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Proposal for revisions to the Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry Abstract The Department of Chemistry is proposing significant revisions to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. The changes are influenced by three major factors: (1) research on activities that promote retention in science degree programs; (2) the specific preparation of students entering UVM; and (3) a desire for greater flexibility in the majors. The proposed changes are designed to meet the Department’s current learning outcomes and perform these functions without the need for additional resources. This revision will be energized by the move of Chemistry research and teaching facilities to the new STEM laboratory building in 2017. I. Requisite Information Program title: Department of Chemistry Director: Chemistry Department Chair, currently Prof. Christopher Landry Participating Faculty: Faculty with appointments in the Department of Chemistry Responsible Academic Unit: Department of Chemistry Description of Program (current description would be unchanged): Chemistry is the center of science. Chemists seek understanding of all aspects of the physical and biological worlds at the molecular level, developing methodologies to probe the structure of molecules and chemical reactions. These techniques are critical to solving biological and biomedical problems and also provide tools to address important problems in materials science, geology, and in the environmental sciences. Chemistry students gain the intellectual skills needed to confront and solve difficult problems and develop a rigorous lifelong commitment to learning. In conjunction with the Chemistry Department’s active graduate programs, undergraduate Chemistry majors work with faculty members and graduate students engaged in cutting-edge research. This participation brings state-of-the-art perspectives to undergraduate learning that can only be obtained at a modern research university. Chemistry students learn to be creative thinkers, scientists, and clear communicators, under the guidance of internationally-recognized faculty who are deeply committed to teaching, advising, and research. Faculty regularly garner funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Energy, among others, for research in areas that include biomedical applications and drug development, environmental science, and materials science. Specific plans for the BA and BS degree follow. Current plans are submitted as appendices to this proposal.

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DRAFT: Catalogue text – Bachelor of Arts All students must meet the University Requirements. All students must meet the College Requirements. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry complete a set of courses representing the traditional chemical subdisciplines and have great flexibility in the focus of their upper level coursework. Students may elect a degree that is certified by the American Chemical Society by completing CHEM 166, CHEM 219, CHEM 205, and three credits of CHEM 290 or CHEM 291. The B. A. degree provides students a solid foundation in chemistry to pursue careers in a range of fields. Major Requirements CHEM 47 Organic Chemistry for Majors 1 4 CHEM 48 Organic Chemistry for Majors 2 4 CHEM 51 Exploring Chemistry 1 1 CHEM 52 Exploring Chemistry 2 1 CHEM 114 Advanced Synthesis Techniques 3 CHEM 121 Quantitative Analysis 0 or 4 CHEM 165 Introductory Physical Chemistry 3 CHEM 181 2nd Year Seminar: Writing 1 CHEM 182 2nd Year Seminar: Presentation 1 CHEM 199 Professional Development 1 CHEM 231 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry 3 Twelve credits of approved upper-level electives in Chemistry or related sciences 12 Choose one of the following sequences: 6–8 MATH 019 Fundamentals of Calculus I & MATH 020 Fundamentals of Calculus II

MATH 021 Calculus I & MATH 022 Calculus II

Choose one of the following options: 8–10 Option A PHYS 011 Elementary Physics & PHYS 021 Introductory Lab I

PHYS 012 Elementary Physics & PHYS 022 Introductory Lab II

Option B PHYS 051 Fundamentals of Physics I PHYS 152 Fundamentals of Physics II Students may substitute: (However, the program of study recommended above will provide a better preparation for advanced course work in chemistry.)

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CHEM 031 General Chemistry 1 (for CHEM 51) & CHEM 032 General Chemistry 2 (for CHEM 52) & CHEM 141 Organic Chemistry 1 (for CHEM 47) & CHEM 142 Organic Chemistry 2 (for CHEM 48)

NB: The 0 or 4 credits for CHEM 121 is an artifact of the separate zero credit laboratory section in which students must enroll with the lecture. CHEM 121 can only be completed as a 4 credit offering.

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DRAFT: Catalogue text – Bachelor of Science All students must meet the University Requirements. All students must meet the College Requirements. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry complete an extensive set of courses representing the traditional chemical subdisciplines and engage research. The B. S. degree in chemistry is certified by the American Chemical Society, and it is particularly good preparation for graduate study in chemistry. Major Requirements CHEM 47 Organic Chemistry for Majors 1 4 CHEM 48 Organic Chemistry for Majors 2 4 CHEM 51 Exploring Chemistry 1 1 CHEM 52 Exploring Chemistry 2 1 CHEM 114 Advanced Synthesis Techniques 3 CHEM 121 Quantitative Analysis 0 or 4 CHEM 165 Introductory Physical Chemistry 3 CHEM 166 Physical Chemistry Lab 1 CHEM 167 Physical Chemistry Preparation 1 CHEM 181 2nd Year Seminar: Writing 1 CHEM 182 2nd Year Seminar: Presentation 1 CHEM 199 Professional Development 1 CHEM 205 Biochemistry I 3 CHEM 219 Instrumental Analysis Lab 1 CHEM 221 Instrumental Analysis 3 CHEM 231 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry 3 CHEM 260 Advanced Physical Chemistry 3 CHEM 291 Research or CHEM 290 Internship 3 Six credits of approved upper-level electives in Chemistry or related sciences 6 MATH 021 Calculus I 4 MATH 022 Calculus II 4 PHYS 051 Fundamentals of Physics I 0 or 4 PHYS 152 Fundamentals of Physics II 0 or 4 Students may substitute: (However, the program of study recommended above will provide a better preparation for advanced course work in chemistry.)

