Developing and Implementing a Reorganized Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum Based on the Foundational Chemistry Topics of Structure, Reactivity, and Quantitation

Authors

Chris P. Schaller, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow
Kate J. Graham, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow
Brian J. Johnson, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow
M. Abul Fazal, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow
T. Nicholas Jones, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow
Edward J. McIntee, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow
Henry V. Jakubowski, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2014

Disciplines

Analytical Chemistry | Biochemistry | Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology | Chemistry | Curriculum and Instruction | Education | Higher Education | Inorganic Chemistry | Physical Chemistry | Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Abstract

The recent revision of undergraduate curricular guidelines from the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training (ACS-CPT) has generated interest in examining new ways of organizing course sequences both for chemistry majors and for nonmajors. A radical reconstruction of the foundation-level chemistry curriculum is presented in which content has been reorganized into three sequences: structure, reactivity, and quantitation. It is proposed that these three areas represent fundamental aspects of chemistry that cross traditional domains and allow students to more quickly appreciate the breadth of the field. An overview of these sequences in the chemistry curriculum at CSB/SJU is described.

Comments

DOI: 10.1021/ed400336d

Recommended Citation

Schaller, C. P.; Graham, K. J.; Johnson, B. J.; Fazal, M. A.; Jones, T. N.; McIntee, E. J.; Jakubowski, H. V. Developing and Implementing a Reorganized Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum Based on the Foundational Chemistry Topics of Structure, Reactivity, and Quantitation. J. Chem. Educ. 2014, 91(3), 321–328.