Historical Analysis of the Inorganic Chemistry Curriculum Using ACS Examinations as Artifacts

• Shalini Srinivasan ^[9] ; Barbara A. Reisner ^[1] ; Sheila R. Smith ^[2] ; Joanne L. Stewart ^[3] ; Adam R. Johnson ^[4] ; Shirley Lin ^[5] ; Keith A. Marek ^[6] ; Chip Nataro ^[7] ; Kristen L. Murphy ^[8] ; Jeffrey R. Raker ^[9]
  1. [1] James Madison University

     James Madison University

     Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] University of Michigan–Dearborn

     University of Michigan–Dearborn

     City of Dearborn, Estados Unidos

     
  3. [3] Hope College

     Hope College

     City of Holland, Estados Unidos

     
  4. [4] Harvey Mudd College

     Harvey Mudd College

     Estados Unidos

     
  5. [5] United States Naval Academy

     United States Naval Academy

     Estados Unidos

     
  6. [6] Bemidji State University

     Bemidji State University

     City of Bemidji, Estados Unidos

     
  7. [7] Lafayette College

     Lafayette College

     City of Easton, Estados Unidos

     
  8. [8] University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

     University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

     City of Milwaukee, Estados Unidos

     
  9. [9] University of South Florida

     University of South Florida

     Estados Unidos

     

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• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 95, Nº 5, 2018, págs. 726-733
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • ACS Examinations provide a lens through which to examine historical changes in topic coverage via analyses of course-specific examinations. This study is an extension of work completed previously by the ACS Exams Research Staff and collaborators in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry to explore content changes in the principal courses of the postsecondary chemistry curriculum. In this study, we consider how inorganic chemistry content coverage has varied over a 55-year period since the first inorganic chemistry ACS Examination was released in 1961. A total of 860 items was evaluated on the basis of problem type (i.e., algorithmic, conceptual, or recall), use of visual-spatial or reference components, and content coverage. Our analyses identify core content areas in the inorganic chemistry curriculum, consistent with those reported in faculty surveys. Each examination also contained questions addressing a variety of specialty areas that vary widely within the discipline between 1961 and 2016. Unlike the results from historical reviews of general chemistry and organic chemistry ACS Examinations, we observe great variability across the 13 inorganic chemistry examinations with an absence of strong trends in inclusion or exclusion of problem types, visual-spatial or reference components, or content across the 13 exams analyzed. Our results offer a framework for using historical ACS Examinations as a tool to make decisions about the future of content coverage in postsecondary inorganic chemistry education.