REPORT pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Role of Undergraduate Research in an Excellent and Rigorous Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum Thomas J. Wenzel,*,† Cynthia K. Larive,‡ and Kimberley A. Frederick§ †
Department of Chemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine 04240, United States Department of Chemistry, University of California—Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States § Department of Chemistry, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866, United States ‡
ABSTRACT: In 2008, the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Committee on Professional Training (CPT) issued new guidelines for the approval of undergraduate chemistry programs. Undergraduate research continues to meet the requirements for a portion of laboratory hours necessary for a certified degree, and can also contribute to the in-depth course requirements. The CPT supplements on undergraduate research, excellent and rigorous undergraduate programs, and student skills expand on the pedagogical advantages of undergraduate research. The ACS Guidelines and CPT supplements are supportive of the important role that a research-supportive curriculum can play in the development and training of chemistry students. Departments interested in establishing or strengthening research-rich environments can find support from the ACS Guidelines and from the resources available through the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). KEYWORDS: Curriculum, Undergraduate Research FEATURE: Association Reports
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he American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Committee on Professional Training (CPT) published new guidelines in 2008 for the approval of undergraduate chemistry programs.1 The attributes of “excellent”2 and “rigorous”3 undergraduate programs are further detailed in two supplements on this topic. Several aspects of the ACS Guidelines facilitate undergraduate participation in research. The guidelines identify curricular requirements, including foundational and in-depth courses leading to an ACS-certified degree. Undergraduate research can be used to meet one of the in-depth courses in a semester system (up to four credit hours) and a commensurate number of credit hours in a quarter system. Students must complete 400 laboratory hours for the certified degree. Up to 180 hours of research participation can be used to fulfill this requirement, with completion of a comprehensive written research report. Of particular interest to faculty who wish to promote undergraduate participation in research is that policies and statements in the new guidelines embrace the value of undergraduate research in a scope and form completely consonant with the longstanding mission and views of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR).
Undergraduates should not merely repeat work that has been done before, but need to be involved in an exploration of something new. Implicit in the expectation that the research represents a contribution to the discipline is that the outcomes be disseminated within the discipline by the usual means. While a common means of research dissemination involves conference presentations, the ultimate means of dissemination in chemistry is through peer-reviewed publications in disciplinary journals. The ACS Guidelines mandate that the student write a comprehensive report on her or his research project if the research is used as an in-depth course or toward the 400 laboratory hours. The ACS Guidelines and a supplement on undergraduate research5 specify that research projects represent original work, develop new knowledge, and are envisioned and undertaken with the intent to contribute toward a peer-reviewed publication.
’ CPT’S RIGOROUS AND EXCELLENT PRACTICES To provide additional guidance with regard to effective educational practices, the CPT has described the characteristics of excellent and rigorous undergraduate chemistry programs that are supportive of many aspects of the undergraduate research enterprise. An important aspect of program excellence relates to the development of professional skills in students, which is also an expectation for approved program that is new in the 2008 Guidelines. The curriculum of an excellent program develops in students the ability to communicate in oral and written form, work in teams, ask questions, design experiments, interpret results, think in innovative ways, exhibit leadership, develop a desire for lifelong learning, and behave in an ethical manner.
’ FEATURES OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CUR has adopted the following definition of undergraduate research:4 An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. Two important points in this definition are that undergraduates should conduct original work and that the outcomes of the research, if successful, represent a contribution to the discipline. Copyright r 2011 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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Related to excellent educational pedagogy, a curriculum should include integrative curricular experiences in which students apply knowledge in new contexts and transfer knowledge from one context to another. Finally, among the characteristics of an excellent faculty is a willingness to interact with students in the learning process. Faculty will recognize that the CPT’s meaning of excellence is fully incorporated into a high-quality undergraduate research experience. Regarding the meaning of program rigor, the CPT supplement speaks of the desirability of experiences that allow students to apply fundamental principles toward an understanding of chemical systems. Learning environments that actively engage students, promote a progressive development in the student’s own responsibility for learning, and promote the development of critical thought and multistep problem solving are desired. The document speaks of the need for students to be able to analyze data and scientific arguments, synthesize and apply concepts from multiple subdisciplines of chemistry, and recognize the applicability of foundational and advanced concepts to new situations. The value of communication skills in both oral and written form is emphasized in a rigorous curriculum. Those familiar with CUR and its mission would argue that a high-quality undergraduate research experience embodies the characteristics that CPT ascribes to a rigorous program. CPT recognizes the pedagogical value of undergraduate research and it appears as a thread throughout the ACS Guidelines and the committee’s supplements. The guidelines point out that undergraduate research allows students to integrate learning experiences and participate directly in the process of science. The supplement on the characteristics of a rigorous program indicates that undergraduate research has the potential to facilitate in students a mastery of independent thought and self-direction.3 The supplement on undergraduate research5 recognizes that research can often be the most educationally valuable experience for students and that students participating in research have the potential to grow professionally and personally in a manner that is not possible through traditional classroom and instructional laboratory experiences. A supplemental document on student skills describes undergraduate research as one of the most powerful opportunities for students to learn problem-solving skills and provides a unique opportunity for students to develop oral and written communication skills.6 However, a research experience should not be viewed as the primary place where these skills and competencies are developed. Instead, it may be more effective to have a curriculum that includes activities that allow students to progressively develop these skills. What would such a curriculum look like? Students should learn to work in teams and have opportunities to develop leadership skills, which means that teamwork should be a part of classroom and laboratory activities. Written and oral communication skills should be developed throughout the curriculum, with increasingly advanced expectations of the students as to the quality and scope of various forms of communication. In addition to writing, students should be able to read and properly use the primary chemical literature; a variety of approaches can be integrated into the curriculum to develop these skills. Approaches for instruction in professional ethics can include a guest lecture program, a separate course, or integration of ethics broadly across the curriculum.7 Instructional laboratory experiences that allow students to develop testable hypotheses, design experiments, ask questions, interpret data and draw and argue for certain conclusions should occur at both the foundational and
in-depth level. For examples of such activities, CUR has published a compendium on developing and sustaining a researchsupportive curriculum.8 Stressed throughout both the CPT supplements on rigorous and excellent undergraduate programs is an emphasis on assessment to ensure that students are learning and developing in the ways the faculty have intended. While CUR and others have been advocates for the educational value of having undergraduates participate in original research, for many years no thorough assessment studies substantiated these claims. Recently, assessment data from carefully constructed studies have become available that support the benefits of student participation in research.9,10 The Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG),11 Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE),12 and Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE)13 are assessment instruments that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of research and research-like experiences. From CPT’s perspective, the research reports that ACSapproved departments provide with their periodic report materials are an important form of assessment. Because these usually describe the result of a capstone project completed toward the end of the students’ undergraduate studies, the extent to which the reports are thorough, well-referenced, and indicate that the students have devoted a considerable amount of time and thought to the project helps the committee evaluate the degree to which excellence and rigor are emphasized in the research experience and the program.