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CHEM 031 General Chemistry 1 (for CHEM 51) & CHEM 032 General Chemistry 2 (for CHEM 52) & CHEM 141 Organic Chemistry 1 (for CHEM 47) & CHEM 142 Organic Chemistry 2 (for CHEM 48)

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II. Rationale for the revision

A.! Philosophic goal statements The Department of Chemistry seeks to provide a modern, flexible education in chemistry as part of a liberal arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. To this end, we seek to give students a greater opportunity for elective study at the upper level, to foster interests that may lead to graduate study, attending professional schools, and other meet specific career objectives. Furthermore, we recognize that most entering Chemistry and Biochemistry majors at UVM have taken one or two years of high school chemistry and that general chemistry courses in their typical forms discourage students from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors.1 Therefore, we set out to revise the B. A. and B. S. curricula with the following goals.

1)! Decrease the total number of mandatory courses for Chemistry degrees, and increase the number and diversity of elective 200-level courses.

2)! Create options for the B. A. degree to be earned with or without ACS certification. 3)! Re-orient the focus of first-year coursework to the practice of Chemistry by adopting an

“Organic First” approach.2 4)! Increase the Chemistry content density in the first year, with an increased focus on

subdiscipline-relevant content. 5)! Create better alignment of laboratory offerings with course curricula by redistributing the

Advanced Laboratory (CHEM 201 & 202) credits to advanced synthetic, instrumental analysis, and physical chemistry laboratories.

6)! Promote a greater culture of safety, environmental stewardship, and chemical intuition through discipline-specific laboratory experiences.

7)! Provide earlier discipline-specific instruction on writing, information literacy, and presentation skills.

B.! General and specific objectives of the revision The objectives of the proposed changes are to provide degree options that better support our students’ needs, provide coursework consistent with students’ interests, and promote retention in the undergraduate degrees. This objective is met by both the curricular changes and the structural changes to the degree. Beginning the curricula with Organic Chemistry places students squarely in one of the active areas of the science, whereas General Chemistry is not the practice of chemistry but a collection of initial concepts. In other words, our majors will start by learning about what chemists really do. This strategy is aimed at improving student engagement with Chemistry content from the outset. One may anticipate some anxiety over starting with Organic Chemistry; however, informal polling of current Chemistry majors reveals that this change is generally not a concern. It is important to note that the non-majors course offerings (e.g., CHEM

1 Seymour, E.; Hewitt, N. M. Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences Westview, Boulder, CO, 1997. 2 Malinak, S. M.; Bayline, J. L.; Brletic, P. A.; Harris, M. F.; Iuiucci, R. J.; Leonard, M. S.; Matsuno, N.; Pallack, L. A.; Stringfield, T. W.; Sunderland, D. P. The Impacts of an “Organic First” Chemistry Curriculum at a Liberal Arts College J. Chem. Educ. 2014, 91, 994-1000.

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31/32 and 141/142) are unaffected by this proposal, and this route remains an option for students who switch to the Chemistry major after the first few years, transfer students, and students who may need more remedial preparation for the degree. Increased STEM content and the continued requirement of Calculus in the first year is consistent with U. S. Department of Education findings that greater STEM content in the first year promotes retention in STEM degrees.3 At the same time, our implementation of a new discovery-based first year laboratory experience (CHEM 51 & 52) is based on high impact practices, which are known to disproportionately benefit students from underrepresented groups in science.4 Our current B. A. degree offerings were developed before the current degrees in Environmental Science and Biochemistry were available, and as such are poorly populated today. By using a revitalized and flexible B. A. degree format, the Department could accommodate majors with a wider variety of interests, and thus help to realize state and national objectives to increase the number of STEM majors. Furthermore, the structure of the General Concentration within the current B. A. degree makes it difficult for students in other majors to switch to Chemistry from disciplines that require MATH 19/20 and/or PHYS 11/12. By providing a curriculum that is supported by these electives, and with a much greater range of choice in the proposed B. A. major, we hope to promote the Chemistry B. A. degree as an option for students interested in switching to a Chemistry degree later in their undergraduate careers, an option that is difficult in the current structure of the degree. Overall these changes, which engage subdiscipline-specific content sooner and afford greater choice, may prompt greater retention in the Chemistry major, which is a challenge among public universities.3 III. Changes in the relationship of this proposed revision to current missions and long-range plans of:

A.! The University; The flexible nature of the degrees is meant to support the President’s Strategic Plan II.B.2. “To improve the whole student campus life experience, (academic, cultural, developmental wellbeing, and social), review the curriculum and advising to enhance:”

a.! Retention of students from first to second year (from present 85% to 90%). The changes specifically target student retention in the sciences (c.f., Section II).

b.! Four-year graduation rates (from present 65% to 70%). The increased flexibility of the degree offerings promotes their completion in four years.

c.! Career advising and placement success at graduation. We have added CHEM 199 (“Professional Development”) as a requirement for Chemistry degrees to directly address this objective.

d.! The optimal use of web-based education to supplement the curriculum and student experience. N/A. Web-based delivery is possible under this model, but it has not been used.

3 Chen X.; Soldner, M. STEM Attrition: College Students’ Paths into and out of STEM Fields, U. S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Washington, DC, 2013. 4 Freeman, S.; Eddy, S. L.; McDonough, M.; Smith, M. K.; Okoroafor, N.; Jordt, H.; Wenderoth, M. P. PNAS 2014, 111, 8410-8415.

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e.! Educational standards, quality and vigor for an enriched student experience. The changes to the degrees will retain the Chemistry Department’s accreditation by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and will allow students to continue to earn an ACS-certified bachelor’s degrees (the B. S. in Chemistry).

These changes also aim to support the Provost’s Academic Excellence Goals 1, 2, and 3. 1. Increase the percentage of undergraduate students graduating in four years. The proposed changes provide flexibility that will allow students to meet a four year timeline. 2. Improve undergraduate student retention Years 1-4. The proposed changes were made using studies to support this objective (c.f., Section II). 3. Improve student advising, both academic and pre-professional/career. We have specifically added CHEM 199 to meet this objective.

