Captivating Chemistry

Chemistry instructors Zubah Gayflor Kpanaku and Penny Starkey have a formula for teaching anyone to enjoy learning about chemistry.

Want to understand how redox or hydrolysis reactions work? Need to grasp the subtleties of ternary acids? Two chemistry instructors at Saint Paul College, Penny Starkey and Zubah Gayflor Kpanaku, have the answers.

In the courses they teach — Principles of Chemistry I and II, and Chemistry Concepts — the pair ground students in the basics: compounds; calculations to measure mass, weight, temperature, and volume; precipitation reactions and electrolyte solutions; the periodic table of the elements; and other standard concepts. But as numerous students will tell you, they also cover the topics in a way that takes the stress out of what can be a challenging subject. Some participants will even report that the classes were, well, enjoyable.

Taking the mystery out of science

Chemistry can be an intimidating prospect, even to college students. It's also a required course for many degree programs, such as Respiratory Therapy or Medical Laboratory Technology within Saint Paul College, and fulfills general education requirements that transfer easily to other colleges. That's what brings students such as Nate Kreager, for example, to Saint Paul College. Kreager is registered for Principles of Chemistry I and II to fulfill the requirements for applying to dental school. "A topic like chemistry can be pretty overwhelming to students," he says. "But Penny and Zubah are very good at teaching the basic concepts first, and then building upon them in a coherent fashion."

Both instructors use a variety of teaching methods in their classes to ease their students' anxieties and provide more than one way to learn the material. Many classes incorporate videos and visual aids demonstrating lab techniques, proper use of equipment, or concepts touched on in lectures. The instructors also consistently review basic chemistry concepts step by step, and demonstrate procedures before asking students to try for themselves. Besides lectures, students integrate the material by doing practice problems, lab work, and online homework assignments. Tutoring and one–on–one help from the instructors themselves are available outside of classes as well.

Extra efforts pay off

In class and out, both instructors put extra effort into their teaching. For instance, Starkey — a full–time instructor at the College since 2004 — received special funding last year to rewrite the chemistry class lab manual. She put in roughly 100 hours over six months to incorporate lectures and lab skills, tailoring the manual more closely to what was being taught at Saint Paul College. She also developed and was the first to teach a new course in the College's Natural Sciences program called Natural Disasters. The class explores the origins of natural events such as the 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the Mississippi River flood of 1993, and explains how they are designated as disasters once they have a notable effect on people or property. Spring semester 2008 was the first time she taught it as an online course. "The flexibility with online classes means you can add new and interesting things as you go," she says.

Kpanaku, a native of Liberia who also teaches the Natural Disasters class, came to Saint Paul College in 2004, and also has worked on developing new courses. This spring, he taught Chemistry Technology, a course for students pursuing the College's new AS in Chemical Technology. He's also developing an online learning curriculum for the Introduction to Chemistry course, scheduled to begin this fall. In it, students can do most of the reading at home and complete their assignments online using instructional software. They'll still meet every other Saturday for two and a half hours of lectures followed by a three-hour lab. Kpanaku found that formula — 50 percent classroom work and 50 percent online work — to be successful in a previous teaching position. "It's great for students who are working days and can't attend class and lab sessions during the week," he says.

In addition, he's working on creating an instrumentation course for students who want to earn a Chemistry certificate and work as a chemistry technician, using first–hand experience he gained working as a quality assurance chemist in Analytical Services at South Dakota State University. And, this coming fall, the Chemistry Department plans to offer organic chemistry.

"Making yourself available to spend a little more time with the students helps a lot," says Kpanaku of his ability to aid students on challenging material. "I had a missionary teacher in high school who hired me to be a teaching assistant. Then I became the tutoring chairman for my science club in college. I got my experience there, helping people who are struggling in the classroom. It's really where I learned to teach."

Starkey, who honed her laboratory skills working for five years in industry (which included time in the biomedical device field), agrees that building relationships with her students makes it all worthwhile. "My favorite class is actually Chemistry II. Students have made it through Chemistry I, and they ?get? what they need to do in this class," she says. "You get to know the students better. It's still one of the hardest classes, but they do feel that they liked it and they learned something."

And recognizing a challenge is part of what makes chemistry — or any science, for that matter — fun. Says Starkey: "You don't have to love chemistry, but you don't have to be afraid of it."

Jenny Sherman is a New York City-based freelance writer.

Learn more about our Chemistry program and other transferable courses in the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum or call 651.846.1739.

Note— Coming Fall 2008: Chemical Technology AS degree and certificate programs.