The official title for the New Traditions Project is "Establishing New Trad itions: Revitalizing the Curriculum". The NT project evolved over the 1993 and 1994 academic yeas in response to a call for proposals on "Revitalizing the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum" put forth by the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation. In November of 1994 the NSF announced funding of four proposals: the University of Wisconsin-Madison Consortium NT Curriculum Project, the California-Atlanta Curriculum Project, the ChemLinks Curriculum Project, and the CUNY C urriculum Project. Funding for the NT Project is provided under contract # DUE-9455928 for 1995-1997.

This project, which is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, involves a broad consortium of colleges and universities. Schools involved in the consortium include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Franklin and Marshall College, College of the Holy Cross, University of Illinois-Urbana, Madison Area Technical College, and San Jose State University. Educators at other institutions are in volved with various subprojects.

The NT project is organized into six major efforts: Student-Focused Active Learning/Student Involvement; Guided Inquiry/Open-Ended Labs; Interdisciplinary Course Clusters; Topic Oriented Approach; Information T echnology/Computer Tools; and Evaluation Dissemination. Management of the project is directed by The Leadership Team, a multidisciplinary group of twelve educators representing five universities and colleges. The director and PI for the NT project is Professor John Moore of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Oversight of the project activities is provided by a National Visiting Committee comprising thirteen educators and industrial leaders of national prominence.

The goals of the NT Project are to:

* modify the curriculum so that it will better meet the needs of a clientele that includes academia, industry, and society as a whole

* collaborate with colleagues in other disciplines and other institutions and with students to ide ntify or develop, implement, and evaluate a variety of new models, approaches, and materials that will lead to improved learning and understanding

* carry out a series of curricular experiments at all course levels and at a variety of types of ins titutions that will integrate reforms with the best of our current curriculum and rigorously evaluate new approaches

* package proven innovations into a series of modular, evolutionary changes that can be individualized to meet the needs of studen ts, teaching institutions, and individual faculty members, thereby allowing change to be incorporated easily into chemistry programs

* develop a dissemination process by which curricular and pedagogical reforms created and validated at one institu tion can be adapted by a variety of others in ways that support continuous incremental improvement and reward both creators and adaptors

* begin a process of modifying the culture of chemistry and the cultures of departments and institutions so th at curriculum development is recognized as an important, dynamic, ongoing intellectual activity.

What is the Topic-Oriented Approach Development Project?

The topic-oriented curricular experiments test the hypothesis that the learning of virtually all chemical concepts can be embedded within the context of real-world topics. Promise for curricular revitalization arises from the following characteristics of topic-oriented teaching strategies:

* Real-world topics invoke common exp eriences of students from diverse ethnic, geographical, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore a topic-oriented curriculum offers new opportunities for attracting and retaining an increasingly diverse student population.

* Real-world topics are ri ch in complexity, permitting many levels of exploration, and are naturally interdisciplinary, creating genuine opportunities for connecting chemistry to other areas of study both at the level of student understanding and at the level of faculty interactio n. Thus, topic-oriented courses provide a mechanism for seeding institution-wide curricular change.

* Students learn best when they are interested and involved. Real-world topics tap into the most compelling areas of interest, interest in ourselves and the forces influencing our lives.

* The ultimate goal of meaningful science education is the development of inter and intradisciplinary understanding of concepts, i.e., science literacy. In the topic-oriented course the movement from one topic to another presents the basic chemistry that underlies many seemingly different topics. This approach facilitates the process by which students learn to construct their own understanding of a topic from different scientific viewpoints and the relationshi p of one chemical topic with another, thereby tearing down false inter and intradepartmental barriers to learning.

How do we begin to realize these opportunities in university settings for which chemistry curricula service chemistry majors, non-chemis try science majors, future K-12 teachers, and non-science majors? Our experiments span topic-oriented course development in two dimensions: the dimension representing progression of students from introductory to advanced chemistry and the dimension that interconnects chemistry with other disciplines. In overview, the first two experiments concern the first two-years of the college curriculum. The first of these focuses on developing topic-oriented courses, materials, and evaluations within the chemist ry curriculum whereas the second experiment extends these approaches across disciplines. The final pair of experiments concern topic-oriented approaches to the third and fourth year of study.

