Pan-Canadian learning outcomes in chemistry: a national snapshot

Abstract

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students have, for generations, chosen university Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.) programs for themselves with little or no information about what they may get out of those programs, except as implicitly communicated within the culture and curriculum. However, in Canada, B. Sc. programs typically must explicitly state their program outcomes, at least in their initial submission to their respective provincial ministries of post-secondary education. We undertook a survey of all Canadian institutions’ B. Sc. programs in chemistry to provide a national snapshot of the values and priorities encompassed in institutional delivery of these programs. Our results show a definite preference for knowledge over other learning domains, particularly in translational skills, chemistry, science and the laboratory. Alignment with provincial degree-level expectations, mostly standardized across Canada, is discussed as well.

Laboratory activities to support online chemistry courses: a literature review

“…In fact, accreditation of chemistry bachelor degree programs (including laboratory work) in educational jurisdictions in Canada require evidence of meeting standards in the areas of knowledge, attitudes, and skills (essentially Bloom's three domains). 42 Again, the caution here is that much of what is discussed and reported in the literature is heavily focused on the cognitive domain.…”