THE
FACULTY
SENATE
Senate
Document Number 3706S
Date
of Senate Approval
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Statement
of Faculty Senate Action:
Effective Date: Fall 2006
1. Delete: On page 77, under Chemistry majors must fulfill the following requirements,
items I, II, and III:
Add: On page 77, in place of deleted entry:
I. Required
course in the major—31 hours, including: CHEM 145, 222, 231, 232, 236, 237,
314, 328, 332, 334, 336, 380, 415, 436.
II. Required
courses outside the major—16 hours, including MATH 191, 192; PHYS 221, 231 (or
222).
III. Other
departmental requirements—Completion of one of the degree requirements outlined
below. A grade of C or better in either CHEM 408 or 418 is required to
demonstrate practical, written, computer, and oral competency in chemistry.
2. Delete:
On page 77, the entry under Bachelor of Science Degree—Concentration in
Chemistry
Add: On
page 77, in place of the deleted entry:
19-20
hours distributed as follows: CHEM 315, 335, 413, 416, 417, 418, 428, 429; one
2-3 hour upper-level chemistry course; MATH 365. MATH 291 is also recommended
for those planning on graduate study in chemistry.
3. Delete: On page 77, the entry under Bachelor of Science Degree—Concentration in Biochemistry
Add: On
page 77, in place of deleted entry:
25-26
hours as follows: CHEM 315, 335, 416, 417, 418, 428, 435, 437, 440; BIOL 116;
and one 3-4 hour upper-level BIOL course approved by the Chair of Chemistry.
4. Delete: On page 77, the entry under Bachelor of Science Degree—Concentration in Environmental Chemistry
Add: On page 77, in place of deleted entry:
17-18
hours as follows: CHEM 413, 416, 417, 418, 430 (environmental chemistry topic),
and at least 4 credit hours of additional 300-400 level course work in
chemistry; ENVR 130; and one 3-4 hour upper-level ENVR course approved by the
Chair of Chemistry.
5. Delete: On page 77, the entry under Bachelor of Arts Degree—Concentration in Chemistry
Add:
On page 77, in place of
deleted entry:
7
hours as follows: CHEM 406, 407, 408, 413, and 3 additional hours of 300-400
level course work in CHEM.
6. Delete: On page 77, the entry under Bachelor of Arts Degree—Concentration in Biochemistry
Add: On page 77, in place of deleted entry:
19
hours as follows: CHEM 406, 407, 408, 435, and 3 additional hours of 300-400
level course work in chemistry; BIOL 116 and 7 hours of 300-400 level course
work in BIOL approved by the Chair of Chemistry.
7. Delete: On page 77, the entry under Bachelor of Arts Degree—Concentration in Chemistry with
Teacher Licensure
Add: On page 77, in place of deleted entry:
4
hours as follows: CHEM 413; ENVR 130; and those requirements indicated under
the Education section of the catalog (see the appropriate advisor in the Education
Department for additional information about teacher licensure). Students who
wish to receive teacher licensure in 9-12 Comprehensive Science (as distinct
from Chemistry) must complete the requirements for Chemistry with teacher
Licensure, as well as BIOL 105 and ENVR 105. Students seeking Middle School
Licensure must complete the requirements listed for Chemistry with Teacher
Licensure as well as BIOL 105. A second area of concentration is required for
Middle School Licensure. The chemistry research requirements and competency are
satisfied by successfully completing EDUC 396/496 and earning a C or higher in
CHEM 415.
Impact Statement
Resources
These changes do not
negatively impact the day-to-day function of the Chemistry Department, its
students, or departments delivering courses required by the Department of
Chemistry. The proposed courses can be covered with existing resources and the
additional credit hours in Chemistry will benefit the University, since
Chemistry is a Category-III discipline.
The changes at the 100- and
200-levels will not require any additional resources to meet current demand.
Existing resources will be shifted to the new courses since students will also
be shifting from the existing courses into the new ones. As these changes become
familiar to everyone and other departments recognize the advantages of the new
courses and order, the Chemistry Department anticipates being able to phase out
the existing CHEM 144, 234, and 235 and moving those resources elsewhere in the
department.
Upper-level changes will
also not require additional permanent resources to meet current demand. Savings
associated with the lower-level courses can be used to cover the few additional
sections of upper-level lecture courses. The additional research courses have
no resource impact and will be covered as the existing courses are currently
handled.
Since chemistry is a
Category-III (Cat.-III) student credit-hour discipline, additional chemistry
courses taken at the expense of most other courses will have a positive impact
on university resources. With regard to generating instructional positions, and
the dollars that come with them, it takes 643.72 SCH in Category-I (Cat.-I) and
487.37 SCH in Category-II (Cat.-II), relative to 364.88 in Category-III (chemistry’s
category) to generate an instructional position. In terms of percentages, it
takes 34% more Cat.-II SCH and 76% more Cat. I SCH to generate an instructional
position than in a Cat.-III discipline.
