Throw a Big Net, Catch Them and Keep Them: Is IUB-Chemistry is Doing This Well?

Kate ReckDirector of Undergraduate Studies

Department of Chemistry, Indiana UniversityIndiana Girls Collaborative Project Conference

September 22, 2011

Brief Overview

• A brief description of Indiana University-Bloomington and its Chemistry program

• What skills are needed for students to be successful in chemistry (science and college in general?

• Ways current students are lacking?

• Have I faced personal challenges?

Indiana University - Bloomington• 110,000 students on all eight campuses; 42,731 at IUB

• College of Arts and Sciences (where STEM programs reside):

– 70 degree-granting departments; 77 foreign languages

– 9,000 undergraduate majors; 2,900 graduate students in 47 master’s or PhD programs

– Top-ranked programs in: Cognitive Science, Evolutionary Biology, Clinical Science, American Studies, Ancient Studies, Indian Studies, West European Studies, Sociology, Social Psychology, History, French and Italian, and Dev. Psychology

– Chemistry/biochemistry program is 5-6th largest is the nation

– ca. 3000 arrive as pre-med; 300 enter MS, 200 DS, etc.

A Decade of IU Enrollment Figures

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 20120

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Academic Year, ending in…

2247

3842

• 71% increase in enrollments over last decade• Habitually, 50% women in chemistry…

IU Incoming Class

IU Chemistry Enrollments

Numbers of Chemistry majors (last 2 decades)

1990 1995 2000 2005 20100

100

200

300

400

500

600

Chemistry/Biochemistry Graduating Majors (% females)

AY

BA Chemistry

BS Chemistry

BA Biochemistry

BS Biochemistry

Total

2002-2003 18 10 13 17 58 (51%)

2003-2004 19 15 6 28 68 (48%)

2004-2005 26 15 16 11 68 (50%)

2005-2006 38 21 9 27 95 (51%)

2006-2007 26 15 11 42 94 (53%)

2007-2008 38 14 19 14 85 (54%)

2008-2009 43 13 6 35 97 (48%)

2009-2010 49 26 14 19 108 (52%)

2010-2011 46 13 22 20 101 (53%)

What is the path for incoming students?• “University Division” – most students enter here– Entrance standards into the College:• 26 credit hours or work that count toward a degree• Minimum of 2.0 GPA• Completion of English composition requirement

• Direct Admit Program: 2010 (315 total among all departments)– Chemistry: 2010 (48); 2009 (26); 2008 (17)

• Hutton Honors College: – Minimum SAT 1340 or an ACT score of 30 + GPA 3.800/4.0 or

a rank within the top 10% of their graduating class– Students not invited may petition– Maintain cumulative 3.3 GPA– Complete three 3-credit honors courses by the 6th semester

Where are students lacking?• Math skills, math skills, math skills– Fractions– Exponents– Logarithms– Algebra, using their calculator– Math SAT > 580

• Our curriculum necessitates that students retain some knowledge from high school chemistry or take a prep chem.– 450 students in C103: Preparatory General Chemistry– 600 students in C117: Fund. of Chemistry and Biochem.– 60 students in S117: Honors Fund. of Chemistry & Biochem.

• Writing skills are deficient toward lab reports• Professionalism is lacking (email, poor attention in lecture)

152 O2

1010

1020 = 10-10 pKa = -log Ka

pKa = 5, Ka = ?

y = mx + b

Where are students lacking?• Students lack basic study skills from high school.

– Time management (sleep), self-motivation,

– Students expect to be told what to do to be successful

– Expect old exams, quizzes, study aids versus just studying

– Not good at note-taking, picking up most important material

– Need better listening skills

• Risk aversion students are unwilling to start a problem for fear of not doing well or getting it wrong.

• Students do not know how to assess their career goals well

– We do not educate HS students on all the careers that exist; students need to be reasonable about skills they possess

• Researchers analyzed the results of tests taken by around 20 million 15-year-olds in 57 participating OECD countries.

• This gender gap is bigger in Britain than in any other developed country, a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concluded.

• Denmark/Luxembourg, boys > girls in science by 9 points. In Turkey, girls > boys by 12 points; in Greece, girls > boys by 11 points.

• Several researchers suggest that separating the sexes in co-educational schools would improve science teaching for girls, because boys "hog the limelight".

• However, recent research shows standardized exams can be gender biased.

Gender research internationally

• Fact or myth? A mass of exodus of STEM teachers will be retiring within the next 10 years, with ½ the number of students to fill the positions. Fact

• Less students studying STEM fields overall at HS/college level. Fact

• Teacher preparation is becoming more challenging, leading to students being even less likely to pursue STEM licensure. Fact

• Once a HS teacher, the demands are such that teachers must keep up with professional development (e.g. CRU or graduate credits). Fact

STEM concerns start with teachers1999-2000

• In 2000, 220,000 students attained teaching degrees. Within the first year only 42% were teaching; after 5 years, only 58%.

• Hence, large proportions of those who train to become teachers do not ever become teachers. WHY?

• Many who decided not to pursue teaching indicated that they needed more education or wanted another occupation. WHY?

• For the last 40 years, there is a consistent 14-15% turnovers in teachers every year. WHY?

• Data suggest that after just five years, between 40 and 50% of all beginning teachers have left teaching permanently. WHY?

Disappearing, but trained workforce?

• Grade school – took high school classes for math, found this fun and beneficial; accelerated classes were allowed and smaller

• JH/HS– accelerated classes not continued in my schools, found this restricting; science courses were not challenging and stopped caring

• College – took calculus II as a freshmen; not prepared from high school calculus and did poorly even though thought I was prepared

– small liberal arts college, 13 chem. majors, 9 females; faculty good

• Graduate school – started graduate school and entering classes were half women; came across 2 faculty who were outwardly derogatory

– NSF data 2002-2003, females: 49.3% BA/BS; 46% MS; 34% PhD compared to 14% PhD in 1982.

– 18% of assistant professors in chemistry are women

Personal Challenges?