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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2001  > January  >
In the Classroom
Incorporating a Substantial Writing Assignment into Organic Chemistry: Library Research, Peer Review, and Assessment
Ivan A. Shibley Jr. and Louis K. Milakofsky
Department of Chemistry, Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College, Reading, PA 19610

Cynthia L. Nicotera
University Libraries, Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College, Reading, PA 19610

Cover
January 2001
Vol. 78 No. 1
p. 50

Abstract
A substantial writing assignment in an organic chemistry course provides a means of allowing students to direct their own learning about a specific application of organic chemistry. The use of peer review provided additional benefits: students learned organic chemistry from reading each others' papers and learned more about how classmates write about chemistry. Recommendations about how best to collaborate with a librarian in the design of a writing assignment that involves substantial library research are presented. One of the main features of effective assignments is the statement of clear expectations about assessment of the writing. The explicit criteria used to grade the papers are described. A substantial writing assignment such as this one can provide a means of moving an organic course from instructor-centered to student-centered.
More Information
*  Citation
Shibley, Ivan A., Jr.; Milakofsky, Louis K.; Nicotera, Cynthia L. J. Chem. Educ. 2001 78 50.
*  Keywords
Curriculum; Organic Chemistry; Teaching / Learning Aids; Problem-Based Learning; Writing in Chemistry
*  History
Created:
Last Updated:
November 30, 2000
August 31, 2005
  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2001 > January > Page 50


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