CEIT Teaching Talk
“Facilitating the Transition from High School to First
Year to Upper-Level Learning: Retention Issues in the
Quantitative Natural Science Curriculum”
John Caradonna
Department of Chemistry
Boston University
October 31, 2013
Number of Freshman/Sophomore
Undergraduate Final Grades
Number of Junior / Senior Undergraduates
CH Majors / Minors / Researchers
CH101/102 Student Population:
Academic Interests / Common Backgrounds
• Majority of students are Biology, Psychology,
Environmental Sciences (CAS), and Human
Physiology (Sargent College) majors
• chemistry class only quantitative course during 1st term
• Majority of students have had one year of high
school chemistry (sophomore year)
• < 20% studied high school physics
• High School chemistry course was descriptive in nature
CH101/102 Student Population:
Common Issues
Mastered high school academic requirements but few
have learned efficient study or time management skills
necessary to reach their full academic potential
• Still compartmentalize knowledge
• Boom-bust study habits
• Memorize rather than understand, i.e., do not yet know how
to “own facts”
• Do not readily understand meaning of algebraic
equations/relationships, just want to plug in values
• Many lack confidence to deal with challenging situations
• New social/personal experiences
• Do not want to be in class but are required to take subject
CH101/102 Student Population:
Common Issues
Some students struggle in their first years in college because:
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they don't know how to balance four classes
they don't understand what we want from them
they lack some fundamental skills taught in high school
they think that learning means showing up
they hold on to major misconceptions about learning
CH101/102 Student Population:
Common Issues
Students are unsuccessful at preparing for class because they:
• "read", but like it's a story
• "do problems", but rarely connect it to the course
material
• don’t have a gauge for what is expected of them
• don’t seek help when they run into problems
• are afraid to make mistakes
Our students follow the passive mode
• Students need to struggle to
learn (research)
• Students accustomed to
working hard, but
ineffectively
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Highlighter
Flash cards
Rewriting notes
Looking at problem solutions
• They interpret a lack of specific assigned work as an invitation
to do little or no active work
• Courses that penalize group success de-incentivize many
important forms of active learning
CH101/102 Student Retention:
Maintain Old Approach
• In order to enhance student retention in chemistry, we need to
expand problem and teach students how to learn at the
University level
• Common lectures, discussion section content, exams, homework
• Weekly faculty/staff meetings maintain close course management
• Continued use of Postdoctoral Faculty Fellows
• Involved in lecture demonstrations
• Lead most of the discussion sections
• Laboratory component tightly coupled to course
• Easy access to Teaching Fellow/PFF/Faculty Office hours
CH101/102 Student Retention:
New Features
• Use ALEKS-based software as part of summer
algebra/math review
• Use weekly/biweekly ALEKS assignments under
“mastery mode” vs. “assessment mode”
• Use weekly web-based graded homework assignments
• Require “forward-based learning” from students
• Daily in-lecture “clicker”-based quizzes
• Discussion problems of enhanced sophistication
• Exam equivalent questions
• Use of undergraduate Learning Assistants to help PFF’s
Utilize a Hybrid Approach
•Remediate for missing pre-requisite knowledge / skills
•Engage students in active preparation for lecture
•Increase students excitement over subject material by
providing context to the material
•Free-up lecture time for preconceptions, misconceptions,
and deeper investigations
Utilize a Hybrid Approach
1. Prime students in lecture:
- Give context and guidance
- Set explicit expectations for learning outcomes (don’t come
back unless…)
2. Students explore at home
- Guided activities
- Challenging homework problems
- Pair with Piazza or discussion board for great results
3. Quiz students on their learning from explorations at
home
4. Develop and extend during next lecture
- Use class time to address confusion
- Extended concepts and discuss applications
Utilize the Just Approach
Just-in-Time:
- students focus on material that is immediately relevant
- avoid the atoms-first approach
- students appreciate their efforts more quickly
jUst (Unburden)
- one activity = one concept
- designed “confusion” occurs to direct students to next step
- students arrive at class having prepared for the next topic
juSt (Show, Try, Think)
- students explore, struggle, think about target questions and then come
to class
jusT-in-Time (Transfer)
- transfer of skills from one activity to the next (vertical integration)
- early activities foreshadow later learning
Assessment of Success
• Last two years have shown improvement in students mastering
sophisticated problems
• Performance levels on the national American Chemical Society
standardized chemistry exam
• versus other universities
• versus BU CH109/110 students
• Enhanced numbers of CH101/102 students entering honors
Organic Chemistry (CH211/212) and mastering material
• Enhanced GPA in all BU coursework
• Learning how to learn and applying these methods to other
courses
CH109/110 and CH111/112 Student
Populations:
Academic Interests / Common Backgrounds
• Majority of students are Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology (BMB) majors with Chemistry,
SMED (CAS) and Human Physiology (Sargent
College) majors
• chemistry class one of several quantitative course
during 1st term
