Academic Journal

The American Chemical Society General Chemistry Performance Expectations Project: From Task Force to Distributed Process for Implementing Multidimensional Learning

Bibliographic Details
Title: The American Chemical Society General Chemistry Performance Expectations Project: From Task Force to Distributed Process for Implementing Multidimensional Learning
Authors: Pazicni, Samuel (ORCID 0000-0002-4775-7794), Wink, Donald J. (ORCID 0000-0002-2475-2392), Donovan, Ashley, Conrad, John A., Darr, Joshua P. (ORCID 0000-0003-4704-357X), Morgan Theall, Rachel A., Richter-Egger, Dana L. (ORCID 0000-0001-5999-2161), Villalta-Cerdas, Adrian (ORCID 0000-0001-5445-2836), Walker, Deborah Rush (ORCID 0000-0003-4001-3087)
Source: Journal of Chemical Education. Apr 2021 98(4):1112-1123.
Abstract: This contribution reports the process and outcomes of a multiyear effort that supported institutions in reforming general chemistry using multidimensional learning approaches in the form of performance expectations. Performance expectations are based on evidence-centered assessment design principles and describe what learners should be able to do with their knowledge, a subtle (but profound) shift from traditional course learning goals. The effort grew from the recommendations of a task force appointed in 2015 by the American Chemical Society's Division of Chemical Education and Society Committee on Education. This task force recommended a participatory process for creating general chemistry performance expectations that was distributed over, and also coordinated across, multiple institutions. With support from the ACS Education Division, this recommendation was enacted through workshops which supported faculty in developing activities and assessments that integrated content, science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts--a three-dimensional structure based on the National Research Council report "A Framework for K-12 Education." From these workshops, a group of faculty committed to implementing three-dimensional performance expectations in their courses evolved. In practice, these faculty found that their institutional work resulted in designing learning performances that, while also three-dimensional, were of narrower content focus than is typical of performance expectations. This development process also led faculty to use the structures of evidence-centered design and multidimensional learning to document learning activity designs in new ways, generating a consensus activity structure. As examples of how faculty used this consensus activity structure as a new way to examine student learning and performances, development artifacts from four of the participating institutions is presented.
Availability: Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2021
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Chemistry, Educational Change, Science Education, College Science, Elementary Secondary Education, Expectation, Instructional Design, Evidence Based Practice, Science Instruction
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00986
ISSN: 0021-9584
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2021
Accession Number: EJ1302543
ISSN: 0021-9584
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00986
Database: ERIC