chem 101 is over :(

Thanks for all the helpful comments this evening. As you know, chem 101 was a brand new course and much of it was a great success. Just having chem/bchm students come together in a class during their first quarter is a huge step forward, but it also has to be worthwhile. When I wrote out the course proposal over a year ago (it had to be approved by four levels of administrative oversight before it could be offered) I was aiming for a balance between something informative and something fun. Teaching this course has really been a learning experience for me because it is considerably outside of my comfort zone. I know how to present general chemistry or pchem to 90 or so students in class, engage them in lab and in research and how to advise them in office hours, but pulling them out of their respective shells is an entire thing entirely. 

I do have some comments on some particular suggestions, just so that you know they've at least been thought about:

Make it some other time than Monday at 6pm

This is not a bad idea per se, but at what time can you guarantee that first year CHEM/BCHM majors will have free, much less faculty and student guests? In the chemistry department alone, we have 8-11, 12-3 and 3-6 labs, five days a week. Things like Lab After Dark would have to be cancelled outright because no lab space would be available. Originally I had the class scheduled for Monday 7pm, but the only room the University Schedulers could give me [a year ago!] was down in the Business building. I don't think trying to schedule 101 [which is one weekly meeting] will ever work during the 8-6pm time frame. I really don't know which is better, 6pm or later, however.

Make it graded, not CR/NC

I think there is merit in this suggestion, though I'm still unsure. My original vision was a more relaxed setting that allowed students to escape the pressures of being constantly graded, for at least once a week, while still drawing something worthwhile from the course. Several students mentioned this as being a possible source of lack of motivation, something I accept. I perhaps naively thought that learning about the major, interacting with peers, meeting the faculty, becoming part of the departmental community while having some fun needed little coercion. Truthfully, I'm torn on this. 

Give more time for Scavenger Hunt

Although I think that two weeks is more than enough time to do this, I also accept that doing it over break hampered this. To my credit, I did think about this, which is why so many categories could have been done at home (parents reading Silberberg, etc). Besides, I have taught long enough to know that if you give students, say, three weeks for an assignment, they blow off the first two and much of the third.

I won't lie: the fact that 91% of my students did not submit even a single picture, even the ones that required no groups, crushed me. I had previously heard stories of faculty sticking their neck out and trying something new with their students only to get completely shut down -- now I know that feeling. Such a vast nonresponse from my class tells me however that ultimately I'm responsible for the outcome. That said, it is highly unlikely I will ever risk making an assignment/game/adventure that could potentially make me feel so shitty again.

Drop the Twitter, make a Facebook group instead

I don't have a Facebook account and I never will. In my opinion, Facebook should remain how it started, for college students only. If you're not a student and don't have an email address from a university/college, you should get kicked out. This means high school students, parents, joe sixpack, and especially faculty [which is just weird anyway]. And the way administrators use it to monitor student behavior, not to mention prospective employers, is particularly reprehensible to me and Facebook is to blame for selling out its audience to grab corporate cash.

Besides, Twitter is the future, and Facebook is so 2005. I still believe, with a willing class, Twitter could be one of the coolest tools in academia.

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I am happy to have met you all and I hope to see you in future courses. If you ever need help and your instructor/advisor isn't available, feel free to swing by (I feel like I know everyone at least a little it -- even you there sitting in your dorm-room, putting off studying). I plan on taking sabbatical next year so unless you plan on visiting me in Moscow or Tashkent, I won't see you next year. Take care!

First week in the Thunderdome is over

Remember, no class tomorrow night. Hope you're using the time off wisely and/or well. 

And since tomorrow is Monday that means there's only one more week for the Digital Scavenger Hunt. I'm no expert but it seems to me that the best time to get the group photos would be before Thanksgiving break, not after. Your mileage may vary...

Since each Flickr group is private, all discussions can be made therein. I can also keep score while we go along so I don't have to do it all next Monday. Before our last class period I hope to make a PowerPoint presentation of the results [in the 3 hour turnaround] so having early photos would help with that also.

http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/rschoono/101/101.html

Have a good break!!!

The Digital Scavenger Hunt

Eight Teams Enter, One Team Leaves!

1. Each item must be documented by digital camera/cellphone with at least one team member in view. Everyone knows about Photoshop so none of that nonsense. Pictures of computer screens or other digital images are equally lame.
2. For an entry to count, it must uploaded to your Flickr group account by Monday December 01 at 3:00 pm. Flickr group invitations will be sent out Monday evening (already sent!).
3. All submissions must be tagged with the appropriate description. Each photo can only be used once.
4. Dr Schoonover is the final judge on all items and retains the right to award special points for especially awesome entries. Bribery, although unlikely to work, is nonetheless not disallowed.
5. There is no I in teamwork.
6. Please don't bring teh lazy. Dr. Schoonover no like teh lazy.
7. No whining.

The teams have been assigned, Tina Turner has arrived in ridiculous leather getup, and the door to the Thunderdome has been welded shut behind you. 

http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/rschoono/101/101.html

Week 9: November 17, 2008

Well, last week's Lab After Dark had tons of chaos, as expected, for the first time anyone has tried anything like this. I had lots of fun although I was running around so much I didn't get to monitor how well individual groups were doing. There are some amazing crystals in the display case in the D-wing, btw, if you'd like to peek at them before class tomorrow. Many of the sparklers, however, look rather sad. Though smelly, the floam syntheses turned out pretty awesome, I think.

