Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
Department of Chemistry
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
Fall 2005 (draft 2)
Table of Contents:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Teaching Responsibilities
Teaching Philosophy
Teaching Strategies and Methods
Teaching Development & Efforts to Improve Student Learning
(a) Development of New Courses
(b) Innovations and Improvements in Teaching Techniques
(c) Preparation of Materials
(d) Teaching Conferences and Courses Attended
Evidence of Teaching Excellence
(a) Student Evaluations
(b) Peer Evaluations
Evidence of Student Learning
Future Goals
Appendices
p. 2
p. 2
p. 3
(a) CHM103/104 course materials
 Syllabus and “Study Tips for Succeeding” handout
 Sample problem set
 Sample exam
 Sample in-class problem
 Sample revision of 104 Laboratory manual
p. 9
p. 10
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
(b) CHM313 course materials
 Syllabus
 Excerpt from laboratory manual
 Sample grading rubric
 Peer review evaluation form
 1st & 2nd draft of student project paper)
p. 16
p. 16
p. 20
p. 33
p. 34
TBA
(c) CHM407 course materials
 Syllabus
 Sample handout combining materials from several texts
p. 38
p. 38
p. 40
(d) Letters of support from Chemistry Mentors
p. 42
1
p. 5
p. 5
p. 6
p. 6
p. 7
p. 8
p. 8
p. 8
Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
1. Teaching Responsibilities
I was hired in the Chemistry department to teach in two major areas: (1) the General Chemistry
curriculum (primarily freshmen), and (2) my area of expertise, which is Physical and Biophysical
Chemistry. Since I joined the department in 1996, I have taught the following courses:
CHM103:
CHM103L:
CHM104:
CHM104L:
CHM310:
CHM313:
CHM314:
CHM 407:
CHM489/499:
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry Laboratory I
General Chemistry II
General Chemistry Laboratory II
Physical Chemistry II
Physical Chemistry Laboratory I
Physical Chemistry Laboratory II
Biophysical Chemistry
Independent Study/Research and Seminar
The General Chemistry courses serve to acquaint students with the language and tools of Chemistry.
Typical annual enrollments are on the order of 800 students in CHM103 and 450 students in CHM104,
with each instructor teaching a section of 80-140 students. Both General I and General Chemistry II are
5 credit courses (3 for lecture, 1 for lab, and 1 for a weekly one-hour discussion/review session). The
discussion sections are designed to give students more practice with the material in a more personal
setting – each lecture section is divided into three discussion sections so the class sizes are much smaller.
Thus, teaching a General Chemistry section constitutes a large in-class (lecture + discussion + sometimes
lab) and out-of-class (grading) load.
In terms of the Majors courses, chemistry is traditionally divided into five sub-disciplines: organic,
analytical, inorganic, physical, and biochemistry. Since being hired, I have been the sole developer and
instructor in the Physical Chemistry laboratory curriculum. I also bring a unique area of expertise to the
department as a biophysical chemist. Biophysical chemistry is a rapidly expanding field that bridges
physical chemistry, analytical chemistry and biochemistry. In 2003, the Chemistry Department began
offering a new major in Biochemistry, which requires a course in Biophysical Chemistry. I have also been
the sole developer and instructor for this course since the inception of the Biochemistry major.
I also bring expertise to the department in the area of scientific writing. My graduate training includes a
formal course on teaching scientific writing, and I have been certified at UW-L as a writing emphasis
instructor. Both CHM313 and CHM314 are offered as writing emphasis courses, and writing in these
courses is an integral part of the teaching and learning processes.
2. Teaching Philosophy
I view my primary goal as a teacher as one of helping students to become independent and creative
thinkers. In Chemistry, as in most science disciplines, students are taught material principally through a
discussion of how to solve problems. Unfortunately, students have a tendency to interpret this emphasis
on solving problems as list of ways to get the right answer. While getting the right answer is important, I
prefer to focus on the problem-solving methodologies themselves. To this end, I try to use approaches
that help students conceptualize, interpret, and relate ideas and observations to the larger body of
knowledge that they have already assembled. In short, I try to help my students develop the critical
thinking skills that form the basis of how chemists think. In so doing, I hope to also help them develop
a stronger sense of self-confidence, an appreciation for the role that chemistry plays in our everyday lives,
and a set of analytical problem-solving tools that will be beneficial in many other disciplines. I enjoy
teaching and enjoy the material, and strive to make class an interactive and energetic place.
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Adrienne P. Loh
There are probably two main themes that recur in all of my classes: attention to detail, and the concept
of an intellectual “toolbox” (an assembly of concepts and problem solving approaches that are portable
and versatile in application). I believe that good science (and indeed good work in general) comes from
not only understanding the big picture, but by also paying attention to the details. This comes in the
form of presentation of work (showing work clearly, writing complete and clear sentences, etc.) as well as
in the form of scientific details. I hold my students to high standards, and when I grade, I do so based
on both the overall content and on the details. I believe that an organized paper comes from an
organized mind, and vice versa. Thus I award a lot of partial credit for showing a problem solving
approach. However, students must also have all the details in place to earn full credit (or even an “A”).
For me, this is what an “A” characterizes: mastery of the material at both an overall and a detail level.
The other major theme that I emphasize is the intellectual “toolbox” of ideas – an approach to learning
that emphasizes how to think about problems and material rater than simply learning how to solve each
particular problem. I encourage students to think of new problems not as “new” but instead as different
applications of the same tools. As a simple example, if a builder only learned how to use a hammer to
pound in a particular type of nail into a particular type of wall, it would be of limited use. But
understanding that a hammer is a tool that is useful for applying a pounding force of many different
strengths in many situations, and also that it can be turned around and used as a claw makes it a much
more versatile tool, and the user a much more versatile builder. One of my most common phrases is “if
we can do the problem forwards, then we must be able to do it backwards, sideways, and upside down!”
In class, I will often turn a problem “backwards” immediately after doing it “forwards”, or give them
assignments with similar problems to those done in class but with concepts arranged in a different order.
