CATEGORY COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The three life sciences courses for which materials were submitted satisfactorily meet the requirements of the category. Based on the individual course reviews and observations, it is recommended that:

(a) BIOL 250 be removed from the G.E. program at the request of the department;

(b) Courses state objectives in their syllabi which will clearly inform students of the learning outcomes they can expect to derive from a course (see Recommendation No. 2, p. 13).

CATEGORY B-3. PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Physical Sciences courses provide instruction in the fundamental rules governing matter in the universe, the methodology by which these rules are studied, and the consequences of the scientific and technological development of the physical sciences. The courses are to be taught at an introductory level and provide a breadth of knowledge concerning a major area in the physical sciences while incorporating supportive facts and concepts from the other major areas in the physical sciences. They are to include a three-hour laboratory experience reinforcing the experimental basis for scientific inquiry in the physical sciences. Nine options are available in the physical sciences category, including courses in chemistry, geography, geology, and physics:

CHEM 100, CHEMISTRY IN THE MODERN WORLD: This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the use and value of chemistry in modern society, aimed toward students who “have no high school background in the subject.” In the 1992 Natural Sciences review the Committee “call[ed] attention to this statement in light of three years of science required for admission to the university,” the intent apparently being to encourage the Department to consider whether the course is properly described in the University bulletin. In response to a query by the Committee, the Department Chair stated that the course description has been retained because the Department has found that students frequently evade chemistry classes in high school and many indeed have no background in the subject. For the present review, the Department Chair’s questionnaire stated that the course and laboratories are always taught by a single instructor, thus ensuring consistency and coherence in course content. Information in the course materials clearly provided students the fundamental information on course content and requirements, but did not state course objectives as they pertain to general education purposes and learning outcomes. Otherwise, from the materials submitted this course appears to satisfy category requirements and justifies recertification as a G.E. course.

CHEM 205, FUNDAMENTALS OF CHEMISTRY I: GENERAL CHEMISTRY: This course offers a basic introduction to a broad range of physical scientific principles. The course gives an introduction to the history of chemistry. Students gain a basic understanding to the topics of measurements, basic concepts of matter, atoms, compounds, gases, nuclear chemistry, the periodic table, language of chemistry, states of matter, solutions, acids/bases, oxidation/reduction, and kinetics. Students gain an appreciation for the scientific method and its approach in the lecture and laboratory. An adequate amount of critical thinking, scientific observations, and quantitative computational skills are given in both the lecture and the laboratory. The laboratory experiments were found to be compatible with the materials covered in the lecture. In the laboratory, students gain experience in using scientific instruments as well as practicing computational, analytical, and critical thinking skills in the form of written laboratory reports. In the lecture, students gain further experience in problem solving and quantitative computational skills in homework and examinations. According to the questionnaire, the consequences of scientific and technological development of the physical sciences and chemistry were not emphasized except in the area of nuclear chemistry. The Chair's questionnaire stated that the materials covered in the two lecture sections were coordinated among the two instructors. From the materials submitted, the Committee believes that this course meets the category requirements and should be recertified as a G.E. course.