Experiment 1: Topic-oriented Approach to the First Two Years of College Chemistry

The goals of this project are to (1) collect (and create when necessary) a two year package of course materials based on a topic-orientation that moves beyond the non-science major level of concept development an d that covers the traditional General and Organic chemistry concepts, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of this approach for science major courses, and (3) to disseminate both the teaching materials and evaluation results.

We look to build on the strengt hs of the Chemistry in Context curriculum, yet make the adjustments necessary for this different audience. This means retaining the topic-orientation but moving from a primary focus on the STS theme to exciting topics that captivate all students, s cientists and non-scientists alike, who are so intrigued by the process of science that they choose more advanced courses to satisfy their own scientific curiosity. We will develop flexible course materials that exploit students natural curiosities about cutting-edge technologies and the interest that is created by dissonance, such as that arising from the juxtaposition of large variations in the macroscopic properties of matter with small differences in the composition of matter. For example, Professor Clark Landis has successfully launched his general chemistry course with a three week topic on "Buckyballs, Diamonds, and Pencil Leads". News clippings are used to illustrate the emerging technologies associated with diamond films and buckyballs, the ve ry apparent differences in properties between diamonds and pencil leads are contrasted with the similarities of their compositions, and newness of the buckyball sensation is played against the "oldness" of the study of carbon.

A topic-orientation do es not require decreased rigor or scientific content. In fact, the exploitation of contemporary topics facilitates revealing and developing the authentic activities of modern scientists. For example, in the first three weeks of chemistry Pr of. Clark Landis' students discover the rudiments of NMR, chromatography, and mass spectroscopy in the context of unveiling the nature of buckminsterfullerene. Each topic will be developed to a level suitable for an honors level course, but all materials will have clearly marked sections (introductory, intermediate, and advanced) that describe the level at which different concepts are developed. Here we see a primary advantage of topic-oriented curriculum: the depth of coverage within any topic is easi ly modified for the course because all topics begin at a common level of knowledge for undergraduates.

Compare the content described above with those of any introductory textbook and it is clear that we are developing a new set of materials: conceptu ally sophisticated but flexible, context rich but scientifically "meaty", useful as either primary or supplementary course materials. Please keep in mind that a topic-orientation may not be the best basis for an entire course. Part of the challenge is a ssuring that topics do not drive the content. Another challenge is achieving a sequence of topics that allows the learners to build and reinforce their understanding of chemical concepts in a logical progression. Therefore, the materials that we envision are neither a rigidly formatted textbook nor a set of unrelated modules. The materials will be developed as resource books for teachers. Each topic will be clearly marked with the concepts that are presupposed, those that are developed, and appropriate sequencing with respect to other topics. Associated with each topic will be laboratory, interactive lecture, and cooperative group activities that are consistent with the student-centered emphasis of this proposal. Use of the book will be facilitated b y topic/concept matrices (see below). In the sense that educators and textbook authors can take it or leave it, these materials will resemble the Materials Science Companion.

The process for this ambitious pro ject is modeled from the experiences of both the Chemistry in Context and the Materials Science Companion development groups. The core of the project will be the author groups. Groups of 6-8 authors for each one year course will be drawn f rom our original consortium and, because we are launching a national reform effort, from aggressive recruiting of others (many of whom are submitting proposals in competition with ours). The author group for the first year of chemistry will includ e Clark Landis, UW (who has been developing topic-oriented approaches to general chemistry during the last year); Diane Bunce, Catholic U (co-author ofChemistry in Context and ChemCom); Cathy Middlecamp, UW (co-author of How to Survive Gen eral Chemistry) ; Laura Vosejpka, Alma College; and Judith Burstyn, UW.

The author groups will (1) survey, collect, and analyze existing topic-oriented material (2) identify key chemical concepts for the two year sequence (advisors to this process will be faculty from other disciplines and students) (3) coordinate the presentation of key concepts and skills with real-world topics and identify which areas require the creation of new materials and (4) create a broad two yea r sequence of topic-concept scenarios combined with activities (laboratory, lecture, focus group, etc.) and new materials (texts, computer, video, demonstrations, assessment, etc.). Throughout the process the author group will bring in expertise from the cooperative learning action group (for cooperative activities and new assessment tools), the guided inquiry resource group (for laboratory activities), the information technology group (for computer tools), the LEAD center (for evaluation tools), etc. On e example of a topic-concept-activity scenario that resulted from a brief session of our last workshop is shown below.

