The US Fulbright scholars program is the largest international exchange program run by the US Department of State. This presentation details work undertaken during one semester of a sabbatical leave, during Fall 2017, as part of a Fulbright scholar at a host institution in Mumbai, India. The overarching goal of the project was to determine similarities and differences between the US and Indian introductory college level courses (General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry). Specifically, the objective was to build a Chemistry concepts inventory for colleges in Mumbai, India to enable local college teachers to access standardized questions from a validated question bank. Additionally, the syllabus of Mumbai university was analyzed to see the commonalities and variabilities between US four-year institutions in terms of organization of content courses, the nature of assessment and exam questions, emphasis on different topics and the time allotted to learning different concepts in the four main areas of Chemistry. The presentation will focus on describing the overall Fulbright experience and the cultural similarities and challenges facing Indian institutions and their US counterparts in terms of teaching and learning issues in undergraduate General and Organic Chemistry courses. As an alumnus and current ambassador of the Fulbright program, the presentation will also focus on the strategies used to maximize developing a successful application package to the Fulbright program.<br/>

Comparison of similarities and differences in chemistry undergraduate education between US and Indian institutions: Experiences from a Fulbright US Scholar program

2019 Spring National Meeting

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