Westminster Chemistry Professor on Committee to Write Standardized Chemistry Exam

Dr. Martha Joseph, associate professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry at Westminster College, is serving on the 2007 American Chemical Society's Division of Education exam writing committee.

 "For a couple of decades someone from the Westminster College Chemistry Department has served on one of the American Chemical Society's Division of Education exam writing committees," Joseph said.  "This year I have that privilege.  I am on the committee charged with writing the 2007 full-year general chemistry standardized exam."

 In the spring, the committee members each submitted questions for a specific topic written at a specified difficulty level. 

 "In June we were sent the set of submitted questions for our assigned topic areas to approve, edit, or reject," Joseph said.  "Then in July we received hard copies of the 'top' 160 questions to read and edit again.  The entire committee then met in Washington, D.C. to select and edit the top 130 questions.  We also had to write several questions on topics for which we had rejected too many questions.  The last task at this meeting was to divide the questions into two equivalent exams."

 Soon the committee members will receive copies of these exams after the Exams Institute has formatted them.

 "At that time we will do a final review, checking for any errors, and make our final suggestions," Joseph said.  "These two tests will be used as general chemistry final exams at universities and colleges throughout the country.  Next summer we will meet again at Purdue to study the exam statistics and then select 90 questions that will compose the 2007 general chemistry exam."

 Joseph, who has been with Westminster college since 1993, earned her undergraduate degree at Greenville College, her master's from the University of Illinois, and her Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky.

 Contact Joseph at (724) 946-7295 or e-mail josephm@westminster.edu for more information.

Dr. Martha Joseph