Program Purpose

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Prepare men and women of character to begin careers as biochemists, enter professional schools, or continue on to graduate schools in the biochemical, chemical, or biological sciences. This preparation includes study of each of the subdisciplines of chemistry with a focus on in-depth study of biochemistry, from fundamental principles to recent discoveries, and opportunities to participate in undergraduate research.

Curricular Structure

The MAP sequence of courses provides a foundation for understanding the subdisciplines in the freshman year then proceeds to cover subdisciplines in the following years. Biochemistry courses are begun in the junior year and continue into the senior year. Laboratory courses are begun early in the process and continue through the senior year. In addition, students become experienced in using chemical literature, learn about research at other institutions, and have the opportunity to take any of a number of advanced courses in each of the subdisciplines of chemistry. Courses in biology, mathematics, and physics are inserted throughout the curriculum to provide conceptual understanding and tools needed in the major courses.

Freshman Year Students take introductory courses in chemistry that focus on fundamental studies of matter and its characterization. Students also take an introductory chemical laboratory course designed to teach basic analytical chemistry using inorganic compounds.

Sophomore Year Students begin courses in subdisciplines in chemistry by taking two organic chemistry courses. Two laboratory courses are introductory analytical chemistry and an organic laboratory course.

Junior Year Biochemistry is the subdiscipline focus, with an advanced laboratory course in biochemistry. In addition, students take physical chemistry and chemical literature courses.

Senior Year In the senior year students take an additional biochemistry laboratory course along with a physical chemistry laboratory course. Students also take a biophysical chemistry course. During this year, students attend our seminar series to become more acquainted with current research outside of our department. Students are also expected to take an advanced chemistry course of their choosing during this academic year.

Undergraduate Catalog

Link to MAP

Learning Outcomes

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Chemistry and Biochemistry Fundamentals

Program graduates will have demonstrated a mastery of core concepts and principles in the five chemistry sub-disciplines: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. They will demonstrate an indepth mastery of biochemistry.

 

Laboratory Procedures and Practice

Program graduates will be able to perform basic laboratory procedures used in inorganic and small molecule analysis, organic synthesis, and the protein and nucleic acids biochemistry laboratory classes, including good standard lab practices and accurate record keeping. They will also be able to design effective experiments and critically analyze data.

 

Research

Program graduates will be able to draw on classroom knowledge and laboratory classes to make an individual contribution in a research laboratory. 

 

Effective Communication

Program graduates will be able to effectively communicate ideas and experimental results in a variety of formats including written and oral reports and technical graphics. They will also be able to search, read, and understand technical literature in the chemical sciences related to their area of interest.

 

Career Research and Preparation

Students approaching the end of their course of study will be able to make informed choices among post-graduate opportunities for work or further education.

 

Evidence of Learning

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Chemistry Fundamentals

1. Students' performance on GRE (subject and general) exams, MCAT exams, and DAT exams.
2. Evaluation of student portfolios. The portfolio will include: A short essay written during the second year on the student's approach to learning and his or her expectations from the program. The Chem 227 Independent Project Report. The Chem 391 research paper. Best example of the student's writing related to undergraduate research. Best example of a laboratory report from Chem 584 or 586. Other material that the student selects as an example of good work. A two-page self-assesment that includes a self evaluation, reflections on the experience in the department, a summary of career plans and how experience in the program prepared the student for life beyond graduation.
3. Performance on final exams in core courses. Where appropriate, standardized exams provided by the American Chemical Society will be used as part of the final exam.
4.  Placement rates in graduate and professional schools.
5.  Exit interviews and surveys of graduating students and alumni surveys.

Laboratory Proceedures and Practice

1. Quality of experimental results and laborotory reports from laboratory courses: 113, 227, 354, 584, and 586 as evaluated by instructors for those courses.
2. Student evaluations of laboratory courses.
3. Faculty peer evaluations of teaching and learning.

Research

1. Participation by students as authors on papers published in the peer-reviewed literature.
2. Oral and poster presentations by students at the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Spring Research Conference.
3. Oral and poster presentations by students at scientific meetings outside BYU.

Effective Communication

1. Library research paper prepared for Chemistry 391.
2. Writing assignments, oral presentations, technical posters prepared for chemistry 391.
3. Student summaries of biochemistry seminars prepared for our senior seminar course, Chemistry 594R and 495. Students participation in cross-disciplinary seminars.
4. Written reports prepared by students enrolled in Chemistry 497, undergraduate research.
5. Seminar summaries prepared for Chemistry 594R and 495

Career Research and Preparation

1. Response to ethical issues on the final portfolio essay.
2. Exit surveys of students perceptions of their preparation for dealing with ethical and faith issues.
3. Student participation in career nights, graduate recruiting and career fairs.
4. Alumni surveys.

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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Program Changes and Improvement

 

Changes in programs in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are considered, refined, and implemented through a departmental teaching and curriculum committee. The committee is composed of a mix of professional and professorial faculty, with representation from each of the chemistry subdisciplines and with an associate chair as an ex officio member. The committee receives input from a variety of sources as summarized below.

1. The Chair's office - The chair and associate chairs, with support from the administrative assistant and the grants and personnel administrator, compile an annual report that summarizes many of the direct and indirect measures of learning cited in the foregoing section. The chair and associate chairs also conduct exit interviews with graduating seniors and review the results of a detailed written survey administered to students in our senior seminar course. A student advisory council reports to one of the associate chairs. Portfolios,  implemented for the graduating class of 2009, are collected and reviewed in the department office. Given the chair's broad view of student performance and attitudes, many initiatives for program refinement should come from the department leadership.
2. Area Chairs - Each of the five chemistry subdisciplines has an area chair appointed by the department leadership. These senior faculty members are in the best position to assess trends in their subdisciplines and to recommend changes and improvements based on those trends.
3. Department curriculum reviews - The department conducts periodic reviews of major courses in which a faculty member summarizes the content of each course and its relationship to prerequisites and to later courses that depend on its content. These reviews provide excellent opportunities to review and update course learning objectives in the context of program learning objectives.
4. Individual faculty - As course assignments rotate among the faculty and as new faculty are hired, individual faculty members generate ideas for improvements in the curriculum that are channeled through the curriculum committee.

 

Assessment and Improvement of Teaching

 

Teaching performance is assessed with a combination of student evaluations, peer reviews and annual stewardship interviews with the department chair. Student evaluations are collected for each course taught in the department. Although these online evaluations are not direct measures of either teaching or learning, they are effective gauges of student attitudes and their perceptions of the value that a course has added to their education. Numerical scores and student comments for each faculty member are reviewed at least annually by the department chair. Peer reviews of teaching play a critical role in rank and status reviews and complement student evaluations in providing an assessment of teaching performance. The department has adopted the practice of assigning peer reviewers to a new faculty member in the year that an assistant professor is hired, enabling the peer reviewers to track the progress of the new professor over several semesters.

The department regularly schedules seminars by experts in education to bring outside perspective on developments in chemistry education.

Department Assessment Committee

Jaron Hansen, Dept. Chair; Matthew Asplund, Associate Chair; and Ken Christensen, Associate Chair