B.! Participating college(s), schools(s), department(s), and program(s). These proposed changes address all four goals under the Student Experience “Priority A” of the College of Arts & Sciences Strategic Plan. Goal 1: Enrich High-Impact Practice (HIP) offerings; Goal 2: Identify and encourage experiential learning; Goal 3: Create mechanisms to identify and meet diverse student needs at each stage of student UVM education; Goal 4: Identify and encourage innovative pedagogical practices and methods. The practices adopted in the first year (discovery-based laboratory and flexibility of first year course options) also support “Priority B” under Climate and Diversity in the College of Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan.4 The revised degree programs aim to provide a high-quality education that serves the varied career objectives of students pursuing the Chemistry degrees. Such activities directly meet the overall education goals of the College and Department. IV. Relationship of revisions to other academic, scholarly, or service endeavors currently being offered The Department of Chemistry is the sole purveyor of Chemistry degrees on campus. These proposals only improve the viability and feasibility of obtaining Chemistry degrees for students at UVM. The Chemistry Department collaborates with the Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics (CALS/COM) and the Department of Biochemistry (COM) in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Program, which sponsors the undergraduate B. S. degree in Biochemistry that is offered through CAS and CALS. Biochemistry majors will be affected by the deletion of CHEM 35/36 and 143/144, the first and second-year courses currently offered for Chemistry and Biochemistry majors. However, the same advantages described in Sections II and III above also apply to Biochemistry majors. Another significant advantage to the curricular revisions is that CHEM 205/206/207 (Biochemistry I/II and Biochemistry Laboratory), which are the fundamental, core courses of the Biochemistry B. S. degree, could be taken by students in their second year rather than in their third year. This would place a core course earlier in the

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Biochemistry curriculum and would have additional advantages in student retention in the Biochemistry major. A letter of support from the Co-Directors of the Undergraduate Biochemistry Program in CAS and CALS is attached to this document. CHEM 31, 32, 141, and 142, which are vital for a range of majors and requisite courses for several postgraduate courses of study, will be unaffected by this proposals. Therefore, none of the other majors across campus that rely on Chemistry courses will be impacted. Other than the Chemistry and Biochemistry degrees, no other majors on campus require CHEM 35/36 or 143/144. Thus, their replacement will not have any impact on other majors. V. Provide evidence of communication with academic units likely to be involved in or affected by the revised program.

A. Indicate the effect (cost, enrollment, etc.), the revised program will have on other academic units. This change comes at no monetary cost to other units. Increased numbers of students majoring in Chemistry, and improved retention within the major, could result in slightly increased enrollments for required courses outside the department, for example, mathematics, physics, and related science courses at the upper level. However, with the current number of graduating Chemistry majors of five to ten, even doubling the number of graduating Chemistry majors would not change enrollments in these courses more than the normal fluctuations in enrollment over the last five years.

B. Faculty engaged in the substantial revision of a program must discuss the proposed revisions with each dean and chairperson/program director of an academic unit likely to be affected by the new program. All units whose courses are an integral part of the proposed program must be included. A letter of support, or at least a record of e-mail correspondence, from each such unit must be attached to the proposal. This proposal only impacts the College of Arts and Sciences, and a review by the CAS Curriculum Committee is conducted as part of this process. C. The Graduate College Executive Committee must approve proposals to substantially revise graduate programs before they come to the Faculty Senate Curricular Affairs Committee. A letter indicating the approval and explaining the rationale for same must accompany the proposal. This revision does not affect the graduate programs in Chemistry (M. S. or Ph. D.). VI. Evidence of demand or need for revision A. Explain education, personnel needs, and social needs that exist. Refer to specific authorities or studies consulted; Please see section II. Changes to the program are meant to improve student engagement early in the program and deploy more high impact practices. Both are demonstrated weaknesses in classical science degrees with respect to student retention, especially among underrepresented groups.1,3 B. Indicate how this revised program will meet local and regional needs;

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UVM has experienced an increase in “STEM” majors in recent years. The revised degree helps to serve students interested in chemical science but provide choices in curriculum that allow them to explore a range of related interests in environmental science, biomedicine, and materials science, for example. Additionally, there have been calls in Vermont for more STEM-trained students, consistent with national needs. By providing a retention-oriented degree, the Department of Chemistry is better poised to help meet those demands. C. Discuss projections for continued need over the next five years. The White House call for one million new STEM students over the next decade5 demonstrates need for this reform for more than the next five years. VII. Indicate effects of revision on: A. Students 1. Evidence of change in source of candidates; We have no evidence that the source of candidates will change. However, the proposed changes are meant to better support a more diverse pool of students. 2. Change in requirements for admission and retention; The changes do not impact requirements for admission, though they may make the Chemistry degrees more appealing, particularly given the high degree of specialization possible within the B. A. degree. The change are based on chemical and science education literature to promote greater retention in the major. 3. Any change in selection process; This programmatic change does not affect our selection process. It will ideally challenge the increasingly academically prepared students admitted to UVM, and it will provide pathways for students who arrive with less preparation as well. 4. Financial support available through the department and college or other UVM sources; Financial support from undergraduate tuition is not provided through the department, and this process does not impact college or UVM sources. 5. Change in mechanism of advising; This proposal does not represent a change in advising. The development of advising plans in AY14-15 were made to fully support our current and the proposed curricula. 6. Prospects for employment or opportunities for further education of graduates. The employment and post-graduate study rates for Chemistry majors are already among the highest of any degree at UVM. The Department has already established and maintains a vibrant internship program with local companies, and the certification of the B. S. degree by the American Chemical Society ensures that students are highly competitive for graduate study.

5 https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/12/18/one-decade-one-million-more-stem-graduates

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Thus, the curricular changes are not anticipated to impact employment or opportunity for post-graduate study. B. Program of study 1. Programmatic Quality and Excellence a. Describe the coherent body of knowledge and skills, and the specified set of learning outcomes, that the program seeks to foster. The Department approved the following revision to our Learning Outcomes in AY2015-16: Chemistry graduates will be able to:

1.! Demonstrate general knowledge in chemistry across all subdisciplines and be able to apply chemical and physical principles in the solution of qualitative and quantitative chemical problems.

