General Chemistry Program at Ohio University

Courses, Faculty Roles and Duties

General Chemistry at Ohio University has seven courses in two academic tracks. Chem 151-2-3 is the traditional general chemistry course for future scientists. Chem 121-2-3 is a lower level service course for majors that do not require as rigorous a curriculum.

The Chem 151-2-3 sequence is the Fundamentals of Chemistry course required by chemistry, biology, engineering, and pre-professional majors. It follows the curriculum from the American Chemical Society(ACS) and is measured by the end-of-term ACS national standardized exam in General Chemistry. In the past ten years, students completing Chem 153 have averaged at the 70-75^th percentile on the national exam. We believe that this assessment indicates the rigor and appropriateness of our program.

The Chem 121-2-3 sequence is the Principles of Chemistry course for health-related, industrial technology, and similar majors. The first two quarters are general chemistry and the third quarter (Chem 123) is a survey of organic chemistry. This course is termed General, Organic, and Biochemistry (GOB) in many curricula.

Prerequisites are enforced for all General Chemistry courses. A student must have demonstrated math skills above College Algebra (Math 113) in order to enter Chem 151. For Chem 121 (or Chem 150), a student must take College Algebra concurrently with chemistry. In addition to the math skills, a student entering Chem 151 must have passed the ACS Placement Exam with a score of 34 or better OR he/she must have completed Chem 150 with a score of C- or better.

Chem 150 is a course designed for students in a major that requires Chem 151-2-3 but who are not yet ready for the course based on his/her ACS placement exam score. Chem 150 uses a text that is in a work-book style and stresses concepts of high school chemistry that are essential to success in Chem 151. The lab of Chem 150 is identical to the lab of Chem 121. Upon successful completion of Chem 150 (defined as a grade of C- or better), a student may enter Chem 151, but if he/she changes programs, Chem 150 can be used as a prerequisite for Chem 121.

For the second course in a sequence (Chem 152 or Chem 122) a student must have earned a grade of C- or better in the previous course to progress. For the third course (Chem 153 or Chem 123), a student must have passed the previous course. In some majors, students progress from Chem 152 to Chem 123.

Each course in General Chemistry is offered two consecutive quarters. If a student does not meet the grade requirement to progress, we strongly recommend retaking the course at the next offering. If he/she has passed the lab component, then the lab will not need to be repeated.

The General Chemistry faculty is composed of 12 to 16 people who teach all the courses in a coordinated fashion. A common syllabus and common exams are written by the professors for consistency in assessment throughout the courses. The labs are coordinated by content and designed for efficient administration.

Some enhancements are now an integral part of the courses, the daily Preparatory Quizzes and Peer-Led-Team Learning. Faculty members have written electronic libraries for both of these programs.

Daily Preparatory Quizzes in Chem 150-151-152 require students to read the material before each class session. These serve as a bonus for their course grade but more importantly, the prep quizzes help the students understand and retain more from each class session.

Peer-Led-Team-Learning (PLTL) is a program that provides students in Chem 150, 151,152, and 153 with a special experience. Small groups of students (7-9) meet with the same peer mentor (trained student who previously completed the course) each week for two hours. During the sessions challenging problems related directly to the course material are discussed. They receive one hour of pass/fail credit. A faculty member writes the materials and conducts weekly training sessions with the mentors. The PLTL program administration is currently handled by the Assistant Chair.

All General Chemistry faculty are well-versed in all parts of the program. From time to time the shared duties are restructured to meet schedule constraints. We believe that the cooperative effort has been essential to our successes.