As the semester progresses, I generally only need to say the first part of the sentence and my students
will finish it for me.
In addition to my interaction with students in classes, I maintain an open door policy, and spend a large
part of my day interacting with students on a one-on-one basis. I believe that self-confidence is essential
for success, and I work hard with many of my students to help them develop trust in themselves and
their abilities. Ultimately the most portable knowledge that I hope to help my students gain is how to
think and learn with versatility, attention to detail, and excitement. I make an effort to keep in touch
with my students once they leave my classes, and still have strong connections with many former
students who have since gone to graduate school or into the work force.
There is a web site on the internet (www.ratemyprofessors.com) where students can post candid
assessments of their professors as “guides” to future students choosing courses. The ratings on this site
can be of wildly varying nature, depending on the mood of the posting students and other unknown
variables. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see two recent ratings of my teaching in CHM104 that
essentially epitomize the way that I hope students see my teaching and experience my classes:
“The class is not easy (at least for me) but Dr. Loh is always ready to help, knows
everything and she wants you to do well, is helpful in office hours and that makes her a
great teacher. Keep up on the problem assignments or you may suffer.”
“Dr. Loh is by far my most interesting prof. She seems excited by the material and like
she knows what she's doing. She is very helpful, but she is NOT easy. She expects a
lot from her students. Work, and the class will go well for you. Take Dr. Loh.”
3. Teaching Strategies and Methods
Most students have more difficulty in developing critical thinking skills than in mastering the mechanics
of solving a particular type of problem. Therefore, I find that both the students and I need constant
feedback on the development of their problem-solving skills. This feedback occurs in my classes
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Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
primarily through two sources: (1) grading assignments and exams, and (2) personal interaction with the
students during class.
I approach grading as a three-fold task: that involves: (a) assigning merit for student work, (c) providing
feedback to the students for their continued improvement and learning, and (c) obtaining feedback from
the students on their progress in learning material and problem solving methods. My grading scales
reflect the fact that I am more interested in a student’s approach to solving a problem and in their ability
to apply knowledge than in the “correct” answer. I also feel that the presentation of work is important,
particularly in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory courses where written lab reports account for a
significant proportion of the overall grade.
For example, students in my General Chemistry classes are assigned weekly problem sets that contain 1015 problems. Most of these problems are “word problems” that require the application of the ideas
covered in class to slightly or very new situations (see Appendix A). Students are required to write out all
of their logic in obtaining a solution. I then grade two problems in detail - this allows me to evaluate
their understanding of the material on several levels, and provides me with feedback on my effectiveness
in communicating the material. Furthermore, students are forced to be careful and organized on paper,
which helps them to be mentally organized. For many of the same reasons, students in my Physical
Chemistry Laboratory classes are required to write complete laboratory reports that mimic the style of a
journal article. They then receive extensive comments on their papers, and a grading key that allows
them to see which areas need improvement and which skills they have mastered (see Appendix B).
Something about CHM407 here. Similarly, my exams are composed of problems that are conceptual or
applied problem-solving in nature, and I award the majority of the credit for correct logic, even if the
answer is wrong. While all of this involves an enormous amount of grading on my part, I find the
benefits are well worth the time costs. Examples of grading scales and syllabi may be found in
Appendices A-C.
I also find that personal, more immediate feedback is essential, and in many cases, more efficient. In my
General Chemistry classes, this takes the form of In-Class problems (see section 4b, below). These
“break-out” sessions encourage students to be more attentive in lecture, to apply ideas immediately, and
allow them to gain instant feedback on their understanding. They also let me see how effectively I am
communicating my ideas to the students at a time when I can make immediate adjustments. In Physical
Chemistry Lab, I use oral exams (section 4b, below) as a way to help the students develop a conceptual
understanding of the material. As with the in-class problems, both the students and I receive immediate
feedback during the oral exams. Conducting research with my students is also a teaching activity, and I
spend a lot of time helping them to learn the techniques and concepts associated with their research until
they develop a sense of independence and ownership over their project. I then allow them to investigate
aspects that they find interesting, and encourage them to present their research at on-campus and offcampus events. This exposure to an outside audience provides them with excellent feedback on their
understanding and ability to communicate.
Many students express concern over performance anxiety in the courses. In General Chemistry, I try to
alleviate exam anxiety a bit by replacing the lowest in-class exam (out of five exams) with their final exam
score if it helps their grade. This gives them a “recovery” opportunity if they have a bad day, or have to
miss an exam. I feel this does not sacrifice an accurate description of their performance in class, because
if they perform well on the final exam (which is comprehensive) then they have learned the material from
the dropped exam. In Physical Chemistry Lab, students work together in pairs on their end of the
semester projects, giving them a way to share information and responsibility in developing and describing
something new. In the upper level lecture courses (Physical Chemistry II and Biophysical Chemistry) I
collect and grade weekly or biweekly problem sets that together allow students to earn as many points as
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Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
on a single exam. This not only helps them to learn the material, but by grading the problem sets they
are given incentive to keep up with the material as well and to earn points in a non-pressure situation.
4. Teaching Development and Efforts to Improve Student Learning
(a) Development of New Courses
Physical Chemistry Lab: One of my first tasks as a member of the Chemistry department was to use an
$80,000 UW System laboratory modernization grant to overhaul the Physical Chemistry Laboratory
