A Master's in Chemistry Program for Out-of-Field Teachers

该项目是一个全面的在职项目，涉及华盛顿州立大学、国家公共教育办公室、私人基金会、政府和私人工业实验室以及当地学区。该计划针对的是高中化学的校外教师，并最终获得化学硕士学位。每年将从西北的华盛顿州、俄勒冈州、爱达荷州和蒙大拿州选出30名教师参加一个为期三年的项目，其中包括在大学校园进行两次为期一个月的教学。在学年期间通过卫星进行四个学期的教学，并在工业实验室进行为期六周的作业，同时进行现场教学。90名高中化学教师将参加该项目，获得化学硕士学位。卫星双向视频和音频通信将使远距离的参与者受益于现场指导。这个新课程将包括高级普通化学、两个学期的有机和生物化学序列以及生命科学的物理化学等课程。这些课程不是正规的院系课程，而是基于这些教师的明确需求。第三个夏天将在实验室度过，如巴特尔和其他工业实验室。该计划将为化学教学提供坚实的基础，包括现代应用和提高教学策略的知识基础，以及未来化学家的职业机会。国家科学基金会的要求是支持第一批30名教师以及三年的教学费用。对其他60名教师的支持以及该计划的制度化将由其他基金提供。国家科学基金会的资助约占整个项目成本的20%。

This project is a comprehensive inservice program involving Washington State University, the State Office of Public Instruction, private foundations, government and private industrial laboratories and local schhool districts. The program is targeted at out-of-field teachers of high school chemistry and culminates in a Master of Arts Degree in Chemistry. Thirty teachers from the Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana will be selected each year to participate in a three- year program which will include two one-month periods of instruction on the University Campus, four semesters of instruction during the academic years via satellite and a capstone six-week assignment in an industrial laboratory coupled with on-site instruction. Ninety teachers of high school chemistry will participate in this program, earning an MA in Chemistry. Satellite two-way video and audio telecommunications will allow participants from long distances to benefit from on- site instruction. This new program will include offerings such as General Chemistry from an Advanced Point of View, a two semester Organic and Biochemistry Sequence and Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences. These are not regular departmental offerings, but are based on the expressed needs of these teachers. The third summer will be spent in a laboratory, such as Battelle and other industrial labs. This program will provide a firm basis for the teaching of chemistry including modern applications and an enhanced knowledge base of instructional strategies as well as career opportunities for future chemists. The NSF request is for the support of the first group of thirty teachers plus the instructional costs for all three years. The support for the sixty other teachers as well as the institutionalization of the program will be forthcoming from other funds. NSF funding is approximately 20% of the cost of the whole project.