This week, we will be having back-to-back minilectures by two of the department's most engaging professors: Dr. Gragson, who had to postpone from a couple of weeks ago, and Dr. Kantorowski. Afterwards the three of us will talk briefly about research opportunities for students and answer any questions you might have on that topic.

The following Monday we will not have class as my proposed field trip did not quite gel. The timing isn't quite right anyways as I'm pretty certain many of you have exams the following day.

Following Thanksgiving break, Week 11, we will have our final meeting and view the results of our Digital Scavenger Hunt. I will be handing out information on that exercise, and assigning teams, during tomorrow night's meeting. Note: You must attend tomorrow's class to participate in the Hunt.

This week's questions:

1. What country/countries [that you've never been to] would you most like to visit? Reasons?
   
2. Have you learned anything in chem 101 this quarter? Other than making beer? :)
   
3. What classes are you most looking forward to, and most dreading, in your future?
   
4. Ask your own question of yourself: and then answer it! (In other words, tell us something about yourself we don't already know).
   

Week 8: November 10, 2008 -- Lab After Dark!

Don't forget to go straight to the D-Wing tomorrow evening [don't be late!] for Lab After Dark! If you can get there at least a few minutes early that would be ideal.

This week's questions:

1)  What are your hardest and easiest classes so far?

2)  Are there any movies you're anxiously waiting for to come out?

3)  Which is better, fluther.com or fark.com? If you've never heard of them, inform yourself now.

4)  Two of my pet peeves are (a) when people misspell you're as your and (b) sitting in front of someone at the movies who loudly chomps popcorn for 20 min straight. Do you have any pet peeves? 

week 7: November 03

Not only is Monday night Election Day Eve, but we will be visited by Dr. Derek Gragson who will be giving a mini-lecture on topic X [unknown to the instructor at press time!] Following this Dr. Schoonover [me]  will give a brief presentation titled "What Do Chemists Do?: Traditional and Nontraditional Careers". Any questions along the way are, as always, welcome and appreciated.

Also, your two weeks are up, so don't forget that the advising assignment is due tomorrow!

This week's questions:

a) Tuesday is Election Day and most, if not all, of you are eligible to vote for president for the first time. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much attention have you paid the election in the past half-year or so? Explain further if you'd like.

b) What did you dress up as for Halloween (if you did so)?

c) Do you know what you want to do when you [eventually] graduate?

d) Are there any general questions you'd like to ask your chemistry professor(s)? (this could include your 101 instructor if necessary)

Mid-Term Analysis of CHEM 101

Class --

Last year CHEM 101 was proposed to the Academic Senate -- and enthusiastically approved -- in order to address some problems we believe we saw with respect to first year chemistry and biochemistry students. Many of us saw those who picked this major but had no idea what kinds of directions or career opportunities that might arise. Others knew nothing about the different kinds of chemistry, how to study effectively or where to go for advising. Add on top of that the sense that CHEM/BCHM majors, who make up less than 10% of the general chemistry audience, were lost to us until their third year, it seemed obvious to the whole department that this course was desirable. In fact, many sophomores, juniors and seniors still express disappointment and envy that CHEM 101 was not around when they were freshmen. My colleagues leap at the chance to come visit on Mondays and, by the time we're through, you'll have met roughly 75% of the permanent faculty. Even the pointy-headed administrators thought this class was a great idea and some even urged other departments to follow suit. 

That said, I'm puzzled and somewhat disheartened that these sentiments seem unshared by you, the actual students in the class.  This feeling crystallized for me after witnessing what appeared to be complete apathy to both the mini-lecture and the panel this evening. I don't know if this quarter's activities seem pointless or uninteresting to you, or that you're just shut down for other reasons. Not one student had a question/comment of any kind for the panel and I have to interpret that as (a) there being zero interest in the topic of advising (b) you know everything already, (c) this format doesn't work for you or (d) I'm not doing a good job somewhere. 

If this were the only occasion it wouldn't be a issue. On top of this lies the rather tepid response rate to the blog questions -- only 18 persons contributed this time (meaning that 56% of the course could not be bothered with a five-minute entry). I've pretty much given up on Twitter although I think there could be something really cool in there if a class gave it half a try, instead of decrying it as a pointless technology from the get-go. These attempts, like last week's trivia game, are designed to help you get a sense of ownership over your own education. It doesn't feel like that is working either and, again, I'm willing to accept much of the fault.

So I'm at a loss and my enthusiasm for the course has taken a considerable hit. I wish this was my only thing to focus on but unfortunately, like you, I have other time commitments -- besides, I don't get any credit for 101 and am just doing this on top of my normal fall schedule. Nevertheless, I am committed to keep plugging along and trying my best. 

One of my colleagues has commented to me that entering freshmen often bring a type of "slave mentality" with them from high school; that is, all work performed and classes attended are simply in order to satisfy an external body that has required it. For 101, I have purposely kept the work expectation low -- very low for me, in fact -- with the hopes that students would just attend, interact with and perhaps befriend one another, maybe learn something interesting and offbeat, maybe learn something that would ultimately help them later on down the road, all in a casual low-stress environment. Again, I'm at a loss if anything right now is working. 

I'm not necessarily soliciting any input from you [this has failed miserably already] but thought I should nonetheless comment on where we are halfway through from my perspective.