curriculum. Since that time, I have been responsible for purchasing virtually all of the instrumentation in
the Physical Chemistry Lab, creating a Physical Chemistry Computer Facility (for which I am the system
administrator), and designing and developing the curriculum for CHM313 and CHM314. This
curriculum development has included writing a lab manual for each course (an excerpt examples can be
found in Appendix B), developing new experiments, and adapting existing experiments to the equipment
at hand. I am also continuing to develop several computational chemistry experiments, which are slated
for eventual incorporation into the Computational Science Minor capstone course.
Another major development in the Physical Chemistry curriculum is the incorporation of “Independent
Projects”, in which students pursue some spin-off of the experiments that they performed out of the
laboratory manual. Students work in pairs, and are given approximately one-third of the semester to
design, research, conduct, and ultimately write up their projects as a professional style journal article (see
Appendix B for a first and second draft version of one such paper). They are also asked to peer review
each other’s papers (in the model of professional peer review – Appendix B shows the evaluation form),
to revise their papers based on peer review comments (and my comments), and their final exam is on the
compilation of papers that the class has produced that semester. During this period, I serve as a guide,
mentor, and critique for typically 8 groups of students.
Biophysical Chemistry: As part of the new Biochemistry major instituted in 2003, I am continuing to
develop a course on Biophysical Chemistry, which is required for the major and typically taken in the
final semester of the students’ senior year. This course is custom made for the Biochemistry major at
UW-L, in the sense that it serves a fairly unique audience and purpose. Most Biophysical Chemistry
textbooks/courses are designed either for graduate students who have taken a year of Physical Chemistry
courses, or for undergraduate students as a course in traditional Physical Chemistry with biological
applications. This course is instead an investigation of biomolecular (in particular, protein) behaviors in a
physical sense – the fundamental physical forces that make a protein adopt a particular shape, perform a
particular function, etc.. The course is only two credits, and students typically have far less math
preparation than required for a traditional Physical Chemistry course. This has presented a variety of
challenges, including the lack of an appropriate textbook, the need for a more qualitative description of
the relevant physical principles, and the time constraints associated with only two meetings per week.
Thus the course is a work in progress, and I continue to strive to find creative ways of addressing all
three issues.
(b) Innovations and Improvements in Teaching Techniques
Physical Chemistry Lab: For many students, the first opportunity to speak about their knowledge in a
pressure situation is in a job interview, or perhaps in a research presentation. In order to help students
develop an ability to “think on their feet”, and to speak in a precise and accurate way about a topic, I
began using oral exams during the Spring of 1998 as one method of evaluation. Each student is given a
slightly different 15-20 minute individual “interview”, during which they explain concepts and solve
problems at the board. They are graded on accuracy, clarity and understanding. The method has been
5
Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
so effective and well received by the students (judged both by written student evaluations and by
comments during the semester) that I now also use it in both lab courses.
General Chemistry: Research has suggested that students retain knowledge better when they apply it soon
after they are exposed to it. I have developed a method for engaging students in learning during lectures
that involves the use of short (approximately 5 minute) application problems during class (see Appendix
A for an example). Students are encouraged to work together in small groups while I circulate answering
questions and catching mistakes. When I begin lecturing again, I can draw on the immediate experience
that students have gained in trying to solve these problems. Keys to the “in-class” assignments are
posted on my website (see section 4c, below). I have found that this method is effective in catching
misconceptions early, and in re-engaging students in lecture after the group work period. In XXX, I was
awarded an SAH Faculty Development grant proposal with Dr. Scott Cooper (Biology) to formally study
the effectiveness of this technique.
(c) Preparation of Materials
Physical Chemistry Lab: While students in CHM313 and CHM314 are assigned a textbook as a reference,
the primary reference materials in both courses are manuals that I have written and developed. Each
manual describes the theory, working procedures, data analysis instructions, and report compilation
guidelines for a given experiment. It also includes general background material such as error analysis and
keeping a laboratory notebook. (An example can be found in Appendix B.)
General Chemistry Lab II: I have recently taken on the role of laboratory manual author for General
Chemistry II lab. The current edition of the manual is essential a recasting of the old laboratory manual
with enhanced descriptions of theory, report sheets, and post-experiment questions. The Chemistry
Department is now working on revisions to individual experiments, which will result in a more extensive
revision of the manual in coming years. An example of the old and new versions of one experiment are
given in Appendix A.
Web Site: Over the last several years, I have developed a web site that contains information on my
courses that I teach and on my research programs. Each course has a sub-site that is linked to my
homepage. The general chemistry sites contain handouts, worked answer keys, problem sets, exams, and
corrections. The corrections page serves not only as a message board to students, but also as an
incentive to work through answer keys carefully: the first student to find a given mistake on a handout or
key is given one extra point (out of 1000) towards their final grade; they also get their name posted on
the “Hall of Fame” correction page. It also houses a link to the “gradulator” (a grade calculator) where
students can both check their current grade, and calculate a “what if” grade based on score projections
on future assignments. Currently the physical chemistry site contains laboratory manual, versions of
papers from the independent projects performed in lab, and course syllabi. However this site is still
under development and will eventually contain links to other useful and innovative physical chemistry
sites on the world wide web. The research site contains the complete posters that undergraduate
researchers working with me have presented, and describes the research that I conduct with my
collaborator at Cornell University.
The home page for the site can be visited at:
perth.uwlax.edu/faculty/loh/.
(d) Teaching Conferences and Courses Attended