2.! Solve qualitative and quantitative problems by developing a rational strategy, including the ability to estimate the solution and test the validity of the solution.

3.! Demonstrate proficiency in experimental chemical techniques and be able to apply these to practical and current problems in research.

4.! Describe the objective of a chemical experiment, execute the experiment correctly, and collect and analyze relevant data, akin to the scientific method.

5.! Understand and adhere to procedures and regulations for the safe handling, use, and disposal of chemical reagents.

6.! Collect data digitally and analyze such data with appropriate software. 7.! Locate, retrieve, and determine of the utility of chemical information using modern

library search techniques. 8.! Use chemical principles to critically evaluate current scientific literature. 9.! Present scientific data clearly and effectively through both written and verbal

communication. b. Discuss progression of students through the curriculum, with attention to the developmental sequencing of courses and scaffolding of student knowledge and skills. The new curriculum provides a scaffolded experience through foundational courses in the subdisciplines. This initial effort is followed by more specialized coursework, but it is driven more by student interest through electives rather than a prescribed track or even a choice of tracks as with the current degree offerings. The greatest single change in this proposal is advancing specific skills and activities in the sequence to provide students greater opportunity to develop key skills in problem solving; experimental design, execution, and analysis; information literacy; and communication in written and verbal form. Currently, most of those more advanced activities are initiated in the junior year and are continually re-emphasized until graduation. In the new curriculum, many of these skills will be introduced earlier (in the second year) and then will be re-emphasized in the remaining two years. While activities of high cognitive load are introduced earlier, these are being introduced with sufficient reinforcement to ensure that these students develop into these tasks rather than miss a single, late intervention.

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The overall plan puts students into Organic Chemistry earlier, with an emphasis on equalizing the diverse levels of their prior experiences through an interdisciplinary laboratory (CHEM 51/52). Additionally, the high laboratory content in the first year aims to address several learning objectives (e.g., objectives 2–5, vide supra). In the second year, a rigorous distinction of the quantitative aspects of chemical science are made (CHEM 121) and a full introduction of information literacy, communication, and evaluation of the literature are made (CHEM 181/182). These skills are then reiterated throughout the remainder of the curriculum. These two years lead to advanced experimental methodology and analysis, which is primarily focused on problem solving. Disciplinary knowledge is acquired throughout the curriculum and is a vehicle for the other skills we seek to develop. c. Address both curriculum breadth and depth. The curriculum seeks to retain our Department’s American Chemical Society (ACS) certification, and to continue to offer an ACS-certified degree. Therefore, we must continue to offer foundational coursework in the classic subdisciplines (analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical) and a breadth of topical information that may appear as a single course (e.g., biochemistry) or as a thematic idea that appears throughout the curriculum (e.g., materials chemistry). In continuing to satisfy the criteria of the ACS, we have chemistry-specific, extramural validation of this proposal as a mechanism to provide appropriate depth and breadth of content. d. Describe the academic rigor of the program and practices that lead to high expectations for student learning. The Chemistry Department assesses student learning at several points throughout the first and second years using standardized assessment tools developed by the ACS. In this regard, we can compare the learning of students across classes and years to understand the effectiveness of our efforts. Students in our degrees typically perform well in comparison to national trends by these measures, and these observations enable faculty to design and maintain highly rigorous courses. Early in the undergraduate degrees, our faculty instill the notion that chemists are practitioners of science; Chemistry “happens” in the laboratory (broadly defined here from the traditional laboratory setting, to field work, to a computer terminal). It is through course content that one can engage in and succeed in the practice of chemistry. The Department has therefore encouraged academically qualified students to pursue laboratory work in their first year, a practice that has been formalized this year with the “Chemistry Scholars Workshop” course (CHEM 95C) that, among other tasks, fast-tracks top students into research projects with faculty. The rest of the majors gravitate toward research experiences through academic advising, supported by their observations of peers engaging in research. As our internship programs (CHEM 290) have expanded, we are able to provide students more interested in an industrial perspective on the discipline a highly structured and equally valuable experience as those students pursuing research. It is unsurprising that many of the students who are exposed early to our high impact practices are among the most academically talented, winning national awards. For example, four out of the last five Goldwater Scholarships (a nationally competitive award to undergraduate science majors) awarded to students at UVM have been received by Chemistry and Biochemistry majors.

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Other students develop keen laboratory skills and some coauthor several peer-reviewed publications prior to graduation; last year, one senior Chemistry major was a co-author on three publications. 2. Indicate all courses, classes, research or other scholarly activity, fieldwork, and independent study to be included in the revision. a. list existing courses envisioned as part of the revised program; All existing Chemistry courses as listed in the UVM Catalogue that are available to undergraduate students will be part of the revised program except CHEM 35, CHEM 36, CHEM 143, and CHEM 144, which will be deactivated under the revised sequence. The B. S. degree requires MATH 21 and 22 and PHYS 51 and 152. As part of the revised sequence, the B. A. degree will also allow for MATH 19 and 20 as well as PHYS 11/21 and 12/22. b. list newly established courses required of the student as part of the revised program. (If new course or changes to existing courses are required, complete a "Course Change Form" for each course and submit request(s) concurrent with the program proposal.) Submitted with this proposal: CHEM 47 Organic Chemistry for Majors 1 CHEM 48 Organic Chemistry for Majors 2 CHEM 51 Exploring Chemistry 1 CHEM 52 Exploring Chemistry 2 CHEM 114 Advanced Synthesis Techniques CHEM 166 Physical Chemistry Lab CHEM 181 2nd Year Seminar: Writing CHEM 182 2nd Year Seminar: Presentation CHEM 199 Professional Development CHEM 219 Instrumental Analysis Lab Courses part of the new program that have already been approved. CHEM 165 Introductory Physical Chemistry CHEM 260 Advanced Physical Chemistry 3. Submit representative samples of student's program of study or otherwise illustrate the selection of courses, course load and research or service time distribution.