Student Learning
All of the changes will
improve student learning and make chemistry majors more competitive relative to
their colleagues from across the State of
Rationale
All of these changes are
intended to improve the student experience within the Department of Chemistry
at UNCA. They are also intended to make chemistry majors more competitive
relative to their peers from across
Lower Level Changes
The current lower level
sequence of courses at UNCA is CHEM 111, 132, 144, 145, 234, and 235. (see
Figure 1) Bonding theory is covered at the end of CHEM 132, and is covered in
the very beginning of the first semester of organic (CHEM 234). Unfortunately,
this course sequence places a semester of highly quantitative chemistry (CHEM
144/145) in between the highly qualitative coverage of bonding theory,
distracting many students and creating an unnecessary negative opinion of
chemistry.
The proposed restructuring
of the lower level curriculum (see Figure 2) would provide an order of coverage
that tells a more coherent story than the current curriculum. Students would
proceed directly from CHEM 132 and 111 into the first semester of organic
chemistry, CHEM 231. This would allow them to apply what they learned at the
end of CHEM 132 to real world organic examples in the beginning of CHEM 231.
While they are learning about fundamental organic concepts, students would also
be taking CHEM 145, which will undergo a restructuring to serve not as a
quantitative chemistry lab, but as project-based laboratory that will use
projects and teamwork to introduce students to the interdisciplinary nature of
chemistry and research.
The restructuring of the
curriculum at the lower level is also designed to get the information that
interests students to them sooner. As was mentioned earlier, most of the
students who take chemistry courses are not chemistry majors, and their
interests are not consistent with the traditional ordering of chemistry
material. Nationally the field of chemistry has recognized this and chemistry
departments are responding by covering more organic chemistry sooner and this
proposal does this at UNCA.
Since UNCA’s previous
analytical chemist was hired almost two decades ago, the field of analytical
chemistry has changed dramatically. Unfortunately our analytical curriculum has
not kept pace. However, UNCA’s new analytical chemist, just hired this year, is
only two years out from her Ph.D. and ready to modernize the curriculum. This
represents a third goal of the lower-level changes and is being accomplished by
reformulating CHEM 145 and adding a much stronger, traditional sophomore-level
analytical laboratory class to the curriculum.
Unlike the current course
sequence, which has a unidirectional flow, the proposed scheme allows for
significant flexibility for students in other departments that require
chemistry courses for their majors. For example, should the Biology Department
ultimately decide to require their students to take the “new” courses, multiple
options are available. Their “cell/molecular” students could follow the
“chemistry major sequence” (CHEM 132/111 à CHEM 231 à CHEM 232/222 à CHEM 236) or utilize a sequence that is very similar
to what they currently do (CHEM 132/111 à CHEM 236 à CHEM 231 à CHEM 232/222). The Biology Department also has the
ability to refine its chemistry requirements in light of the disconnection of the
organic laboratories from the lectures. A similar scenario exists for students
in other departments that require chemistry courses.
Upper Level Changes
The upper level changes are
intended to make UNCA chemistry majors more competitive when they apply for
jobs or graduate school. The changes include expanding the research sequence
from three to five courses (CHEM 380, 415, 406 or 416, 407 or 417, 408 or 418),
changing the nature of research for the BA degree options, adding advanced
electives to most of the degree options, and including a stand alone
computational course in some of the degree options.
The Department of Chemistry
continues to maintain its longstanding belief that undergraduate research is
the ultimate way to learn chemistry. Laboratory classes are being modified to
simulate research and more students are looking to join research groups within
the department. To keep pace, the department has hired a number of bright and
energetic faculty members over the last decade who are well respected in the
greater chemistry community. Unfortunately the funding climate has become more
and more competitive and necessitated an increased expectation of students
doing research. In recognition of this increased effort on the part of students
and to demonstrate to outsiders that serious research can be done at UNCA, the
department is expanding its research sequence from three to five courses.
The new research sequence
will begin in the spring of the sophomore year with CHEM 380, Chemical Research
Methods. This is an existing course that is being moved up a semester in the
curriculum so students get an earlier exposure to the methods of research and
the projects that are ongoing in the department. It also gives the students an
extra summer to work on their research projects.
