General Considerations
Section 6.1
An effective chemistry curriculum is driven by the needs of the students, the mission of the institution and the program, the standards of the discipline, and the needs of the partners. The curriculum recognizes the difference in the needs of students where chemistry will be a substantial portion of their academic path, and students who require education in the scientific method but do not require a significant amount of science for their ultimate academic career goals.
Essential Components
- The curriculum educates the student in
- The scientific method.
- Analytical and, or, scientific reasoning.
- The curricular goals of the program.
- Laboratory skills.
Successful Practices
- Courses intended to support student transfer to an ACS approved baccalaureate chemistry program provide a foundation in general and organic chemistry.
- Partners representing key stakeholders participate in curriculum development to ensure that key skills and knowledge are addressed.
Aspirational Goals
- Courses provide an introduction to the subdisciplines:
- Analytical
- Biochemistry
- Inorganic
- Physical chemistry
- Courses include content that addresses the unique chemistry of:
- Synthetic polymers
- Biological macromolecules
- Supramolecular aggregates
- Meso- or nanoscale materials
- Green chemistry and sustainability.
Essential Components
- The prerequisites for each chemistry course are carefully determined and assessed by the faculty.
- Prerequisites are clearly stated and publicized in the college catalogs, in the schedule of classes, and in any other curriculum publications.
- Institutions perform an effective assessment of student preparation and readiness to ensure that students take the appropriate preparatory courses in chemistry, math, and, or, skill development.
Students may need chemistry courses to prepare them for college-level programs of study. Such courses
- Emphasize the scientific method.
- Include critical thinking and analytical reasoning skill development.
- Introduce chemical calculations and problem solving techniques needed for general chemistry.
- Provide the chemistry background needed to prepare for other STEM courses.
Successful Practices
- There is a strong advising component to help students be prepared for and succeed in courses.
- In cases where limits to the number of prerequisites exist, faculty provide extra resources such as student self assessments and review materials to help prepare students.
Preparatory courses include a laboratory component equivalent to that of a high school chemistry course.
General Chemistry
Section 6.2a
Organic Chemistry
Section 6.2b
Essential Components
- Typically, the equivalent of two semesters of general chemistry with a laboratory is a prerequisite for organic chemistry.
- Contains a laboratory component that supports the course and includes a variety of standard techniques.
Successful Practices
- The laboratory component of the course provides an in person experience using a variety of spectroscopic techniques.
Aspirational Goals
- Collaborate with the institutions to which students transfer to ensure that all required topics are covered appropriately.
Other Courses
Section 6.2c
Essential Components
Allied Health Courses
- Courses are developed in consultation with the programs in which the students are enrolled and to which they will transfer.
- The laboratory component concretely demonstrates the application of chemistry within the health sciences.
- Prerequisites are clearly specified.
General Education Courses
- Are transferable,
- Include a laboratory component that satisfies the science requirement for graduation,
- Require elementary algebra as a mathematical prerequisite.
Chem Tech Courses
- Skills and knowledge required by employers are identified in collaboration with program partners.
Successful Practices
General Education Courses
- General education courses are interdisciplinary.
Chem Tech Courses
If four-year programs are among the program partners, one or more representatives should also participate in the curriculum development.
Other Specialty Chemistry Courses
Section 6.2c
Focused programs of study, such as those for primary and secondary educators, emergency first responders, and medical technicians, may require specialty chemistry courses.
Laboratory Experiences
Section 6.4
Laboratory work in chemistry courses is designed to give students an understanding that experimental work is the foundation of chemical knowledge. This hands-on experience is necessary for students to have the technical skills needed for subsequent courses and future careers in the laboratory or in health care settings. A face-to-face environment also provides students with teamwork skills that are desired by future employers (see Section 6.7 for the discussion on virtual and remote laboratory experiences).
Essential Components
- Students are familiar with (see Section 3)
- Maintaining a culture of safety in the laboratory by recognizing hazards, assessing risks, minimizing risks and preparing for emergencies.
- Using appropriate personal protective equipment, fume hoods and other appropriate equipment.
- Performing accurate quantitative measurements.
