Increased curricular flexibility provided by the 2003 ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) guidelines allowed the chemistry program at Fairmont State University to restructure the first-year course sequence for chemistry majors and pre-professional students in a way that happens to align nicely with the new AAMC learning outcomes.  The first-semester CHEM 1105 Chemical Principles course, a true �introductory� course, includes inorganic nomenclature and Lewis structures plus an emphasis on quantitative problem-solving through stoichiometry, acid-base equilibria, introductory kinetics and thermodynamics, electrochemistry, spectroscopy and nuclear chemistry.  The second semester course (CHEM 2200 Foundational Biochemistry) is focused on biochemical applications of traditional first-year chemistry material, and was designed specifically to appeal to our large pre-health professions student population.  It is a foundational course in biochemistry according to CPT guidelines, but our catalog description explicitly states that CHEM 1105 and CHEM 2200 satisfy the first-year chemistry requirements for science majors and students pursuing pre-professional studies (e.g., pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, etc.)  CHEM 2200 content includes biochemical applications of molecular structure and intermolecular forces, periodic properties, acid-base chemistry, diffusion and osmosis, kinetics and energetics, structural models and visualization.  The course introduces biochemical reaction mechanisms, cell components and their functions, and a chemical view of proteins, lipids, and cell membranes. Our presentation describes the learning outcomes and mastery-based approach used in the new course sequence, with a primary focus on the second semester course and alignment with the AAMC learning outcomes.  We will share feedback from students and instructors, along with some of the benefits and pitfalls we ran into while designing and implementing the new structure starting in 2010-11.

Serendipitously restructuring the first-year chemistry experience to meet the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) guidelines

246th National Meeting (2013)

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