ERIC EJ682574: Building Civic Engagement Capacity: An Introductory Chemistry Example

2004·2.2 MB·English

by  ERIC

GARON C. SMITH
Building
Civic Engagement
Capacity
An Introductory
S Chemistry Example
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R WHATARETHEEXPECTATIONSfor me, as a chem- gagement in our teaching, focusing it through the
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istry professor at a public, research-intensive uni- lens of our disciplinary specialties, we help our
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versity, to “do a good job” within the teaching institutions uphold this public trust. We develop
component of my fac- the capacity in our students to become active in
ulty line? Am I doing a their postgraduate communities and careers.
good job if my students satisfactorily master
“Training the chemical principles and problem-solving tech- Relevance
niques according to the department’s overall cur- The pedagogic modification needed to simul-
next generation
riculum plan? That’s a start. And it would be taneously meet departmental and campus-wide
of citizens”
dandy if I could weave some of my current re- agendas is at the heart of the SENCERinitiative
was the search into the course, right? Maybe I could (Science Education for New Civic Engagements
collective vision even get some students to consider a major in and Responsibilities), launched by AAC&Uand
chemistry! Striving to meet such criteria, I underwritten by the National Science Founda-
that gave birth
would certainly not be indicted by my colleagues tion (NSF). NSFsupports programs which use
to many
for neglect of duties.But everything I’ve listed so complex, unsolved public issues to frame a
institutions far is a parochial list of outcomes to which I can course—HIV-AIDS, genetic engineering, toxic sub-
aspire, unnecessarily confined to department- stances in the environment, and sustainable en-
level visions. ergy supplies/lifestyles to name a few. It brings
With a slight paradigm shift, not only can I immediacy to the science concepts needed and
better meet the department’s needs, but I can the available tools taught within a course. The
also address the university’s corporate responsi- idea is to get students to ask questions such as:
bility to make education socially relevant. Rele- “Which air pollutants in our community pose
vancy is important in seeking funding for our the most serious health threat?” and “Who re-
institutions. If we expect the public to continue leases them?”or “How can we work as a commu-
investing in science and higher education, it is nity to get the biggest health gain for the time
more critical than ever that students connect the and money we invest?” The coursecontent
content of our courses to its role in public issues. stands squarely between the questions and the
In fact, “training the next generation of citizens” answers. Students must navigate the course con-
was the collective vision that gave birth to many tent if they are to reach some resolution to such
institutions. University mission statements still questions.
reflect this sentiment1. If we champion civic en- While stimulating civic engagement among
students is a lofty goal, the rub, you say, is, “How
GARON SMITH is professor of chemistry at the do you add more to your already overstuffed
University of Montana. course without taking away some content?” This
40 LIBERAL EDUCATION SUMMER 2004
University of Montana
is a pivotal question, especially if you are a “civic ten try to keep a lightness to the class atmos-
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I engagement pioneer” within your academic unit phere as well. Here are a few illustrative exam-
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and you teach an introductory course in a multi- ples:
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T semester sequence. Colleagues expect students (cid:127)Conversion between metric and English units:
coming into their course sequels to have already If a slug uses 0.10 mL of mucus to travel 1.0
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E mastered an agreed-upon set of topics. This arti- meter, how many miles per gallon does the
R cle briefly outlines some strategies that I have slug get? (Answer: 24 mpg.)
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successfully implemented to infuse elements of (cid:127)Heating and cooling curves: If a bird needs 5
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A civic engagement into my large, first-semester grams of water each day, how much energy
E chemistry course (enrollment usually about does it save by finding open water in the win-
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450), without sacrificing traditional content. ter instead of eating snow? (Open water: 190
The selection of appropriate illustrative exam- cal to warm to body temperature; snow: 615
ples and recurrent themes in my lectures sets cal to warm to body temperature, or 3.3 times
the stage for civic engagement. Then, an extra- more energy.)
credit mechanism entices students to sample at (cid:127)Nuclear chemistry: Sticks encased in mineral
least some civic activity outside the classroom. deposits just north of Yellowstone National
Park were carbon dated to establish how long
Civic engagement in the classroom metal-laden waters have been flowing into the
For the past eight years I have retooled my intro- Lamar Valley. If the C-14 count in the min-
ductory CHEM151 course at the University of eral-bound sticks is 45 percent that of living
Montana so that students must increasingly con- sticks of the same species, how long ago were
nect the course content and themselves to the the sticks cemented in place? (Answer: 6,500
world outside of the lecture hall. I layer civic en- years ago.)
