The recent changes to the 2015 American Chemical Society (ACS) guidelines for ACS-Certified bachelor’s degrees dictates that adequate instruction on polymers, macromolecules, and large aggregates be provided. In an effort to satisfy this mandate at Armstrong State University, Savannah GA (ASU), the chemistry and biochemistry faculty began integrating polymer concepts into the laboratories of several courses with a central theme of “cross-linking” the curriculum, whereby materials prepared in one course would be utilized in other courses. Some previous, narrowly focused, laboratory exercises were replaced with polymer-based experiments that also investigate concepts relevant to the primary purpose of the course. These experiments involved Poly(aspartic acid) (PAA) and Ring-Opening Metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Stand-alone polymer courses, experiments, and capstone projects were implemented to provide a deeper understanding of polymer chemistry, including excursions into contemporary literature. A schematic depiction of the flow of materials are shown in the graphical abstract. The ACS polymer chemistry inclusion mandate will affect chemistry departments nationwide. Our proposed curriculum changes may serve as a model for other institutions with comparable chemistry departments to ASU to help satisfy the polymer chemistry component for ACS-certification. Herein, we provide a summary of our strategy and our efforts to date.

Cross-linking the curriculum with polymer chemistry: A strategy to enhance polymer chemistry instruction in ACS-Certified Programs

255th National Meeting (2018)

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