On Providing Equations

A fundamental issue in science pedagogy is over whether or not students should be given equations on exams. Every exam, my professors gave me every equation I’d ever need. They emphasized the importance understanding the material rather than memorizing equations anyone can look up in a book. This is a reason why I chose the path of chemistry over biology; memorization seems pointless.

In grad school, I TA’d for several undergraduate-level professors, many of whom didn’t provide equations on exams. I struggled to respect these instructors, in part, because I found their teaching methods to be quite “passive” (I can’t think of a more polite-sounding term). Not providing equations seemed to be a bit more icing on the lackadaisical cake.

Although I haven’t seen much scholarly analysis on this topic, in the conversations that I’ve had with other faculty members, there’s a fairly even split on the issue. Demonstrating application of course content seems much more prudent than being able to regurgitate esoteric facts. On the other hand, many undergraduate science majors will inevitably take exams for admission into graduate/professional school. Many of these exams do not allow calculators let alone provide routine equations. Knowing your equations could be the difference between admission into and rejection from grad school, med school, pharmacy school, etc. In other words, undergraduate exams are (in a sense) practice for the real deal.

As a professor, I’m torn on the issue.

Interactive

Having now been charged with the holy task of lecturing, I have begun to realize that assembling content is quite time-consuming. It leaves little creative time to develop my presentation of the material, knowing that my “progress” as a professor is gauged on my teaching skills (not on my ability to recall the pKa of water…15.7). My formal training in teaching (as is the case for most science Ph.D.’s) is effectively nil, and, in all sincerity, I’m not complaining. I believe my peers recognize my struggles as a fledgling prof, which prompts many of them to invite me to watch them teach.

Recently, I had the opportunity to observe a history lecture, which is no doubt a far cry from the molecular orbital theory. But I rationalized that good teaching has intrinsic qualities that work in any class (regardless of the subject).

After taking some time to digest my observations, my wife was curious to know what I learned.

I thought for a moment. “Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16, not May 5.”

She giggled. “No, I meant about the teaching style.”

The professor had gone in many different directions, and I tried to narrow down what I liked the most. “I think enjoyed how the professor encouraged student interaction. I wish I could apply more of that in my classes.”

Chemistry isn’t exactly an interactive or (even) team sport. But why not try something different? An increasing number of disciplines are pushing detailed content back on the students while using lecture time to reinforce concepts, provide a birds-eye-view of course content, and engage the class through interactive exercises. Notice how I didn’t say “flip through slides” or “derive equations.”

What can be done about creating more interactive science lectures? Here’s an excellent article about delivering effective medical school lectures (published by the US Agency for International Development, c. 1996). The authors suggest beginning lectures with an open-ended question (to be answered at some point in the lecture), a video clip, or an exercise in “think-pair-share.”

Personally, I plan on visiting more classrooms and looking for new ideas that I can incorporate into my lectures.

An Introduction to Research Ethics (Part II)

A few days back, I wrote about my attempt to expose my undergrads to the concept of research ethics. It was a very interesting exercise, and I plan on doing it again next semester.

The class (approximately 10 students) was broken off into three groups, and each group was given a scenario pertaining to research ethics and questions to consider during the class discussion portion. A typical example of a scenario is as follows:

Student XYZ is asked to perform an experiment, and his/her advisor expects there to be a linear relationship between the independent and dependent variables. After the experiment, several data points do not fit the linear trend.

In this case, students are asked to consider A) re-measuring all of the data, B) re-measuring only the outlier cases, or C) ignoring the data points that don’t fit. When polling the class, the overwhelming majority appeared to have recognized the prudence of doing something about the non-linear data points (albeit the bare minimum…i.e., option “B”). Interestingly, several former analytical chemistry students noted that the non-linear points might be statistically insignificant, a notion verified through a G-test (kudos to me for actually teaching them stats last semester!!).

As the authoritarian figure, I emphasized the importance and responsibility of reporting the “true,” objective answer and the consequences for doing otherwise. I was surprised to see that students had not considered that scientific misconduct could damage your professional reputation, a concept I tried to illustrate by talking about the Bell Labs incident, although it was heavily based in physics, not chemistry.

Furthermore, most students didn’t realize that a Ph.D. could be invalidated; having learned this in grad school, I’m not very surprised. Nature published a very interesting article a few years back about scientists who were implicated in scientific misconduct cases (Nature 2007, 445, 244-245), many of whom have been stripped or his/her Ph.D. Perhaps, I’ll work several of these instances into future iterations and/or seminars about this topic.

In any case, ethics is an ongoing area of research (at least for me).

Apparently Medium Doesn't Matter

I stumbled onto this gem while searching for chalk-talk teaching methods.

Shallcross, D. E.; Harrison, T. G., “Lectures: Electronic Presentations versus Chalk and Talk – a Chemist’s View,” Chem. Ed. Res. Pract. 2007, 8, 73.

Overview: From the findings of several questionnaires and interviews, the authors contend that the “method of delivery (i.e., PowerPoint vs. chalk) has no significant impact on learning outcomes.” Moreover, they maintain that preparation plays a central role in lecturing.