’ ACS GUIDELINES SUPPORT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH In a mutually reinforcing way, both CUR and the CPT documents can be helpful to departments and institutions seeking to enhance research in their curriculum. For smaller departments at predominantly undergraduate institutions, the ACS Guidelines have served as an important source of leverage over the years for enhancing the institutional support for the department. Many aspects of the ACS Guidelines relate to infrastructure and institutional support that help support excellence and rigor in undergraduate research programs. While the ACS Guidelines do not mandate any particular number of support staff, they do speak to the importance of support staff for stockroom administration and equipment maintenance as a way of allowing faculty members to devote their time and effort to academic and scholarly activities. The guidelines place a maximum of 15 contact hours in the classroom or laboratory or in combination for any faculty member, but also state that the actual number should be significantly smaller, particularly for faculty members who supervise undergraduate research. The guidelines also speak to the importance of the quality of the physical plant and instrument holdings. For example, ACSapproved programs must have a functioning NMR spectrometer as well as a range of other equipment. Finally, the guidelines emphasize the importance of professional development activities, including the need for professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, such as travel support for attendance at professional meetings and opportunities for sabbatical leaves. CUR has also been an advocate for providing the support and infrastructure that is needed to initiate and sustain a research program that involves undergraduates. CUR offers numerous publications including the CUR Quarterly journal as well as workshops to help individuals and institutions develop excellent 8
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undergraduate research programs. Readers are encouraged to visit the CUR Web site for more information: http://www.cur. org/ (accessed Nov 2011). The 2008 ACS Guidelines and supplement documents encourage the participation of undergraduates in research and make it clear that the goals of an excellent and rigorous undergraduate chemistry programs are embodied by the same features that characterize a high-quality undergraduate research experience.
’ AUTHOR INFORMATION Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected].
’ REFERENCES (1) Undergraduate Professional Education in Chemistry: ACS Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures for Bachelor’s Degree Programs, 2008. http://portal.acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/about/governance/ committees/training/acsapproved/degreeprogram/WPCP_008491 (accessed Nov 2011). (2) Excellent Undergraduate Chemistry Programs. http://portal. acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/about/governance/committees/training/ acsapproved/degreeprogram/CNBP_024262 (accessed Nov 2011). (3) Rigorous Undergraduate Chemistry Programs. http://portal. acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/about/governance/committees/training/ acsapproved/degreeprogram/CNBP_024263 (accessed Nov 2011). (4) Council on Undergraduate Research. http://www.cur.org/ about.html (accessed Nov 2011). (5) Undergraduate Research ACS CPT Supplement. http:// portal.acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/about/governance/committees/ training/acsapproved/degreeprogram/CTP_005616 (accessed Nov 2011). (6) Development of Student Skills in a Chemistry Curriculum. http://portal.acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/about/governance/committees/training/acsapproved/degreeprogram/CNBP_025490 (accessed Nov 2011). (7) Guidelines for the Teaching of Professional Ethics. http:// portal.acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/about/governance/committees/ training/acsapproved/degreeprogram/CTP_005588 (accessed Nov 2011). (8) Karutskis, K. K.; Elgren, T. E. Developing and Sustaining a Research-Supportive Curriculum: In A Compendium of Successful Practices; Council on Undergraduate Research: Washington, DC, 2007. (9) Lopatto, D. Science in Solution: The Impact of Undergraduate Research on Student Learning; Research Corporation for Science Advancement: Tucson, AZ, 2009. http://web.grinnell.edu/sureiii/Science_ in_Solution_Lopatto.pdf (accessed Nov 2011). (10) Laursen, S.; Hunter, A. B.; Seymour, E.; Thiry, H.; Melton., G. Undergraduate Research in the Sciences: Engaging Students in Real Science; Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA, 2010. (11) Student Assessment of their Learning Gains. http://www. salgsite.org/ (accessed Nov 2011). (12) Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences. http://web. grinnell.edu/sureiii/ (accessed Nov 2011). (13) Assessment of Undergraduate Research and Scientific Teaching Research Instruments. http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/psychology/ faculty/dl/surecure (accessed Nov 2011).
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