Scaffolding Research into the Four-Year Chemistry Curriculum at Bridgewater State University

Undergraduate research is a crucial part of the chemistry program at Bridgewater State University. While not mandatory, many of our majors gain research experience through a small class size CHEM 390 research course with a faculty mentor. However, due to a heavy faculty teaching load and many commuter and working students, only 20-30% of chemistry majors participate in CHEM 390 research. Additional research experience is afforded in research-based advanced laboratory courses but is not far-reaching either. To make research more inclusive and equitable, chemistry faculty integrated and scaffolded research throughout the four-year curriculum starting in 2016, supported by an NSF-CUR grant and BSU funding. This presentation highlights significant curriculum revisions over the past eight years, including the replacement of traditional chemistry cookbook experiments with inquiry-based and project-based labs in introductory courses (CHEM 141/142) and research-based labs in analytical chemistry (CHEM 351). Challenges and successes in these curriculum revisions while keeping up with ACS curriculum requirements will also be discussed, as well as associated course- and program-level assessments.