The second course in the
sequence will be CHEM 415, Chemistry Seminar. This course is designed to teach
students about public speaking in general and specifically about how to create
and deliver a viable chemistry presentation. For the last couple of years we
have tried to have students learn how to do this in one of the two currently
required research courses, but it has not gone well and students complain about
the amount of work for the credit given. By using a standalone course, we hope
to convey the importance of being able to present research results in public
while simultaneously not detracting from the importance of doing research when
enrolled in a research course. The students, who will have selected a research
advisor and research topic in CHEM 380, will develop the introduction to their
senior thesis and give a final presentation on the topic to the entire
department.
Subsequent practice will
occur in each of the next two research courses, CHEM 416 and 417, as students
present posters or presentations to update the faculty at the end of each
semester on the progress of their research. The fifth and final research course
will culminate with a written senior thesis and a final oral defense, which
will be evaluated to determine written, oral, and major competency.
As is the case with BA
chemistry students all around the country, BA students at UNCA are more
interested in going into chemistry related fields, such as medicine, pharmacy,
sales, politics, the law, etc., instead of the pharmaceutical or chemical
industry or graduate school. For these students, an intense laboratory-based
research experience is not necessary. However, being involved in some type of
scholarship is important. Therefore, the department is creating a new research
sequence (CHEM 406, 407, and 408) for the BA majors that involves the primary
literature and parallels the BS sequence (CHEM 416, 417, and 418). Instead, the
new sequence will require the BA students to complete a library-based research
project. Like their BS peers, the BA students will take CHEM 380 and 415 and
give the same types of presentations during their work.
The stand alone
computational chemistry course and the advanced electives are being added to
make sure that students are exposed to important cutting-edge topics and that
they are competitive when they apply for jobs or to graduate programs. Related
to these issues is the department's desire to obtain ACS approval for all of
its BS degrees, not just the Concentration in Chemistry. Degrees not approved
by the ACS carry little or no weight with many graduate programs and employers.
Students and parents increasingly want to know why the BS biochemistry and
environmental concentrations are not approved by the ACS.
The BS-Concentration in
Biochemistry option is noticeably larger in the proposed curriculum than the
other two BS degrees. This is a direct result of preparing for ACS approval.
The ACS requires an upper level biology course in an approved chemistry degree
with a biochemistry emphasis. And since the advanced courses that would be
appropriate have BIOL 116 as a prerequisite, that course must also be included
in the degree requirements.
Table 1 contains data
compiled from UNCA’s sister institutions in the UNC system that offer chemistry
degrees. A review of that data clearly shows that in a discipline like
chemistry, where exposure to cutting-edge information is critical for
competitiveness, UNCA students are currently at a distinct disadvantage when it
comes to their peers at sister institutions.
Table 1. Chemistry Degrees
in the UNC System
|
UNCA Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
Proposed SCH |
|
BS-Conc. In Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
61 |
66-67 |
|
BS-Conc. In Biochemistry
(Future ACS Approved) |
61 |
72-73 |
|
BS-Conc. In Envr.
Chemistry (Future ACS Approved) |
59 |
64-65 |
|
BA-Conc. In Chemistry |
52 |
54 |
|
BA-Conc. In Biochemistry |
60 |
66 |
|
BA-Conc. In Chemistry with
T.L. |
53 |
51 |
|
ASU Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
64-66 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
66-68 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Environmental |
85 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Buisness |
73-75 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Forensics |
80 |
|
|
ECSU Dept. of Chemistry
and Physics |
Current SCH |
|
|
BS Chemistry |
83 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Biochemistry |
80 |
|
|
ECU Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BS Chemistry |
73-75 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
75-77 |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
47-54 |
|
|
FSU Dept. of Natural
Sciences |
Current SCH |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
57 |
|
|
BS Chemistry |
72-73 |
|
|
NCAT Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
71-73 |
|
|
BS Chemisry - Biochemistry |
87-89 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Prehealth |
81 |
|
|
NCCU Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BS Chemistry |
58 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
64 |
|
|
NCSU Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
45-47 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
70-71 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Marine
Sciences |
71 |
|
|
UNC Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
AB Chemistry |
37-50 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
70-75 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Biochemistry (ACS Approved) |
72-77 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Polymer
(ACS Approved) |
70-75 |
|
|
UNCC Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
48 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
64 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Biochemistry |
73 |
|
|
UNCG Dept. of Chemistry
and Biochemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
48 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
66-67 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Biochemistry |
70-71 |
|
Table 1. Chemistry Degrees
in the UNC System (cont.)
|
UNCA Dept. of Chemistry |
Current SCH |
Proposed SCH |
|
BS-Conc. In Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
61 |
66-67 |
|
BS-Conc. In Biochemistry
(Future ACS Approved) |
61 |
72-73 |
|
BS-Conc. In Envr.
