UWG News Archive

Chemistry scores improve

January 8, 2004

CARROLLTON, GA - When the Chemistry Department at the University of West Georgia moved into the Technology-enhanced Learning Center, faculty members felt certain that improved facilities and learning environments would result in more effective teaching methods, which in turn, would lead to academic success. How right they were!

UWG chemistry students’ scores have risen from the 15th to the 49th percentile on national standardized examinations prepared by the American Chemical Society (ACS) since the facility change and the implementation of three new teaching methodologies.

The teaching of general chemistry at UWG systemically changed with the integration of LabWorks, computer-based data collection and analysis; Studio Method, lecture and laboratory combined in one class setting; and Workshop Chemistry, weekly collaborative learning sessions of small student groups.

Dr. Farooq Khan, department chair, was a major participant in the development of the studio and encouraged the instructional innovations. Each concept was introduced as an independent pilot program with funding through the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Lucille Garmon, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Andrew Leavitt, associate professor of chemistry, agree that the move away from the traditional approach of three 50-minute lectures and one three-hour lab per week was necessary to radically change the way they taught chemistry.

“We wanted to reach out to students who represented a variety of learning styles,” Leavitt explained. “We wanted to emphasize discovery-based learning and help students learn by helping each other.”

Workshop Chemistry, also known as Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), was refined for UWG by Garmon, who has a national reputation concerning this teaching method that meets weekly for two-hour sessions.

“The class is divided into groups of six to ten students,” Garmon explained. “The group leader is a student with good communication and people skills who has done well in the course previously, building their confidence and leadership skills.”

Khan is pleased with the academic accomplishments measured by the ACS scores. The department administers the ACS standardized examinations as the final exam in two general chemistry courses and the scores have jumped dramatically. Prior to Summer 2001, the mean score for UWG was 27. Currently, the UWG mean score is 38, very close to the ACS mean of 39 reported by selective schools accredited by the ACS.

“We are delighted to see a significant increase in student learning, based on an external yardstick, the ACS examinations,” Khan noted. “I want to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by Professors Leavitt and Garmon, and Bill Harper, the laboratory coordinator, that have made this endeavor a success.”

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