Sample Diversification: Science Laboratory (DY) Initial Application and Syllabus

As most of the required questions in the Initial Application are straightforward and easy to respond to (e.g., pro forma questions about course alpha, number, title, etc.), the Diversification Board has chosen to provide a sample response to the last question: "Which Diversification hallmarks does your course fulfill, and how does this course fulfill those hallmarks in your selected Diversification category/categories?"

As noted in the Diversification Board Proposal Guide, one should take care to explain, by way of a short narrative, how the course meets those hallmarks through the Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs). A mere list of CLOs is insufficient to satisfy this requirement. In your response to this final question of the application, please be aware that you do NOT need to prove how two-thirds of the required class meetings fulfill the hallmarks of the Diversification designation being sought. Instead, use the syllabus to establish the two-thirds requirement.

The below response was supplied in the Initial Application for a Diversification: Science Laboratory (DY) Designation for Chemistry 272L: Organic Chemistry I Lab. Take particular note of the way the applicant explains which hallmarks of the DY designation the Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) fulfill and how the CLOs fulfill them. The attached syllabus at the bottom of this page establishes how two-thirds of the required class meetings demonstrate the hallmarks of the DY designation.

Please remember that responses should be entered into the online Initial Application form.

Sample Response

Which Diversification hallmarks does your course fulfill, and how does this course fulfill those hallmarks in your selected Diversification category/categories?

DY.1 uses the laboratory methods of the biological or physical sciences.

Multiple chemical techniques are learned in this course such as: recrystillization, acid/base extraction, boiling point and melting point analysis, thin layer chromatography (TLC), and simple distillation just to name a few. We are very fortunate to have high quality organic microscale lab glassware kits which allow students to utilize equipment normally reserved for upper-level organic chemistry laboratory courses (i.e., CHEM 445L at UH Manoa).

DY.2 involves processes and issues of design, testing, and measurement.

In the majority of lab experiments students are tasked with synthesizing a molecule (usually a commercially available medicine) starting from simple reagents and constructing the more complex structure of the target through single or multistep processes. A great deal of measurements need to be taken in order to accomplish this task. Examples include measuring volumes and masses of chemicals, controlling the temperature of the reaction, testing for proper polarity using TLC, and measuring boiling and melting points of reagents and products. Students must be intimately aware of the design of the experiment being conducted and why each step is being performed.

DY.3 demonstrates the strengths and limitations of the scientific method.

Every lab experiment involves use of the scientific method to drive student learning. Students make hypotheses for what is going to occur based on their knowledge of organic reaction mechanisms, then they carry out the chemical synthesis or isolation phase, followed by testing their products for purity and structure. If anomalous results are found, they are asked to speculate what happened and a reason for it. Sometimes more experimentation is necessary which is not possible in the limited time frame of the lab period, but students are still expected to hypothesize what the next steps would be and how they would test their hypotheses.

Sample Syllabus

Attached below is the accompanying syllabus for Chemistry 272L. Please note that a syllabus does NOT require a daily course calendar updated for the semester of application, though it may. Rather, a syllabus that includes a list of topics and/or issues covered over the sixteen weeks of instruction may be submitted instead. However, the syllabus provided must be updated for current course alpha, number, and catalog description; credit hours; and Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs). If you are uncertain about any of these required elements, please consult the course information archived in the Kuali Student Curriculum Management system.