1. The Excellent Undergraduate Program in Analytical Chemistry Jeanne Pemberton University of Arizona and Cynthia Larive University of California - Riverside Creative Commons Share and Share Alike Noncommercial License. May be freely distributed with attribution and not for commercial purposes.

2. The Excellent Undergraduate Program "An excellent chemistry program is an integrated, broad-based, challenging chemical experience designed to provide an undergraduate with the intellectual, experimental, and interactive skills to participate effectively in the chemical sciences enterprise. It is the product of an energetic and accomplished faculty offering a coherent and rigorous program of study and engagement that grounds the student in the molecular perspective of chemistry and encourages students to extend their understanding through the basic precepts of the scientific method. An excellent program is performed in well-designed facilities with modern sophisticated instrumentation supported by qualified non-faculty staff. An excellent program also fosters in the student the high-order professional skills of communication, teamwork, and desire to learn that are hallmarks of the successful modern chemist."* * Excellent Undergraduate Chemistry Programs American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training Supplement to the 2008 ACS Guidelines for Approved Programs

3. Undergraduate Experience in the Classroom & Beyond K-12 Foundation Undergraduate Experience in Classroom & Beyond What Infrastructure Supports Their Experience How They Learn It How We Know They Learn It What They Learn Who Guides Their Learning Lifelong Learning Graduate Education Technical Workforce Professional Education Access

4. Undergraduate Experience in the Classroom & Beyond faculty advisors adjunct faculty and instructional staff graduate teaching assistants peers life skills mentors disciplinary curricula problem solving skills critical thinking communication skills interpersonal/teamwork skills leadership skills time management skills classroom pedagogies undergraduate research service learning study abroad assessment of learning outcomes How They Learn It How We Know They Learn It What Infrastructure Supports Their Experience physical facilities student services & human resources information resources technology & instrumentation other participatory opportunities Who Guides Their Learning What They Learn Undergraduate Experience in Classroom & Beyond

5. Excellence in the Undergraduate Program "four pillars" defines components of excellent undergraduate programs these components must be in place and sustainable for excellent undergraduate chemistry program these are necessary but not sufficient to ensure production of "excellent" undergraduate degree recipients what does "excellence" in student outcomes look like? what is "rigor" in an undergraduate program? what are the implications of these descriptions for designing undergraduate experiences in analytical chemistry?

6. What is Excellence? You know it when you see it….

7. A Short Survey Think about the chemistry majors you have known as graduating seniors or entering graduate students who embody excellence. 1.What attributes makes these students stand out? 2.Are there ways in which the chemistry undergraduate curriculum can help to develop these attributes in students?

8. Personal Attributes of Excellent Students Intellectually curious, passionate for science Self-confident Solid work ethic, drive, commitment Good time managers – do not put things off Perseverance, determination, patience Self-motivated, strong desire to succeed. Work and think independently Work well with others Good problem solvers - understand that problem solving is a process, not something memorized

9. Academic Attributes of Excellent Students Knowledgeable in all areas of chemistry, and able integrate their knowledge across all areas of science, within and beyond chemistry Good quantitative and reasoning skills Able to grasp difficult concepts and reduce them to an understandable core Excellent problem solver Good oral and written communication skills. Can articulate their knowledge and thought processes

10. The Rigorous Undergraduate Program "One hallmark of an excellent program is that it is rigorous; however, articulating a clear description of what constitutes a “rigorous” program is surprisingly challenging….In academic settings, the term “rigorous” is usually defined in a context-specific way…. a rigorous undergraduate program is comprised of an integrated series of experiences that demonstrate the systematic application of fundamental principles to understanding chemical systems. … as evidence for rigor certain attributes [are] manifest in the curriculum, in faculty instructional approaches, in student competencies, and in the assessment of student learning… "* * Rigorous Undergraduate Chemistry Programs American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training Supplement to the 2008 ACS Guidelines for Approved Programs

11. Characteristics of the Curriculum in Rigorous Undergraduate Programs A rigorous undergraduate curriculum is one that provides both foundation and in-depth course work that is appropriately balanced in breadth of content coverage and depth of treatment, and introduces students to an appropriately modern, quantitative, and mechanistic molecular perspective of the natural world.

