Designing convergent chemistry curricula

Abstract

Scientific convergence is a common theme of modern research, but undergraduate chemistry is commonly taught as an isolated discipline. Here we discuss curricular updates at three different institutions that are independently seeking to increase convergence in introductory chemistry courses.

Collaborating with Undergraduates To Contribute to Biochemistry Community Resources

“…1−5 These changes have sparked innovation in the classroom to emphasize the breadth and relevance of the chemistry−biology interface. 6 These developments also reflect our new audience. Today's college students come from the cohort commonly called "millennials", a population described as "optimistic", "confident", and "always connected".…”

“…1–5 These changes have sparked innovation in the classroom to emphasize the breadth and relevance of the chemistry-biology interface. 6 These developments also reflect our new audience: Today’s college students come from the cohort commonly referred to as “Millennials”, a population described as “optimistic”, “confident”, and “always connected”. 7 Students do not want to wait to know the usefulness and applicability of core concepts, and they arrive at college eager to make meaningful contributions to their communities.…”

“…Gone are the days in which the biological significance of chemistry is squeezed into the last week of an organic chemistry course. Biochemistry is front and center: it is a foundational subdiscipline as defined by the American Chemical Society, and the biological relevance of chemistry is now a core competency defined by the American Academy of Medical Colleges (AAMC). − These changes have sparked innovation in the classroom to emphasize the breadth and relevance of the chemistry–biology interface . These developments also reflect our new audience.…”

A fully integrated undergraduate introductory biology and chemistry course with a community‐based focus I: Vision, design, implementation, and development

“…To help break down discipline-specific silos, many previous course models have successfully integrated biology and chemistry to varying degrees, including chemistry courses that explicitly and effectively incorporate biological applications, [5][6][7] fully integrated courses, mini-clusters, or attached sections involving collaborating faculty from multiple departments, [8][9][10] courses that integrate physics/other sciences along with biology and chemistry, 8,11 and integrated sequences that span multiple semesters. 4,12 In many cases, it is the second semester of a full-year introductory chemistry sequence 7,9,10 or introductory organic chemistry 3 that is integrated with molecular/cellular biology.…”

Spicing Up an Interdisciplinary Chemical Biology Course with the Authentic Big Picture of Epigenetic Research

“…Such skills may become even more imperative in the interdisciplinary subjects, where contexts change, but the required techniques remain the same. Interdisciplinary teaching in STEM − has been demonstrated to be important for providing students with more authentic environments and preparing them for coping with their current global challenges. , Accordingly, the number of teaching lab experiments that highlight the interplay of multiple disciplines is increasing. − However, high-level chemistry education often remains bound to traditional disciplinary divisions. This lack of interdisciplinary interactions is evidenced by the relative absence of interdepartmental teaching collaborations, despite a wealth of cutting-edge research at the interface of scientific fields.…”