Chemistry (Future ACS Approved) |
59 |
64-65 |
|
BA-Conc. In Chemistry |
52 |
54 |
|
BA-Conc. In Biochemistry |
60 |
66 |
|
UNCP Dept. of Chemistry
and Physics |
Current SCH |
|
|
BS Chemistry |
56-58 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Professional (ACS Approved) |
69 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Environmental |
68-70 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Molecular
Biotechnology |
75 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Prehealth |
78 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Medical
Technology |
87 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Prepharmacy |
61-63 |
|
|
UNCW Dept. of Chemistry
and Biochemistry |
Current SCH |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
60 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
76 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Biochemistry (ACS Approved) |
81 |
|
|
WCU Department of
Chemistry and Physics |
Current SCH |
|
|
BA Chemistry |
49 |
|
|
BS Chemistry Traditional |
55 |
|
|
BS Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
63 |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Biotechnology |
51(58) |
|
|
BS Chemistry -
Environmental |
68 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Industrial |
58 |
|
|
BS Chemistry - Premed |
54 |
|
|
WSSU Department of
Chemistry |
|
|
|
(Information Unavailable
on the Web) |
|
|
The proposed changes will
not put UNCA students near the top in terms of credit hours for their degrees.
However, these changes will provide UNCA students with enough to allow their
unique research experience to compensate for any deficiencies and enable them
to compete with the very best the UNC system has to offer.
A review of the required
credit hours for other majors at UNCA (Table 2.) shows that proposed changes in
the chemistry options are right in line with many of UNCA’s other natural science
majors, for both the BA and BS degree options. It should also be noted that
over half of the faculty in the Chemistry Department were educated and/or
taught at liberal arts colleges before coming to UNCA and that the department
is strongly committed to the principles and philosophy of a liberal arts
education. Faculty in the department continue to be active participants in
UNCA’s ILS program. Department faculty are coordinating two clusters and
teaching in three, have and continue to participate in the LSIC program, are
actively seeking WI, IL, and Q intensive designations for courses that benefit
more than just chemistry majors, and are actively promoting the development of
the diversity intensives.
Increasing the number of
hours in the chemistry degree options is not about pursing a discipline at the
expense of the liberal arts. Instead, it is about strengthening the liberal
arts experience at UNCA by producing excellent chemistry graduates. We do our
students and ourselves a disservice if we promote liberal learning but do not
prepare our students to succeed once they leave UNCA. Our students have been
successful in the past competing with students from the country’s best research
institutions as well as the finest private liberal arts colleges and we need to
ensure that they remain competitive in the future. To do so requires us to
realize that it is their training in chemistry that gets them to the interview
and it is their liberal arts experience that seals the deal.
Table 2. Required Credit Hours for Majors in the
Natural Sciences and Other Selected Areas at UNCA
|
Chemistry |
Current |
Proposed |
|
BS-Conc. In Chemistry (ACS
Approved) |
61 |
66-67 |
|
BS-Conc. In Biochemistry
(Future ACS Approved) |
61 |
72-73 |
|
BS-Conc. In Envr.
Chemistry (Future ACS Approved) |
59 |
64-65 |
|
BA-Conc. In Chemistry |
52 |
54 |
|
BA-Conc. In Biochemistry |
60 |
66 |
|
BA-Conc. In Chemistry with
T.L. |
53 |
51 |
|
Atmospheric Sciences |
Current |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Climatology |
67 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Weather
Forecasting |
57 |
|
|
Biology |
Current |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Ecol. &
Evol. Biology |
66-75 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Cell &
Molec. Biology |
64-71 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In General
Biology |
54-59 |
|
|
Computer Science |
Current |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Computer
Systems |
64 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Information
Systems |
58 |
|
|
Engineering |
Current |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Mechatronics |
101 |
|
|
Environmental Studies |
Current |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Earth Science |
56-58 |
|
|
BS -Conc. in Ecology and
Evol. Biology |
59-75 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Envr. Mgmt.
and Policy |
63-74 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Pollution
Control |
60-69 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Earth Science
with T.L. |
63-70 |
|
|
Management and Accountancy |
Current |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Management |
61 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Accounting |
61 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Industrial and
Engineering Mgmt. |
83 |
|
|
Mathematics |
Current |
|
|
BA-Conc. In Pure (Theor.)
Mathematics |
47-50 |
|
|
BA-Conc. In Applied
Mathematics |
56-59 |
|
|
BA-Conc. In Statistics |
48 |
|
|
Music |
Current |
|
|
BA-General Music Emphasis |
40 |
|
|
BA-Jazz Studies Emphasis |
40 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Music
Technology |
62-64 |
|
|
Physics |
Current |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Prep. for
Grad. School |
52-55 |
|
|
BS-Conc. In Applied
Physics |
55-58 |
|