Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 1:30 PM
Salon C ( Houston Westchase Marriott Hotel)
734

General chemistry topic coverage comparison between community colleges and universities in the United States

Amina El-Ashmawy, Collin County Community College, Plano, TX and Diana Mason, University of North Texas, Denton, TX.

In this paper the author will present results of a study that was based on survey responses of 224 general chemistry instructors at U.S. community colleges and universities representing 46 states. The mean values of General Chemistry Topic Coverage (GCTC) score, developed by this researcher specifically for this study as a measure of course content, were statistically analyzed and will be presented. This paper will look primarily at two research questions: (a) Is there a difference in mean GCTC scores between U.S. community colleges and four-year colleges and universities? And (b) If there is a difference in mean GCTC score between the two study groups, what are the observed differences in subtopics covered between community colleges and four-year colleges and universities? Details of the observed differences between community college and university course content will be discussed, and recommendations for future research will be presented.