3rd Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning (Jan. 2002) La Crosse, WI
2nd Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning (Jan. 18, 2001) La Crosse, WI
Advancing the Practice of Teaching through Scholarship (Mar. 30-31, 2001) Madison, WI
28th Annual UW-System Chemistry Faculties Meeting (Oct. 13-14, 2000) La Crosse, WI
1st Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning (Jan. 19, 2000) La Crosse, WI
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Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
5. Evidence of Teaching Excellence
(a) Student Evaluations
Table 1: Summary of Student Evaluations:
questions. Bold entries indicate scores that
Semester
CHM40
7
S05
F04
S04
F03
S03
F02
S02
F01
S01
F00
S00
F99
S99
F98
S98
F97
S97
F96
3.90
CHM31
3
CHM31
4
Scores represent the composite of student responses to 13
are above the department mean for that semester.
CHM31
0
CHM10
3
4.63
4.50
4.28
4.28
4.59
4.13
4.67
CHM10
4
Composit
e
Dept. Avg.
4.28
4.62
4.11
4.57
4.28
4.60
4.15
4.57
4.22
4.60
4.34
4.42
4.28
4.62
4.55
4.52
3.77
4.59
4.40
4.36
3.96
4.07
4.39
4.48
4.41
4.43
4.31
4.44
4.42
4.44
4.41
4.57
4.35
4.43
4.19
4.21
4.12
4.08
4.08
4.12
4.62
4.16
4.67
4.50
4.38
4.64
4.71
4.28
4.37
4.21
4.25
3.90
4.70
3.81
4.56
4.55
3.77
3.74
2.98
4.14
4.62
4.36
4.36
3.96
4.12
4.55
4.06
2.00
3.24
Several trends are evident from examination of Table 1.

