Study of Selected Chemistry Courses at Harper College. Volume 13, Number 6 / David B. Macaulay and Others.

A study of the Chemistry 110 and 131 courses at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) was conducted to determine how students were using Chemistry 110 in their associate degree sequence and to investigate the recent enrollment declines in Chemistry 131. Records of students who enrolled in Chemistry 110 from fall 1979 to spring 1982 were examined to determine what other chemistry and science classes the students had taken, their major, and the percent who had earned an associate degree. Profiles of students who enrolled in Chemistry 131 were compared for 1975-76, 1981-82, and 1983-84. In addition, 110 chemistry departments in Illinois colleges were surveyed regarding their equivalent College Chemistry I (Chemistry 131) course. Information was solicited regarding teacher characteristics, attrition rates, teaching formats, average class size, enrollment patterns, trends in chemistry and chemical engineering majors, textbooks, and differences between day and evening sections. The profile of Chemistry 131 students indicated that the 1984-85 group differed significantly from previous years only in terms of a lower grade point average. Enrollments in Chemistry 110 jumped 65% from 1980-81 to 1981-82, but then leveled off. Of students who earned a grade in Chemistry 110, 51% took at least one more chemistry course, and 18.5% eventually earned an associate degree. Detailed survey findings and the questionnaire are included. (LAL)

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