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Typical(Curriculum(for(the(B.(A.(in(Chemistry(

Year(Course(

#( Fall( credits(Course(

#( Spring( credits(

1( 47( Organic(Chemistry(for(Majors(1( 4( 48( Organic(Chemistry(for(Majors(2( 4(

(51( Exploring(Chemistry(1( 1( 52( Exploring(Chemistry(2( 1(

( MATH(19(or(21( 3K4(

(MATH(20,(22,(or(23( 3K5(

( 2( 121( Quantitative(Analysis(( 4( 182( 2nd(Year(Seminar:(Presentation( 1(

(181( 2nd(Year(Seminar:(Writing( 1( 114(

Advanced(Synthesis(Techniques( 3(

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(PHYS(12/22(or(152( 4K5(

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200Klevel(elective( 3(

(231( Advanced(Inorganic(Chemistry( 3(

(200Klevel(elective( 3(

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( ( (

(

Total(Chemistry(credits( 38(

( BA(plan:(26(hours(of(specified(requirements(and(12(hours(of(electives((=(38(hours(

(For(ACS(certification,(laboratory(courses((CHEM(166,(219)(including(CHEM(290(or(291(are(needed(as(electives.(

(

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Typical(Curriculum(for(the(B.(S.(in(Chemistry(

Year(Course(

#( Fall( credits(Course(

#( Spring( credits(

1( 47( Organic(Chemistry(for(Majors(1( 4( 48( Organic(Chemistry(for(Majors(2( 4(

(51( Exploring(Chemistry(2( 1( 52( Exploring(Chemistry(2( 1(

( MATH(21( 4(

(MATH(22( 4(

( 2( 121( Quantitative(Analysis( 4( 182( 2nd(Year(Seminar:(Presentation( 1(

(181( 2nd(Year(Seminar:(Writing( 1( 114( Advanced(Synthesis(Techniques( 3(

(205( Biochemistry(I( 3(

(

PHYS(51( 4((

PHYS(152( 4(

( 3( 165(

Introductory(Physical(Chemistry( 3( 260( Advanced(Physical(Chemistry( 3(

(231( Advanced(Inorganic(Chemistry( 3( 166( Physical(Chemistry(Lab( 1(

(291( Research( 1( 167( Physical(Chemistry(Preparation( 1(

( 221( Instrumental(Analysis( 3(

( 219( Instrumental(Analysis(Lab(( 1(

( 4( 199( Professional(Development( 1( 291( Research( 1(

( 200Klevel(elective( 3(

(200Klevel(elective( 3(

(291( Research( 1(

(

Total(Chemistry(credits( 47(

( BS(plan:(41(hours(of(specified(requirements(plus(two(200Klevel(electives(=(47(hours(This(degree(meets(ACS(certification(requirements.(

(

ACS(certification(reqs.((colors)(

(

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C. Faculty changes 1. Provide biographies of present faculty who will participate. Include name, degrees, experience, publications, and present teaching commitments; All faculty in the list below have experience in and are currently teaching coursework in chemistry through their current appointments in the Department. Department lecturers customarily teach non-majors courses and are not included in this list. All faculty have Ph. D. degrees in chemistry and extensive publication records. For brevity, please consult http://www.uvm.edu/~chem/?Page=./faculty/default.html&SM=submenu_people.html to find publication records for specific individuals. Matthias Brewer Joel Goldberg Robert Hondal (primary appointment in the Department of Biochemistry) Christopher Landry Willem Leenstra Jianing Li Matthew Liptak Jose Madalengoitia Dwight Matthews Giuseppe Petrucci Severin Schneebeli Rory Waterman Adam Whalley 2. Describe effect on and adjustment in present staff assignments as result of proposed revision; There are no changes to the staff assignments with this revision. 3. List new positions to be added and qualifications to be met: No new positions are added with this change. 4. Interdepartmental and inter-institutional cooperation planned. We would be delighted to promote such interactions through the curriculum changes. While this is not a structured part of the program, we anticipate that some upper-division electives may be approved from other departments or units that foster Chemistry students’ cross-disciplinary interests. We will continue to participate in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Program, which directs the Biochemistry B. S. degree. D. Exact wording of degree as it has been, and as it is being proposed. There is no change to the wording of the degree. VIII. Resources to support revision A. Library: indicate additional demands to be made with an estimate of dollar cost;

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No additional library resources will be required to serve chemistry majors in these resigned degrees. B. Equipment needs and plans to meet them; No new equipment needs are anticipated based on these curricular changes. C. Physical space needs and plans to meet them (classroom, conference space, laboratory, research/scholarship and field experience space, office space); No change in physical space needs are anticipated with this curricular change. D. Administrative needs and plans to meet them (personnel, office supplies, printing, etc.) No change in administrative needs for the chemistry degrees are anticipated with this change. IX. Cost estimate for the changes A. First-year cost in addition to current budget; No new costs are anticipated. B. Total costs for first five years in addition to current budget; No new costs are anticipated over five years. C. Anticipated non-University support, if any; No support has been requested as no new costs are anticipated. D. Contingency plan if no new money is available. N/A. E. Proportion of salary of any faculty member who would contribute to program. Because all participating faculty are in chemistry, the proportion of salary toward this program is high, but that is unchanged from the current degree plans. X. Schedule for enactment of revision A. Proposed starting date; Academic year 2017-2018 B. Time to be offered (calendar year, academic year, summer, part-time). The program will be offered consistent with the academic year in accordance with the University Catalogue. This revision in curriculum allows for continued and new summer and distance learning offerings by the Department. XI. Evaluation A. What criteria for evaluation will be applied? There are three key criteria for evaluation: 1. Student performance through vetted assessments. The department collected validated assessment data on topical areas at the end of key foundational courses. We will continue this