gagement into as many facets of my course as I
can: (1) incorporating public issues into my sam- Making room for civic engagement
ple problems; (2) offering extra credit for calcu- Once I capture the students’ interest through
lations that extend the lecture material into relevant sample problems, I shamelessly use ex-
local problems; (3) inviting the students to par- tra credit as a civic engagement hook to cajole
ticipate in policy hearings; (4) encouraging stu- them into donating out-of-class time toward ex-
dents to volunteer for relevant ploring topics further. Extra credit is built into
community-service projects. the weighted-average formula I use to compute
I view every sample problem I work, every ap- the overall course average. The formula, which
plication I relate, as yet another opportunity to is deceptively simple, has three terms, each of
engage the students and help them appreciate which serves a different role:
why this particular course is a prerequisite for quizzes (25%) + hour exams (50%) + final exam
their majors. I take advantage of public issues (25%)
that are most likely to capture the specific inter- term 1 term 2 term 3
ests of my student audience. CHEM151 is the The overall course grade is based on a 600
first semester of a one-year, non-major’s survey point system: 150 points for the quiz term, 300
of general, organic, and biochemistry. The points for the hour exam term, and 150 points
course is for students in disciplines that require for the final exam term. The interaction among
grounding in chemical principles and an under- the three terms or components is what allows
standing of biochemical processes, e.g., forestry, me to subtly exert influence on the class in dif-
wildlife biology, pre-nursing, physical therapy, ferent ways. Regular attendance in class is forced
medical technology, exercise physiology, sports by the quiz term. The ultimate accountability for
medicine. Given these demographics, I instantly overall course content is contained in the final
garner their attention by connecting the con- exam term. But the middle term, the one for
cepts I am teaching to topics such as toxic chemi- hour exams, lets me draw them into giving out-
cal releases and their health impacts, side time to the course.
conservation biology, water quality and fishery While exams serve their traditional role in
impacts, sustainable timber harvests, prescribed evaluating student mastery of course concepts
burns as a forest management tool, diabetes and problem-solving skills, the exam portion of
(prominent among our Native American stu- the formula is where I tabulate extra credit for
dents), and performance-enhancing drugs. I of- out-of-class civic engagement activities. Since I
42 LIBERAL EDUCATION SUMMER 2004
I want to ensure
keep the best three of four one- there are voices, nity, Missoulian’s drive 1.3 mil-
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hour exams, 300 points is the comfortable lion miles a day just within our I
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maximum score for the hour small, mountain-bound city and
with science, O
exam term. Throughout the se- release more than 1 million T
whenever community
mester I offer a wide variety of pounds of fossil fuel CO per
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supplemental engagement activ- discussions occur. day.) E
ities for students to earn points I work toward My favorite extra credit takes R
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that can be directly added on to students out into the commu-
this goal in making T
their hour exam point total. nity to advocate for policy: at- A
my students
Through this extra credit, there tending public hearings, writing E
is a redemption mechanism for scientifically competent letters to the editor or elected F
a subpar performance, so I feel civic agents officials, testifying at public
no compunction to relax the hearings, or participating in vol-
rigor of my exams. (But I usually strive for an av- unteer mentoring—math/science tutoring in af-
erage of 75 percent so as not to trounce any pos- ter-school programs (Flagship Project) or
itive attitudes that may be developing toward in-school programs (McKinney Tutors) for chil-
the physical sciences among a generally insecure dren of latch-key families, homeless families, or
population.) families whose battered mothers seek refuge.
Some exam extra credit is simply an optional Why am I, a chemist, interested in public pol-
assignment through which the day’s lesson is ap- icy? I want to ensure there are voices, comfort-
plied to a community issue. For example, when I able with science, whenever community
teach chemical stoichiometry, the massrelation- discussions occur. I work toward this goal in
ships among substances in a chemical reaction, making my students scientifically competent
my lecture illustration quantifies the local pulp civic agents. Isn’t a hallmark of our democratic
mill’s carbon dioxide releases. At its conclusion, I heritage the notion that decisions grow out of a
point out that the mill’s CO emissions are biomass community dialogue? Shouldn’t we be training
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derived. For extra credit,I have the students our students about how decisions get made?
compute how many pounds of fossil fuel CO are There is some extra effort (i.e., time) thatmust be
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emitted from the collective driving of motor ve- invested to get a complete buy-in by the students.
hicles in our city. To do this, I supply them with Unless they see through their own participation
the latest traffic-count statistics. (As a commu- that the out-of-class activities are worth the ef-
Smith at
local K-12
SUMMER 2004 LIBERAL EDUCATION 43
S University of
E Montana
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fort, they will be less than enthusiastic. It is also It has been a great experience this semester,
important to personally witness some of their and I am looking forward to continuing the tu-
“extra-credit” altruism. This was often painless toring next semester.
for me, as many of the county- and state-level The fact that Matt had to digest the CHEM151
policy hearings offered as extra-credit options course material for Julian validates in my mind
were heard by policy boards on which I hold a that the tutoring activity is germane to course
seat. If they testified, I was there to take their goals and that it promotes deeper learning for
comments. my student volunteers.
