2 years have been effective in conveying the
subject matter. The instructor will continue to use the current
worksheets to teach this topic in Chem 12B.
2. What specific plans do you have for assessing student learning in
your discipline (program) over the next four years?
During the fall semesters, assignment of assessment projects as well as
distribution of assessment responsibilities will take place. Faculty will
report data in the spring and a discussion of results will take place. Based
on assessment results, the discipline will collaborate on improvement of
instruction and those improvements will be implemented the following
term.
The discipline is still working on finding a process which will provide us
with valuable information about how successfully our courses are taught.
Up to this point some of our efforts in assessment have produced results
which have not been very useful to the chemistry faculty. Our goal is to
pilot different methods to determine which ones yield the best results to
aid in improvement of instruction. One success was the round table
discussion about the preparedness of students entering Organic
Chemistry. It turned out that many students have insufficient knowledge
to apply some of the concepts taught in Chemistry 1A and 1B to the
content in Chem 12A. For example: Students have difficulties using
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Chemistry Program Review
Lewis Structures and predicting molecular geometries based on VSEPR.
Students also have difficulties to distinguish between Bronsted and Lewis
Acids and Bases.
3. How do your assessment efforts (both past and future plans)
support and/or respond to the district’s strategic initiatives?
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Increase Successful Course Completion – Success rates for
Introductory and General Chemistry courses are in the 70%
range. Past discussion and assessment projects by discipline
members has brought to light skills that students need in order
to improve their success. The assessment process has resulted
in greater focus on graphing skills, new assignments in the
laboratory to improve solution preparation skills, and more focus
on instruction in chemical bonding principles. Future efforts may
involve collaboration with Math faculty.
Improve Student Learning Outcomes – The Discipline’s
discussion of the SLO’s has led to recent clarification and
tightening of the outcomes to better serve the need of our
students. Discipline meetings constantly discuss methods of
instruction and assessment in terms of the SLO’s
Improve the Quality of the Student Experience –
Assessment has been followed by improvements in instruction,
i.e. new laboratories and assignment developed, which continue
to improve the quality of the student experience.
F. Collaboration with Other Units
The primary departments/disciplines that the Chemistry Discipline has
worked with are Physics, Life Sciences, and Mathematics. We have
worked on organizing and minimizing conflicts within class schedules and
curricular patterns.
In order to serve a broader base of students, coordination also takes place
with our allied health, criminal justice, and forensics programs.
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Riverside Art Dept. – Development of CHE 2A course for Art
students
Forensics Department – Development of CHE 2A course for
Forensics
Conversations with Physics, Biology and Math professors regarding
common themes and ways to better accommodate students going
from one science class to another class.
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Chemistry Program Review
G. Outreach
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Faculty provide tutorial services for Chemistry students in the STEM
center
Development of “STEM Roadmap” for students planning on
transferring to Cal Poly Pomona
Coordination and discussion with Chemistry faculty from other
community colleges, such as Mount San Antonio Community College.
Chemistry demonstrations for local elementary school (Elephant
toothpaste, effect of certain ions on flame color).
H. Resources
The resources are found on the Annual Program Reviews. Our main
justification for faculty, facilities, and increased supply budgets is to be
able to increase our course offerings, which are impacted and very
efficient. Our CHE 2A course is necessary for many of the Colleges
Programs.
I. Summary Analysis
1. Growth is currently limited by lab space and number of sections offered,
especially in Chem 2A, where there is the greatest demand. The
laboratory space issue should improve after completion of the planned
new science building, but budget constraints need to be resolved
regarding the number of laboratory sections available to students.
2. Annual supply budget continues to be a major issue. Costs for
chemical equipment and supplies have drastically increased while the
monies allocated for these supplies have not. In order to not sacrifice
quality of education, the budget needs to be updated annually to keep up
with cost increases.
3. The department believes that the best way to measure successful
implementation and execution of our goals is to analyze student success
rates in chemistry and in the subsequent courses. This data should be
available from Institutional Research.
J. Recommendations to the Program Review Committee
N/A
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