Spot-testing and evaluation will begin as materials are produced; longer term evaluation will be carried out at multiple sites (UW, SJSU, Alma College, Hope College, UW-Washington County, and others) with the aid of the LEAD Center. Key products will be a set of handbooks (Chem 1, Chem 2, etc.) that describe the curriculum (the course organization, topics, topic sequencing, concept development, laboratory activities, lecture activities, etc.) and a set of evaluation materials.

Critical questions to be tested and evaluated in this experiment include (1) can topic-oriented science courses be transformed f rom the STS emphasis that is most appropriate for non-science majors to emphases more appropriate to science majors (e.g. science interconnections, new frontiers in scientific understanding, the practice of modern science) (2) does a topic-orientation lea d to more generalizable and meaningful understanding of chemical concepts? (3) is diversity of students better accommodated? (4) is the extent or depth of material covered compromised? (5) what concept areas are not amenable to a topical approach? ( 6) are the multiple exit points of students in the first two years more gracefully accommodated by a topic-orientation?

Experiment 2: Science Topics Across Disciplines for the First Two Years

Because real-world topics inherently are interdisciplinary, content presentation via a topic-oriented approach is a natural complement to the learning communities established by scheduling students in course clusters. Although the advantages of having strong interconnections between what is lea rned in different courses are clear, the mechanisms for establishing and sustaining this level of coordination are not. Creation of a topic-oriented chemistry curriculum provides a powerful mechanism for instituting cross-disciplinary interactions.

We plan two phases of implementation. In the initial phase the author groups of the chemistry topic-oriented experiments will include advisors from different disciplines at the UW. We have commitments from representatives in Math Sciences (Prof. Richar d Brualdi), Engineering (Professor Denice Denton), and Biology (Dr. Ann Burgess). These advisors aid in the choice and sequencing of topics in the chemistry curriculum that can be transferred sensibly to other disciplines.

The second phase will imp lement topics selected topics from the chemistry curriculum across the sciences, engineering, and math. Initial focus will be on the learning community course clusters: Chemistry-Math for Freshman, Chemistry-Biology for Sophomores, Chemistry-Math-Preeng ineering for Freshman and Sophomores.

Experiment 3: Sciences and Critical Technologies

Students of undergraduate science programs understand isolated chemical concepts and applications but too frequently lack the educational experi ences to place their acquired knowledge in a current context. To help provide these experiences, Prof. Bob Hamers (UW) will create a topic-oriented course for senior level science and engineering majors that examines the twelve critical technologies in s cience as identified by the Dept. of Commerce. Rather than teaching fundamental concepts, this course assumes a working knowledge of advanced sciences but it provides a capstone perspective on the impact of science on cutting-edge technologies of critica l importance to the US economy. Three version of this course will be developed with each course exploring four of the twelve critical technologies.

Science and Critical Technologies

       Offering #1  		  Offering #2			Offering #3                              
    Advanced Materials       Advanced Semiconductors             Flexible           
     Optoelectronics         Artificial Intelligence         Computer-Integrated       
     High-Performance          Medical Computing &        Manufacturing Digital    
 Computing Biotechnology     Diagnostics High-Density    Image Technology Sensor    
                                   Data Storage         Technology Superconductors  

Experiment 4: Science Topics Throughout the Institution

The most ambitious vision of the topic-oriented/course cluster approach to seeding systemic change includes application of this strategy throughout the f our year undergraduate curriculum and across the sciences, math, engineering, humanities, and social sciences. Widespread impact in the cross-disciplinary learning, teaching, and communication is anticipated but the magnitude and diffuseness of such a pr oject exceeds the resources and time period of this proposal. Instead what we propose is widespread dissemination of the evaluation results for the three experiments across the colleges and schools of UW-Madison, across the undergraduate and two-year sch ools of the UW System, and across the consortium institutions. In addition, we will initiate trial course clusters with common topical themes involving upper level chemistry and other sciences if the experiments described previously produce the expected