My thoughts: I’ve personally witnessed that students are less focused and more likely to sleep when they’re shown a PowerPoint presentation in a warm, dark lecture hall. My classes usually involve chalk, though I'm beginning to work PowerPoint in...especially in cases where I have to present data, show an instrumentation diagram, or need to illustrate a periodic trend.

An Introduction to Research Ethics (Part 1)

During a group meeting in grad school, a member reported her recent laboratory findings to the rest of us. At one point in the talk, she reported a significant increase in product yield (nearly 40%) when she switched solvent systems. My PI spoke up. “How many milligrams of product do you have,” he asked.

“Two or three hundred,” she confidently responded.

“And it’s pure?”

“Yes.”

“And you have clean proton and carbon spectra?” Silence. “You don’t have data?” Silence. “What good is the experiment, if you can’t prove that you’ve made the product?” Silence. “You cannot report findings unless you have data. Why don’t you know this?”

Great question. Or better yet, where does the disconnect lay when it comes to ethical research behavior? Is it a gap due to cultural or language issues (she was from a different country)? Is it just plain ignorance? Is it simply a blatant disregard for acceptable behavior?

I’ve mentally wrestled with these questions for a few years, and I’ve arrived at several conclusions:

1. Ethical behavior begins in the home. We learn a lot of our initial ethical perception from our parents/guardians/influences.
2. Learning to do the right thing is (or should be) perpetuated in grade school. Students learn that stealing is wrong, honesty is the best policy, and the Golden Rule supersedes all.
3. Professional ethics lies in the beginning of professional training/development. For example, a police officer is taught when it's acceptable to use deadly force at his academy or barracks whereas a restauranteur learns how best to treat his customers in business school or during on-the-job training.

This semester, I am teaching a course in research chemistry, an opportunity to expose undergrads to exploring "uncharted waters" as scientists. But, before getting our hands wet (so to speak), I have planned an interactive lecture on research ethics. I aim to encourage discussion for a number of ethical situations ranging from reporting false data to laboratory safety (instances compiled from Kovac's The Ethical Chemist - see left).

Stay tuned for more developments, as research ethics is a personal area of interest.

Getting Organized - Scheduling Your Life

Throughout gradate school, a key member on my Ph.D. committee was notoriously late to all of my qualifying engagements (over an hour in some cases). On one such event, I remember pacing back and forth, in a freshly pressed business suit with a white shirt, in front of 4 committee members, trying to make neutral small talk without saying something that would spark a Spanish Inquisition when the “grilling” began…all while trying not to sweat.

After waiting for twenty minutes, my research advisor took a deep breath and said, “Well, why don’t you go by his office and see if he just forgot.” The other committee members chuckled at this suggestion, and I left the classroom to find the missing professor. En route, I attempted to hide my anger by repeatedly telling myself that my advisor wouldn’t have scheduled my defense if he didn’t think I couldn’t pass.

I arrived at the professor’s door, with no need to curl my fingers as they had already become a fist out of frustration. Knock, knock, knock. No answer. Knock, knock, knock. Still no answer. I retreated to the classroom, trying best to keep my composure, but every minute leading up to a defense is so tense and solemn you can actually feel your heart beating in the tips of your fingers.

Three trips to his office, two visits to the department secretaries, and 45 minutes later, the classroom door opens and in pops Mr. Dr. Punctual, with a freshly brewed mug of coffee in hand. He says in his typical weak and squeaky voice, “nice to see you all waited.” No apology.

Infuriating? Yes. Frustrating? Absolutely. “At least you passed,” my research advisor said in his office after the defense. In a utilitarian sense, he was absolutely right. But, the lack of respect was so infuriating and insulting. So, what could I do? I wrestled with this question for a few months before I arrived at a few of conclusions. First, don’t get into a stinking contest with a skunk. Nothing positive is likely to come out of complaining. Second, learn from others mistakes to make yourself a better person.

Scientists aren’t exactly known for their punctuality or real-world attentiveness, and these traits aren’t usually intended (at least in the science community). My fellow researchers were notorious for showing up late to group meetings. I had a friend in a different lab who was always 15 minutes behind schedule. When my wife and I first started dating, she had to handle the fact that I got lost in my research, didn’t have a cell phone signal in the lab, and (on a subconscious level) I didn’t care if I missed a meal on occasion. A few dozen roses later, we’re happily married.

Nevertheless, lacking punctuality is inexcusable, especially in the real world, and when I signed on as an assistant professor, I didn’t want to be “that guy” to the faculty or my students. I recognize that time is a valuable commodity, and wasting it, for most people, ranks right up there with nails on a chalkboard in the irritating category. To help combat my absent-mindedness, I’ve enlisted the services of my computer to guide me through my day. I quickly found that programs such as iCal, Google Calendar, Microsoft Entourage, or Sunbird (Firefox) can help with organization.

Personally, I use iCal to keep track of my class times, upcoming events (meetings, conferences, etc.), and important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.). I sync all of my events with my Google account, which then lets me push all of the data to my Blackberry; it’s not nearly as convoluted as it sounds. In the long run, I noticed that better organization results in more productive hours.

My post is not a plug for any software, per se. Rather, it’s a subtle plea to the scientific community to push us to become better organized. I’ll leave it open to discussion and post a poll on the blog. What tips do you have to help schedule your life? Do you do you prefer software or a book-style agendas?