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practice and compare data for students engaged in the new curriculum with those in the current to ask whether students are learning as well or better under the new curriculum. 2. Enrollment in the degree programs. We will track the number of majors by degree type, the pathways toward degrees, and enrollment in the courses. These data will address the question of whether more students are taking and completing Chemistry degrees, and whether the revised sequence is contributing to retention. 3. Student experience. The capstone course allows us to collect student experience data. What do students like or dislike about their experiences? Can our advising be improved? The department also maintains ties with many alumni. We will continue to ask students what aspects of their degrees helped them to prepare for their current roles. B. How and by whom will the evaluation be performed? The Department will undertake this evaluation as part of its annual assessment practices. Most of the data can be collected from faculty or the chairs access to Banner records, though a request to the Office of Institutional Research may provide the retention data faster.

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XII. Space for endorsements of proposal should be allowed for the following: ______________________________ ______________________________ Christopher Landry, Chair Nicole Phelps, Chair Department of Chemistry College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee ______________________________ ______________________________ William Falls, Dean Laura Almsted, Chair College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Senate Curricular Affairs Committee ______________________________ ______________________________ Catherine Paris, President David Rosowsky, Provost Faculty Senate ______________________________ Thomas Sullivan, President

The University of Vermont

PROF. CHRISTOPHER LANDRY Department of Chemistry, Cook Physical Sciences Building

82 University Place, Burlington, VT 05405 (802) 656-0270 • fax: (802) 656-8705

christopher.landry@uvm.edu • www.uvm.edu/~chem Sara Cahan Chair, Department of Biology University of Vermont Burlington, VT 05405 Dear Sara, The Chemistry Department is in the process of making substantial changes to the undergraduate curriculum for our undergraduate degrees. Although these changes primarily affect students who are pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Chemistry or a B.S. in Biochemistry, they may have a peripheral impact on your undergraduate majors as well. Here are the relevant changes:

1.! CHEM 35/36 (General Chemistry for Majors) will no longer be offered. 2.! CHEM 143/144 (Organic Chemistry for Majors) will be moved into the first year and renumbered as

CHEM 47/48. The content will largely be the same. 3.! Two new courses, CHEM 51/52 (Exploring Chemistry), will be added to the first year. These will be 1-

credit, discovery-based lab classes that will review General Chemistry concepts in a laboratory environment.

4.! Most first-time first-year Chemistry and Biochemistry majors will be blocked into the new schedule. Students who require more review of chemical concepts can take the CHEM 31/32 (General Chemistry) and CHEM 141/142 (Organic Chemistry) sequences in their first and second years as an entry to the B.A./B.S. in Chemistry or B.S. in Biochemistry.

5.! Note that CHEM 31/32 and CHEM 141/142 will not be altered. Because these changes only affect courses taken by Chemistry and Biochemistry majors, the vast majority of your students will not be impacted. However, there may be some students who start as Chemistry or Biochemistry majors and then switch to a major in a related science. In addition, some of your majors may end up taking these courses by requesting instructor permission, if there are seats available. For ease in advising as these changes are made, the CAS Curriculum Committee has suggested that I contact you to make you aware of this potential issue and to develop a plan. Also, these changes will likely require you to submit documentation to change the catalog language for your undergraduate majors—for example, if your degrees allow CHEM 35, 36, 143, or 144, those courses will no longer exist. To make your life easier, I have put together several options, included with this letter; you can check the relevant box in front of your choice and I will forward your response to the Committee. I have also identified locations in the catalog relevant to your department that will need to be changed, depending on what you decide to do. I anticipate most departments that require organic chemistry will accept CHEM 47/48, since the content is essentially unchanged from their previous numbering. However, the change to General Chemistry is more substantial. You can be assured that most General Chemistry topics are in fact being covered in CHEM 51/52, but in somewhat less depth; we are assuming that most students in those courses will already have seen the topics at least twice in high school and will see them again in upper-level Chemistry courses if they are Chemistry or Biochemistry majors. If the question is depth in General Chemistry concepts, you may want to require students to go back and take CHEM 31/32; if the question is simply using General Chemistry as a stepping stone into Organic Chemistry, then there may be no point in making students "go back" to take CHEM 31/32. Another alternative might be for students to supplement their General Chemistry background with courses that revisit some of the material in a one-semester, 3-credit lecture-only format, such as CHEM 131

(Inorganic Chemistry) or CHEM 165 (Intro Physical Chemistry). Many students in related science disciplines already take one of those courses to complete a Chemistry minor. A word about pre-health students: while it is true that most health-related professional graduate schools (i.e. med schools) require lecture/lab courses in both General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, other institutions that have made similar changes have gotten around the issue by including a letter with the students' applications specifying where in the curriculum the General Chemistry material is covered. To cover all bases, pre-health students may want to take CHEM 31/32 regardless of whether or not you require it, or could revisit the material in CHEM 131 or CHEM 165. In summary, please consider the impact of this change on your departments and either return the following page with the appropriate box checked, or send me an e-mail with your response. I'm happy to address any comments or questions. Cheers,

Christopher Landry Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry University of Vermont Dear Chris, Organic Chemistry for Majors (check only if relevant):

Our department will accept CHEM 47/48 as replacements for CHEM 141/142 in our major requirements.

Our department does not accept any substitutions for CHEM 141/142, but students can petition our department for substitutions and we will handle them on a case-by-case basis.

General Chemistry for Majors:

Our department will accept CHEM 51/52 as replacements for CHEM 31/32 in our major requirements.

Our department does not accept CHEM 51/52 as replacements for CHEM 31/32 in our major requirements. Students must take CHEM 31/32 and either CHEM 131 or 165.