In the General Chemistry courses (CHM103, CHM104), Dr. Loh has been very successful in
maintaining high student evaluations, with 10/16 semesters resulting in SEI scores that are
above the department mean. Typical average grades in these courses are C or BC, so these high
SEI scores are not tightly correlated with high student grade scores.

After a difficult first two semester, Dr. Loh’s scores in the Chemistry Majors lecture course
(Physical Chemistry II, CHM310) have been quite high. A strong effort was made after the first
two semesters to reorganize the course in order to slowly introduce students to the mathematical
concepts and reasoning skills that are necessary for interpretation of the chemistry. Much of this
reorganization was motivated by the comments section of the student evaluations, and also by
conversations with Dr. Loh’s mentor, Dr. Rollie Roskos (also a physical chemist).

Similarly, the Physical Chemistry Laboratory courses (CHM313, CHM314) have shown a
dramatic increase in SEI scores since the Spring of 2002. These courses are extremely time
intensive for the students, and are generally viewed with trepidation and apprehension by the
students. Thus, the very high SEI scores reported by students in recent years is very rewarding.
This improvement is likely due in part to the incorporation of independent projects into the
curriculum (see section 4a), and also due to a concerted effort by Dr. Loh to increase positive
feedback and make reasonable changes ins response to student comments on SEI forms.

Dr. Loh is still struggling with SEI’s in Biophysical Chemistry (CHM407). The audience for this
course is mainly Biochemistry majors who generally have different methods of learning and
studying, as well as different expectations for the way a course will be delivered, than Chemistry
majors. It is also a difficult course to teach because there are no adequate textbooks designed
for this particular audience, and the course meets only twice per week. Dr. Loh is actively
engaged in making modifications to he way the course is presented and received by the students
in order to improve student learning and their perception of their learning in this course.
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Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
The scores in Table 1 represent the composite SEI score from responses to 13 questions. Trends in
responses to individual questions can be seen in the figures below.
Student Evaluations: CHM104
5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
couse objectives clear
1.00
Student Evaluations: CHM310
5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
couse objectives clear
1.00
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Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
Student Evaluations: CHM313
5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
couse objectives clear
1.00
Student Evaluations: CHM407
5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
couse objectives clear
1.00
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Teaching Portfolio
Adrienne P. Loh
(b) Peer Evaluations
The Chemistry department has a mentor program for probationary tenure-track faculty in which each
untenured faculty member is assigned two mentors. These mentors sit in on at least on class per year,
provide feedback on teaching methodology and student interactions, and generally serve as a sounding
board for the new faculty member to develop their teaching skills. An evaluation letter from each of my
mentors written at the time of my tenure application can be found in Appendix D.
6. Evidence of Student Learning
(a) Presentations Concerning Teaching


Cowley Hall Brown Bag Lunch Series, "Using Oral Exams as an Evaluation and Teaching Tool", (Oct.
22, 1999) La Crosse, WI
1st Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning "Developing Web Pages that Students will Actually
Use", with Scott Cooper, Kenny Hunt, Robert Hoar, Rick Gillis and Tom Volk (Jan. 19, 2000)
(b) Documentation of Student Progress in Scientific Writing
See Appendix B.
7. Future Goals
I still need to frame this out.
8. Appendices
(a) CHM103/104 course materials





Syllabus and “Study Tips for Succeeding” handout
Sample problem set
Sample exam
Sample in-class problem
Sample revision of 104 Laboratory manual
(b) CHM313 course materials





Syllabus
Excerpt from laboratory manual
Sample grading rubric
Peer review evaluation form
1st & 2nd draft of student project paper)
(c) CHM407 course materials


Syllabus
Sample handout combining materials from several texts
(d) Letters of support from Chemistry Mentors
10