With mentoring, in particular, strong bonds Extra credit is awarded at the rate of three
often arise between my student tutors and their points per hour for out-of-class activities. Given
young charges. Some donate more than thirty the weighting factors in the overall course for-
hours over the course of the semester. Many con- mula, six points (or two hours of community ac-
tinue to volunteer in the following semester tivities) are required to raise the course average
when there is no built-in extra-credit motive; by 1 percent. Students are hooked into pursuing
they simply cannot imagine abandoning their extra credit on three counts. First, there are
protégés. For instance, Matt Phifer, a sophomore those who do the extra credit to build up a cush-
Spanish major who took CHEM 151, in an extra- ion as insurance against a stumble later in the se-
credit report wrote: mester or as a mechanism for coasting, once the
I have been participating in the McKinney tu- desired grade level seems assured. Second, stu-
toring program for about 7 weeks now and dents do extra credit after a bad exam result. Fi-
have seen improvement in Julian [the stu- nally, the remainder of the class gets drawn into
dent]. Julian seems to favor science over his the “extra-credit chase” after they see their class-
other subjects. He has a basic understanding of mates accumulating points. I prominently post
the other subjects, but seems interested more weekly spreadsheets that include an “EEC”col-
in my chemistry class than his own homework. umn that tracks “exam extra-credit” points
44 LIBERAL EDUCATION SUMMER 2004
If we want to
where the positive impact is prompt our students that most administrators will be
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only too apparent. to become civically receptive to one’s initiating E
some personal efforts in this di- V
engaged, what better
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Participation rection. Judith A. Ramaley, as- T
place than at
How much do students take ad- sistant director at the NSF C
vantage of the exam extra- the beginning of their Education and Human Re- E
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credit course feature? During college careers sources Directorate, said, “The S
fall 2002, 375 of 412 students major challenge facing contem- R
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participated in someform of ex- porary higher education is to
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tra credit and averaged 9.6 points apiece. In fall enhance its relevance and connectedness to the
2003, with increased effort to engage students, issues and problems faced by the broader society,
381 of 410 students averaged 12.2 points of ex- as these problems are defined by community
tra credit. Most students earnedpoints via a com- members and not by academics independently of
bination of lecture extension exercises and the views of others.”
community involvement. Most invested about If we want to prompt our students to become
three hours outside of class in off-campus activi- civically engaged, what better place than at the
ties. Thus, the class was responsible for con- beginning of their college careers, in introduc-
tributing almost 1,150 hours of community tory courses, before they know any better? Ide-
involvement—a gift to the city leveraged by a re- ally, they will exit the course with the
quired chemistry course. expectation that this is the way all college
Occasionally, a student gets wise to my courses work. And what better place to deliver
weighted average formula and tries to “blow me the experience than in large, required, under-
out of the water” with extra credit. I don’t panic. graduate survey courses? It is efficient and en-
I smile and then exempt them from the final sures that a high percentage of students get a
exam. Without exception these are very engaged taste of civic engagement. It draws favorable at-
students who would have gotten an A without tention to one’s department from both the ad-
extra-credit options. So they get their A, and I ministration and the community. Lastly, a little
get to let them savor the taste of “good citizen- civic outreach by a sizable number of students
ship.” adds up to a great benefit for our local commu-
Do the students feel exploited? Not in my ex- nities. We do well to inculcate the perception
perience. Cathy Crane, a post-baccalaureatestu- that higher education is a good thing to have in
dent returning for a second degree in exercise the neighborhood. ■■
physiology, shared her opinion of the civic-action
options in an unsolicited email: To respond to this article, e-mail [email protected],
I also really enjoy the way you use extra with the author’s name on the subject line.
credit. It encourages people to pull their
heads out of the sand, out of their books, out
of televisions, and out of their “You-know- NOTE
whats” in order to do something productive. 1 As a case in point, here is an excerpt from the mission
Very inspirational. Thanks again. statement of my home institution, the University of
Montana-Missoula: “Through its graduates, the Uni-
versity also seeks to educate competent and humane
Summing up
professionals and informed, ethical, and engaged citi-
The prescriptive plan I have just summarized for zens of local and global communities.”
my introductory chemistry course is but one ex- (www.umt.edu/president/UMMS2.htm)
ample of how to build civic capacity into a
course. There are many other models for this
kind of approach at institutions around the
country. Surfing the Web using “civic engage-
ment” as the subject reveals dozens of papers,
presentations, and workshops that describe cur-
ricular reforms or pedagogic innovations that
draw students into exploring current, real-world
issues. The National Science Foundation has ar-
ticulated the importance of civic engagement, so
SUMMER 2004 LIBERAL EDUCATION 45