• Majority of students have had two years of high
school chemistry (sophomore/junior year)
• < 60% studied high school physics
• High School chemistry course was descriptive in nature
CH109/110 and CH111/112 Student
Populations:
Common Issues
All have clearly mastered high school academic
requirements but few have learned efficient study or time
management skills necessary to reach their full academic
potential
• Still compartmentalize knowledge
• Boom-bust study habits
• Memorize rather than understand, i.e., do not yet know how
to “own facts”
• Many still just manipulate algebraic equations/relationships,
i.e., just want to plug in values, rather than understand
linked relationships
• Most place extreme pressure on themselves to succeed
• Many lack confidence to deal with challenging situations
• New social/personal experiences
CH109/110 and CH111/112 Student
Populations:
Common Issues
Students are unsuccessful at preparing for class because they:
• "read", but memorize rather than internalize information
• recognize problems as patterns, but rarely connect it to the course
material
• don’t have a gauge for what is expected of them
• just want to hear “what they need to know”
• are afraid to make mistakes or looking uninformed
• are excellent at the “collecting points” approach
• hide behind “I already know that from high school”
• have a tendency to avoid acknowledging they need to change approach
• are not invested in the course (“I don’t like subject, but need to get a
grade of A. How can I do it easily?”)
CH109/110 and CH111/112 Student
Retention:
Maintain Old Approach
• In order to enhance student retention in chemistry, we need to
expand problem and teach students how to learn at the
University level
• Linked lectures, discussion section content, exams, homework
• Lab experiments 2 weeks behind lecture presentations
• Continued use of Postdoctoral Faculty Fellows/Lecturers
• Involved in lecture demonstrations
• Lead most of the discussion sections
• Advanced laboratory component adds and enhances lectures
• Easy access to Teaching Fellow/PFF/Faculty Office hours
CH109/110 and CH111/112 Student
Retention:
New Features
• Use ALEKS-based software as part of summer
algebra/math/chemistry review
• Low-stakes pre-lecture Fermi problems
• Use weekly web-based graded homework assignments
• Require “forward-based learning” from students
• Occasional use of in-lecture “clicker”-based presentations
• Use of “Resurrection/Phoenix” exam grading policy
• Discussion problems of enhanced sophistication
• Build from simple to exam equivalent questions
• Weekly quizzes with exam equivalent questions
Assessment of Quality: Strengths
• Strong coverage of broad basic curriculum
• Multiple levels of introductory courses
• Cross-over friendly (end of term only)
• Strongly connected laboratory component
• Basic research opportunities/experiences available
• Opportunity for involvement in graduate curriculum (CH195)
• Advanced use of CIC/University instrumentation
• Outstanding professional training experiences
Assessment of Quality: Weaknesses
• Disproportionate time/resource sink for current
Department regarding teaching/research needs
• Numbers stress administrative, graduate teaching,
research support staff, and faculty functions
• At limits for undergraduate space and teaching
requirements
• Balancing orthogonal requirements for
undergraduate and graduate program
Common Features Observed in Freshman
Students
• Need training to learn how to effectively study
• Need to convince themselves that they can succeed at a high
level and do indeed belong in a STEM major
• Need patience (avoid “the spiral of doom”), that is, must learn
to integrate over four years, not just one term, let alone
from exam to exam
• Need to break away from the “good grade = intelligent
student” implication obtained from earlier schooling
• Need to develop intellectual effort endurance
• Need to develop an enjoyment of intellectual effort for its own
sake
Possible Solutions/Pathways for Continued
First Term/Year Student Success
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Maintain efforts to introduce teaching innovations
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Students must understand that they are not consumers or customers, but learners
(with all its implications)
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Utilize “Phoenix Policy”
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Continue to show students the relevance of course content
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Work to have students understand that learning is a “full contact intellectual
pursuit”
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Have students understand that the learning process is a long-term one
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Have a freshman seminar (research discussions) leading to research opportunities
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Give students a short-term, safe opportunity to experiment/learn how to study without
external/internal pressures
Give students a short-term, safe opportunity to
experiment/learn how to study without external/internal
pressures
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Pass/D/Fail Grading for CAS Introductory Courses
Benefits:
- allows students to learn how to learn
- allows faculty to increase expectation
- gives students an opportunity to adjust to both social and academic
expectations during their first term
- enhance retention of freshmen as well as upper level students
Problems:
- outside perception of academic standards
- not taken seriously by students
- post-graduate requirement for first term grades
- CAS financial aid issues associated with greater student
performance