- Kitchen chemistry experiments may supplement in-person experience in non-major and introductory chemistry sequences.
Successful Practices
Students are able to, with appropriate guidance:
- Analyze data statistically, assessing the reliability of experimental results, and discussing the sources of systematic and random error in experiments.
- Keep accurate and complete experimental records.
- Plan and execute experiments.
- Make accurate measurements by using correct tools and instruments.
- Synthesize and characterize inorganic and organic compounds.
- Develop additional skills as identified by program partners.
- Communicate effectively through written reports.
- Understand the ethical issues associated with chemistry and the broader science environment.
Aspirational Goals
- Students, using the chemical literature and electronic resources, plan and execute experiments.
- Students are able to communicate effectively through oral reports.
Undergraduate Research
Section 6.5
Undergraduate research allows students to integrate and reinforce chemistry knowledge from their formal course work, to further develop their scientific and professional skills, and to create new scientific knowledge. Conducting mentored undergraduate research in close collaboration with a faculty mentor allows a student to draw on faculty expertise.
Essential Components
Research with students, including CUREs
- Has a defined topic with achievable goals.
- Includes appropriate safety practices.
- Includes access to and use of appropriate chemical equipment.
- Is supervised by an experienced chemist or instructor.
- Culminates in a written report, a project poster presentation, and, or, an academic talk at a local, regional, or national conference.
Successful Practices
Research with students, include CUREs
- Is student-centered with research projects that can be pursued independently or integrated into the curriculum.
- Includes projects that can be conducted on campus, in the facilities of partnering institutions, or in other scientific facilities.
- Allows students to develop and apply an understanding of in-depth concepts.
- Is grounded in the chemical literature.
Aspirational Goals
Research with students, including CUREs
- Is sufficiently novel to merit publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
- Includes the development of group or interdisciplinary projects that can help broaden the applicability and relevance of chemistry in allied fields.
- Uses a variety of methods and instrumentation.
Essential Components
- Courses are taught in a challenging, engaging, and inclusive manner using effective, evidence-based pedagogies.
- Faculty are trained in equity-minded practices to ensure an inclusive atmosphere where all students can be successful (see Section 12 - DEIR).
- Faculty members are provided with opportunities to maintain and improve their knowledge of best practices in chemistry pedagogy and modern theories of learning and cognition including motivation of students and real life applications.
- As an experimental science, chemistry is taught by using appropriate and substantial laboratory work that promotes
- Independent thinking
- Critical thinking
- Scientific and analytical reasoning
- A perspective of chemistry as a scientific process of discovery
- Development of technical skills
Successful Practices
- The program regularly evaluates its curriculum and pedagogy, faculty development opportunities, and infrastructure needs relative to the program’s teaching and research mission.
- Courses motivate students and help them see real life applications of the material.
- The development of new pedagogy or courses involves collaboration or consultation with chemistry faculty or subject matter experts.
Aspirational Goals
- Courses provide a perspective of scientific discovery through the incorporation of inquiry-based and open-ended investigations in laboratory work and the classroom.
- Instructors attend chemistry pedagogical conferences to present their innovative pedagogy.
- New material is connected to content taught in existing chemistry courses.
- Materials are created that are accessible for all students (i.e., subtitles, compatible for screen readers, etc.).
- Grading rubrics are created.
- Collaborative assignments are developed with chemistry colleagues.
- Chemistry instructors are informally observed peers in and outside of the department to encourage innovation.
- Innovative approaches are developed to promote student success.
Online & Virtual Instruction
Section 6.7
Policy on virtual laboratory experiences
Chemistry is an empirical science that requires the safe and effective physical manipulation of materials, equipment, and and instrumentation. For students that are interested in chemistry careers, this in person expertise cannot be developed entirely through virtual and remote laboratory exercises.
Dual enrollment and early-admission courses
Section 6.8
A variety of options have been implemented at two-year colleges for enabling students to receive college credit while still enrolled in high school. High school students may be enrolled in college courses directly, or college courses may be offered at high schools or on the college campus; courses may be taught by high school or college faculty.