2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog *As of 06/01/2024 
    
    Oct 03, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog *As of 06/01/2024

Chemistry Education (Teaching), B.S.


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Departmental Requirements

Maryland Higher Education Commission has set a graduation requirement of 1311 semester hours to obtain a 4 year baccalaureate degree. Students must complete 29 semester hours of program core courses, 15 hours of supportive courses, 3 hours of program electives courses, 42 hours of general education courses and 42 hours of professional education courses from the approved lists of requirements as outlined in the catalog. Students are not required to follow the ACS course guidelines since the degree is non-ACS certified. Teacher candidates who wish to major in Chemistry Education must have an overall and major content grade point average of 2.75 for admission into and retention in the program. For admission, an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher in a minimum of 45 approved semester hours is required, along with passing the University’s English Proficiency Examination, and also PRAXIS I (scheduled and administered by Educational Testing Services) while registered for Praxis preparation course (Credit 1) EDCI 201 .

Any individual who meets University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s admission requirements can enroll in Chemistry Education. Prospective Chemistry Teacher Education candidates are not formally admitted to the Professional Education Unit until they have completed an Application to Teacher Education and have been accepted.

Objectives

The objectives of the Chemistry Teaching Program are to:

  1. Train students through demonstration, mentoring and personal experience to develop chemical skills and to conduct scientific research.
  2. Impart students with contemporary laboratory techniques and skills required to conduct scientific investigations.
  3. Provide students with the academic curricula necessary to develop a strong understanding and knowledge of chemical theory and practice.
  4. Expose teacher candidates in Chemistry from diverse cultural backgrounds to the breadth and depth of content knowledge in Chemistry and related sciences necessary for fulfilling requirements of teaching careers in diverse cultural settings.
  5. Train future teachers in Chemistry who will be competent in the application of modern technological advances in innovative ways of thinking and approaching critical issues related to both science and education.
  6. Provide future teachers the opportunity to acquire mastery of skills through constant reflection of their teaching and techniques that are used to obtain, analyze, and interpret scientific information.

Career Opportunities

Students graduating with the NCATE-certified Chemistry Education (Teaching) Degree with Praxis I and II Licensure can choose to enter a teaching career in secondary education.

1The higher than the 120 cr. hr. requirement is to meet the standards of NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and NSTA (National Science Teachers Association).

Required Courses


Grades of “C” or above must be attained in each required course of the Chemistry Education major, the specialized content area combined with the professional educational courses. A candidate’s progress is monitored each semester by the academic advisor to ensure that the candidate continues to meet the minimum GPA of 2.75 in both the core courses and overall program. Chemistry Education Program Requirements are as follow: General Education Requirements, Program Core Requirements, Supportive Courses Requirements, Core Program Electives and Professional Education Requirements. Students are required to complete a total of 1311 credit hours in these categories for graduation. A research manuscript or undergraduate thesis is required following completion of Undergraduate Research. The Research project has to be approved by a committee consisting of advisor who will serve as the thesis or project supervisor and another faculty member from the Department of Natural Sciences.

Fundamental courses, MATH 099  and MATH 109  do not meet the General Education Requirement for a degree in biology education or chemistry education. However, students placed in MATH 099  or MATH 109  should take these courses to prepare them for the required MATH 110  and higher level Math courses.

All students are encouraged to take a couple of courses online or during summer and winter sessions to develop skills that will support lifelong learning. Discuss the details with your advisor.

General Education Requirements


The General Education Requirements are designed to promote the development of a comprehensive educational base which will effectively support a student’s choice of a major concentration. Biology Education Program candidates are required to complete a total of 42 credit hours for graduation in this category. These credit hours are divided into six areas. A grade of “C” or above is required in all GER courses.

Curriculum Area I - Arts and Humanities: Credits 9


Curriculum Area II - Social and Behavioral Sciences: Credits 6


Students must select one course from each of two disciplines.

Curriculum Area III - Biological and Physical Sciences: Credits 8


Curriculum Area IV - Mathematics: Credits 6


Curriculum Area V - English Composition: Credits 9


Curriculum Area VI - Emerging Issues: Credits 4


Total Required for General Education: Credits 42


1Students must pass ENGL 101  and ENGL 102  with grade of “C” or above before taking ENGL 203 .

2Honors student should take honors courses.

Supportive Course Requirements: Credits 15


* CSDP 220  may be substituted for CSDP 121  or BUED 212 .

Candidates are required to earn at least a grade of C or better in each of the supporting courses, and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 in these courses.

Core Program Electives: Credits 3


The Department of Natural Sciences offers many electives. Candidates of Chemistry Education are required to take the following core electives as this meets the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and National Science Education Standards (NSES) content standards. Candidates are required to earn no less than a C in this course.

Professional Education Requirements: Credits 42


*EDCI 400 , EDCI 480  and EDCI 490  are to be taken concurrently during the last semester of the Senior year.
**EDCI 201  does not count toward graduation. Its inclusion makes the total 132 credits.

Chemistry Education candidates are required to complete 42 credit hours under the Professional Education Requirements. Candidates are required to earn no less than a C in any course, and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.75 in these courses. EDCI 201 PRAXIS Preparation  (1 cr. hour) does not count toward graduation.

Total Credits Required: Credits 131


Field and Clinical Experiences


Clinical Experiences are those experiences which are based on a very specific purpose. They may consist of interviewing a student, teacher, or administrator, observing a meeting or a conference; visiting a school or community resource center; developing a case study; peer teaching; administering a test; or attending a meeting or a conference. Clinical Experiences generally require a limited amount of time in a school or with a student (10 hours). Teacher Candidates are asked to submit a report or a reflective journal that documents the completion of the assignment. Field Experiences always occur in a school setting and consist of 10 to 25 hours of visitation per course. The times vary based on the course requirement. Field Experiences usually require a student to keep a reflective journal which is submitted as part of the final grade. Listed below are the clinical and field experiences required for all professional courses in Chemistry Education.

Internships

EDCI 480 /EDCI 490  Internship -2 consecutive 7-8 week (5 days/week) placement at 2 different sites (Refer to the course description)

In EDCI 480 /EDCI 490  (Internship), the teacher candidates in Biology have a full semester of student teaching: a middle school experience and a high school experience. Candidates are under the direct supervision of a Science Cooperating Teacher in Biology and also supervised by the University Supervisor who also serves as the Teacher Educator (Instructor of Methods and Internship) of Biology Education. University supervisor is required to observe and conference with the candidate and cooperating teacher a minimum of eight times, four times per student teaching placement, with an additional introductory meeting for each placement. Candidates begin by taking one or two classes from their cooperating teacher’s schedule of teaching, and gradually picking up more until they have the experience of teaching a full load. The candidates are expected to demonstrate effective teaching skills such as facilitating collaborative group learning, motivating, and encouraging student learning activities, and assessing students’ responses. They are to design a bulletin board display, prepare appropriate instructional materials, observe teaching, interview school personnel, participate in parent meetings, evaluate student work using multiple assessments, and become involved in the life of the school and the full role of a teacher. Documentation of performance-based outcomes, as well as summative evaluative reports are prepared by cooperating teachers, based on their day-to-day experiences with the candidate, and by the university supervisor based on the observational visits and discussions with the candidates and cooperating teachers.

Total 110 hours


(Field Experience-90 hours; Clinical Experience-20 hours)

Curriculum Guide for Chemistry Education (Teaching)


 

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