12. Characteristics of Faculty & Their Instructional Approaches in Rigorous Undergraduate Programs Faculty Characteristics competent faculty with modern disciplinary expertise in both chemistry content and in best practices in undergraduate chemistry instruction faculty should engage regularly in activities that sustain their vitality as professional chemists Faculty Instructional Approaches Characteristics creating learning environments that actively engage student participation progressive development of student responsibility for learning critical thinking and multi-step problem solving in daily activities development of an integrated understanding of chemistry regular faculty feedback on student work (correctness of student work, detailed commentary on language skills, and commentary on the precision and correct use of scientific language, chemical notation and representation based on accepted norms of the profession)

13. Characteristics of Student Competencies in Rigorous Undergraduate Programs Students develop progressively throughout the curriculum the ability to analyze data and scientific arguments synthesize & apply concepts from multiple sub-areas of chemistry recognize applicability of foundational & advanced concepts to new situations solve multi-step complex problems communicate clearly answers &scientific reasoning, both written & oral Evidence for these student competencies progressive ability development to complete assignments requiring complex reasoning & higher-order problem solving skills extend conceptual understanding to new chemical situations produce written work exemplifying clarity of thought, independent thinking, sound scientific analysis and reasoning, demonstrate appreciation of chemistry as discipline built on solid base of prior knowledge (1° chemical literature)

14. Characteristics of Student Competencies in Rigorous Undergraduate Programs In a rigorous formal laboratory course sequence, students should progressively develop effective, safe chemical laboratory skills requiring use methods & instrumentation of modern chemistry start with simple stepwise manipulations performed according to a prescribed sequence but progress to activities requiring decision-making, experimental design, data interpretation/analysis produce organized, concise, coherent descriptions & analysis of experimental work Undergraduate research provides capstone experience in which students demonstrate mastery of independent thought self-direction of activities application of integrated, quantitative, molecularly mechanistic view of chemistry

15. Characteristics of Assessments in Rigorous Undergraduate Programs Rigorous assessments require students to demonstrate higher-order problem-solving and conceptual understanding through free response items items requiring multi-step quantitative reasoning items requiring demonstration of molecular mechanistic understanding of reaction pathways and chemical processes items that stretch students intellectually by requiring application of chemical concepts to new situations

16. How can we shape the analytical chemistry curriculum to foster excellence? Respondents to our survey uniformly pointed to the importance of undergraduate research in developing excellence. Research can be an important component of fostering excellence in our students. However, these experiences are variable and often come late in a student’s career. Therefore, research is a desirable (or perhaps necessary) adjunct to the curriculum, but it should not be the core.

17. Problem or inquiry-based laboratory experiences Bring elements of research into the classroom Give students the opportunity to design experiments Because they are in a context students can appreciate, they generate excitement and curiosity for science Real problems are complex, they require students to integrate knowledge from earlier courses and to be resourceful in seeking solutions from other sources

18. Rigor in the analytical curriculum Measurement quality, accuracy and precision are demonstrated and demanded Molecularly-specific measurements that inform scientific hypothesis or problem Transform and reduce large amounts of information generated by measurements into chemical understanding

19. Thanks to the respondents! Grady Hanrahan, California Lutheran Carlos Gutierrez, Cal State LA Will Polik, Hope College Rob Walker, Montanta State University Dan Raftery, Purdue University Peter Palmer, San Francisco State University Diana Aga, Frank Bright, Luis Colon, Joe Gardella, University at Buffalo Joel Shulman, University of Cincinnati David Ferris, Ryan Julian UC - Riverside Barbara Sawrey, UC – San Diego Alex Scheeline, University of Illinois Heather Desaire, Craig Lunte, Susan Lunte, George Wilson, University of Kansas Mark Schoenfisch, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Joel Harris, University of Utah Lee Park, Williams College

20. Thanks to the respondents! Grady Hanrahan, California Lutheran Carlos Gutierrez, Cal State LA Will Polik, Hope College Rob Walker, Montanta State University Dan Raftery, Purdue University Peter Palmer, San Francisco State University Diana Aga, Frank Bright, Luis Colon, Joe Gardella, University at Buffalo Joel Shulman, University of Cincinnati David Ferris, Ryan Julian UC - Riverside Barbara Sawrey, UC – San Diego Alex Scheeline, University of Illinois Heather Desaire, Craig Lunte, Susan Lunte, George Wilson, University of Kansas Mark Schoenfisch, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Joel Harris, University of Utah Lee Park, Williams College

21. Thanks to ACS Committee on Professional Training! (both current & former members)