Emory University implemented Chemistry Unbound, a new chemistry curriculum in 2017 to address the demonstrated limitations of traditional curricula and has continuously evaluated the efficacy of its design as the courses have rolled out via surveys, focus groups, and interviews. With the inaugural class of students graduating this year, this project sought to understand how the students perceived the curriculum through a series of peer-moderated focus groups. All graduating chemistry majors who took courses from the Unbound curriculum were invited to participate, and over the course of several weeks, two peers conducted four focus groups consisting of 2-5 participants each. Each focus group lasted approximately one hour over Zoom, and all students were asked a series of questions pertaining to the effectiveness of the curriculum’s design, the curriculum’s alignment with its learning objectives, and whether or not the course prepared students for advanced electives and/or post-graduate plans. The focus groups were recorded and transcribed for qualitative analysis. The researchers identified common themes, including finding that students experienced a sequential flow from the introductory courses and a continuous development of concepts from previous courses; that there are abundant resources to utilize for success; and that teamwork and collaboration are heavily emphasized throughout the curriculum. However, researchers also found that students feel noticeably weaker in basic general chemistry concepts that limit cross-university communication as well as mathematics.

Evaluating the chemistry unbound curriculum via peer-moderated focus groups

ACS Fall 2021

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