Our department does not accept CHEM 51/52 as replacements for CHEM 31/32 in our major requirements. Students must take CHEM 31/32.

Other (please explain by e-mail). Name: Department: Impact: The Biology B.A., Zoology, B.A., Zoology B.S. all mention CHEM 35 and 36, and CHEM 35 is an allowed pre-requisite for BCOR 21.

Tabulated)responses)to)changes)in)CHEM)curriculum)from)affected)departments:))Department/Program) CHEM)47/48)

replaces)143/144)CHEM)51/52)replaces)31/32)

Other)

BIOC) Yes) Yes) )BIOL) Yes) Yes) )CS) (n/a)) No) Will)accept)47/48)instead)

of)31/32)ENSC) Yes) Yes) )GEOL) (n/a)) No) )MATH) (n/a)) No) )MMG) Yes) No) )PBIO) No) No) Will)delete)language)re:)

35/36/143/144)PHRM) No) No) Will)delete)language)re:)

35/36/143/144))

From: Faith Rushford faith.rushford@uvm.eduSubject: Curriculum Changes in Undergraduate Chemistry

Date: November 10, 2016 at 4:17 PMTo: Christopher Landry Christopher.Landry@uvm.eduCc: Pamela Gardner Pamela.K.Gardner@uvm.edu

Hi#Chris,

I'm#wri-ng#to#you#in#follow#up#to#our#mee-ng#this#past#Tuesday#about#the#changes#to#yourcurriculum#for#undergraduate#majors.##Let#me#know#if#you'd#prefer#that#I#address#this#note#to#apar-cular#individual#or#commiBee.##

First,#I#appreciated#the#chance#to#look#at#the#specifics#with#you#in#person#and#discuss#poten-alimplica-ons#for#our#pre#health#students.##We#don't#tend#to#see#many#chemistry#majors#who#alsoiden-fy#as#pre#health,#so#I#believe#the#impact,#if#any,#would#more#likely#affect#biochemistrymajors.

Here#are#the#central#points#that#lead#me#to#believe#these#changes#will#not#have#a#nega-ve#impacton#our#pre#health#students.##

Chem#31#and#32#will#remain#intact#and#available#to#students#outside#of,#and#in#some#cases,inside#of#these#majors.Students#in#these#majors#tend#to#arrive#at#UVM#already#well#versed#in#general#chemistry,and#will#revisit#some#content#in#upper#level#courses.##A#leBer#from#the#departmentexplaining#the#new#curriculum#and#where/how#general#chemistry#material#is#otherwisecovered#should#sa-sfy#schools#with#specific#requirements.#There#is#an#inten-on#set#by#the#AAMC#to#shiS#medical#schools#away#from#specific#courserequirements#to#competency#requirements.##Some#medical#schools#have#already#takensteps#in#this#direc-on.##The#new#curriculum#would#certainly#fit#within#this#paradigm.You#cited#data#which#suggests#these#kinds#of#curricular#changes,#established#at#otherins-tu-ons,#have#resulted#in#no#significant#performance#differences#on#the#MCAT.#You#spoke#to#your#commitment#to#look#at#outcomes#in#terms#of#course#and#standardizedtest#performance#to#determine#if#these#curricular#changes#are#suppor-ng#the#success#ofour#students.

I#support#your#efforts#toward#curricular#innova-on,#and#am#hopeful#these#changes#willboth#support#your#department#goals,#and#prepare#our#students#for#graduate#level#study#in#thehealth#sciences.

Best,Faith

--Faith Rushford, M.S.Pre Health Program DirectorCareer Center | University of VermontDavis Center 204 | 590 Main StreetPhone: (802) 656-3450 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | LinkedIn

From: Sara Cahan scahan@uvm.eduSubject: RE: impact of Chemistry curricular changes

Date: November 29, 2016 at 1:59 PMTo: Christopher Landry Christopher.Landry@uvm.edu

Hi#Chris,Biology’s#provisional#view#is#that#we#would#allow#51/52#to#subs=tute#for#Chem31/32#and#47/48#tosubs=tute#for#Chem141/142.##This#would#allow#Chem#majors#to#do#a#Biology#doubleGmajor#(whichrequires#both#sequences)#or#a#minor#(which#requires#Chem#31&32)#without#any#addi=onal#coursework.#This#is#subject#to#approval#both#internally#and#by#BCOR#in#order#to#adjust#the#preGrequisites#for#courses,but#I#don’t#think#there#will#be#an#issue.#It#will#be#cri=cal#for#Biochem.#majors#to#deal#with#the#preGrequisite#ques=on#for#BCOR,#as#they#do#take#some#BCOR#courses#as#part#of#their#own#major.#Sara###Sara#Helms#CahanAssociate#Professor#and#ChairDepartment#of#BiologyUniversity#of#VermontBurlington,#Vermont#05405(802)656G2962scahan@uvm.edu#From: Christopher Landry Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2016 3:19 PMTo: Sara CahanSubject: impact of Chemistry curricular changes Hi Sara, I’m attaching a letter that describes some of the changes we’re making to the Chemistry B.A. andB.S. degrees and how they might impact your department. It should be self-explanatory. The CASCurriculum Committee has asked me to collect responses before December 1— let me know ifthat will be a problem. Cheers,Chris

From: Maggie Eppstein Maggie.Eppstein@uvm.eduSubject: Re: Impact of Chemistry curricular changes

Date: November 17, 2016 at 3:45 PMTo: Christopher Landry Christopher.Landry@uvm.edu

Thanks for sharing this info, Chris. As we discussed, I think what makes the most sense is for us to allow Chem 47, 48 as allowablesubstitutes for Chem 31, 32 in our curriculum. I will have to run this by our CS curr comm, which meets Dec 8, but I don't anticipate there willbe objections to this.

Maggie

On 11/17/2016 3:22 PM, Christopher Landry wrote:Hi Maggie,

I’m attaching a letter that describes some of the changes we’re making to the Chemistry B.A. and B.S. degrees and how they might impactyour department. It should be self-explanatory. The CAS Curriculum Committee has asked me to collect responses before December 1— letme know if that will be a problem.

Cheers,Chris

-- Margaret (Maggie) J. Eppstein, Ph.D.Chair of Computer ScienceUniversity of VermontBurlington, VT 05405802-656-1918 (direct -- no voice mail)802-656-3330 (admin asst and/or messages)

From: Charlotte Mehrtens Charlotte.Mehrtens@uvm.eduSubject: chem change

Date: November 29, 2016 at 1:57 PMTo: Christopher Landry Christopher.Landry@uvm.edu

hi Chris-

the ENSC program would not be impacted by your curricular change.i also contacted my ENSC co-directors in RSENR and CALS to confirm.

best,char

(Inorganic Chemistry) or CHEM 165 (Intro Physical Chemistry). Many students in related science disciplines already take one of those courses to complete a Chemistry minor. A word about pre-health students: while it is true that most health-related professional graduate schools (i.e. med schools) require lecture/lab courses in both General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, other institutions that have made similar changes have gotten around the issue by including a letter with the students' applications specifying where in the curriculum the General Chemistry material is covered. To cover all bases, pre-health students may want to take CHEM 31/32 regardless of whether or not you require it, or could revisit the material in CHEM 131 or CHEM 165. In summary, please consider the impact of this change on your departments and either return the following page with the appropriate box checked, or send me an e-mail with your response. I'm happy to address any comments or questions. Cheers,

Christopher Landry Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry University of Vermont Dear Chris, Organic Chemistry for Majors (check only if relevant):

Our department will accept CHEM 47/48 as replacements for CHEM 141/142 in our major requirements.

Our department does not accept any substitutions for CHEM 141/142, but students can petition our department for substitutions and we will handle them on a case-by-case basis.

General Chemistry for Majors:

Our department will accept CHEM 51/52 as replacements for CHEM 31/32 in our major requirements.

Our department does not accept CHEM 51/52 as replacements for CHEM 31/32 in our major requirements. Students must take CHEM 31/32 and either CHEM 131 or 165.

Our department does not accept CHEM 51/52 as replacements for CHEM 31/32 in our major requirements. Students must take CHEM 31/32.

Other (please explain by e-mail). Name: Andrea Lini Department: Geology Impact: The Geology B.A. and Geology B.S. mention CHEM 35 and 36.

From: Jeff Buzas Jeff.Buzas@uvm.eduSubject: RE: Impact of Chemistry curricular changes

Date: November 17, 2016 at 5:16 PMTo: Christopher Landry Christopher.Landry@uvm.edu

Hello%Chris,%Thanks%for%the%well3wri4en%le4er%explaining%the%changes%in%the%Chemistry%curriculum.%%I%don’t%think%itapplies%to%the%BS%MS%in%staCsCcs,%as%we%don’t%have%chemistry%requirements,%but%rather%a%pre3medconcentraCon%for%students%wishing%to%set%themselves%up%for%med%school%that%suggests%courses%that%theycould%take.%%I’m%guessing%those%students%would%be%be4er%served%taking%CHEM%31/32%rather%than%CHEM51/52.%%But%CHEM%31/32%is%not%a%major%requirement,%so%I%think%I%don’t%need%to%return%the%form%with%anyboxes%checked.%%Please%let%me%know%if%you%think%I’ve%interpreted%this%incorrectly!%Best,%Jeff%From:%Christopher%Landry%Sent:%Thursday,%November%17,%2016%3:21%PMTo:%Jeff%Buzas%<Jeff.Buzas@uvm.edu>Subject:%Impact%of%Chemistry%curricular%changes Hi Jeff, I’m attaching a letter that describes some of the changes we’re making to the Chemistry B.A. andB.S. degrees and how they might impact your department. It should be self-explanatory. The CASCurriculum Committee has asked me to collect responses before December 1— let me know ifthat will be a problem. Cheers,Chris

From: David Barrington david.barrington@uvm.eduSubject: chem course changes

Date: November 30, 2016 at 1:25 PMTo: Christopher Landry Christopher.Landry@uvm.eduCc: Sarah Goodrich Sarah.Goodrich@uvm.edu

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your phone message. Timing is perfect, as we just took this up as a faculty yesterday. The sentiment is that there is no impact. We will continue to require 31,32, 141,142 for our majors, and keep in mind that the majors sections are not available.

We will eventually change the language that says that 35, 36, 143, and 144 are acceptable, but must wait until the current generation ofstudents graduate.

Dave

David Barrington, Professor and Interim ChairPlant Biology - Univ. of Vermont http://www.uvm.edu/~plantbio/barrington.php

From: George Wellman gwellman@uvm.eduSubject: Re: Impact of Chemistry curricular changes

Date: December 5, 2016 at 2:03 PMTo: Christopher Landry Christopher.Landry@uvm.edu

Hi Chris,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.. was out sick last week. I had your letter circulated to our faculty. The only response I received wasfrom Alan Howe, he has no problem with the proposed changes. I also do not foresee any issue with your proposal. We can simply adjust thedescription in our minor to reflect the proposed changes. Best of luck with it.

Cheers,

George

On 11/17/2016 3:25 PM, Christopher Landry wrote:Hi George,

I’m attaching a letter that describes some of the changes we’re making to the Chemistry B.A. and B.S. degrees and how they might impactyour department. It should be self-explanatory. The CAS Curriculum Committee has asked me to collect responses before December 1— letme know if that will be a problem.

Cheers,Chris

-- George C. Wellman, PhDProfessor, PharmacologyUniversity of Vermont College of MedicineHSRF Building, Room 430149 Beaumont AveBurlington, Vermont USA 05405

phone: (802) 656-3470