Setting the bar for chemistry education

Simon Bott went to Swansea University in 2016 charged with a major task: work with colleagues to reopen a chemistry department that had been shut down 12 years earlier because of a decline in student interest in science and technology subjects. Bott had previously spent 19 years at the University of Houston after 8 years at the University of North Texas. He became involved with the American Chemical Society in Houston and was an ACS councillor and a member of the Society Committee on Education. His experience as a liaison to a working group setting up the ACS Global Recognition Program (GRP) within the Committee on Professional Training uniquely positioned Bott to succeed at the job in front of him at Swansea.

The GRP was developed in 2019 to offer a path for institutions worldwide to implement and be recognized for having standards and guidelines to ensure that undergraduate chemistry students are receiving the skills, content knowledge, and experience necessary for career success. The GRP is based on the ACS Approval Program, which is specific to US institutions and includes over 700 approved programs. The chemistry program at Swansea University was one of the first three to be recognized, along with those at Mahidol University International College and the University of Valle. Other recognized programs not covered in this story include those at the Federal University of Goiás and the University of Ibadan.

“Both the approval and recognition programs aim to equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities for successful careers in the chemical sciences,” says Michelle Brooks, assistant director of the ACS Office of Higher Education. “They share the same foundational tenets: infrastructure, institutional support, curriculum, faculty support, safety, curriculum, the development of professional and analytical skills, and cultivating an environment that supports a sense of belonging for all students and faculty.” The main differences between the two programs are their evaluation processes and that one is domestic and one global. The approval program requires a site visit to assess all components, while the GRP “replaces the site visit with a formal conference between the ACS Committee on Professional Training and department representatives,” Brooks says. Acknowledging the diversity of educational programs around the world, she adds that the GRP “doesn’t offer a certified degree, while the domestic program does.”

“Chemistry has become increasingly global, and ACS’s shifting strategic focus to this area is a testament to this,” Brooks says. “This comes with increased mobility and opportunities for collaboration, but these can be hindered due to uncertainties in standards and competencies.”

Swansea is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), which covers programs in the UK. The university is also the only UK institution affiliated with the ACS, through both the GRP and an International Student Chapter. “The RSC demands a little bit more in some areas,” Bott says. “The ACS demands a little bit more in other areas.” One example is assessments. “You would submit your exams and so forth, but the UK system is much less assessment heavy than the US system,” he says. “I never heard the phrase ‘overassessed’ until I came back over here [from Houston], and according to people here, ‘Poor American students, they are crazily overassessed’.” In fact, he thinks the European model goes a bit easy on students.

Bott was helping prepare the department for the RSC accreditation process, which started right before the ACS GRP process. “It was really good having that second set of eyes with a slightly different perspective,” he says, referring to ACS reviewers. Two things the Swansea chemistry department did after reading reviewer comments: added more math, like physics, into first-year coursework and looked at how to better assess teamwork required throughout the curriculum. ACS reviewers also paid close attention to staff workload in their evaluation and suggested closer consideration of who would assume tasks associated with the updated curriculum.

Other institutions, including Mahidol University International College, have incorporated the GRP criteria in the planned revision of their chemistry curricula. Professor Manchuta Dangkulwanich says Mahidol came across the program while researching international guidelines for chemistry programs. “We found the guidelines for the ACS-approved program in the USA, and the guidelines align with who we want our graduates to be,” she says. The department refocused on core chemistry and natural science subjects and introduced a compulsory two-credit polymer course, according to Dangkulwanich. It also moved to emphasize practical laboratory experiences designed to help students understand the theory and operation of modern instruments and how to use them safely and correctly.

Giorgi Jibuti, a professor at Tbilisi State University (TSU), worked on gaining recognition for its English-language chemistry program. TSU had a joint program with San Diego State University, a school with ACS approval for its chemistry program, and TSU “wanted to get the global accreditation,” Jibuti says. A major challenge was making the program ACS compliant while also aligning with local mandates. He says that meeting GRP standards such as the requirement for more laboratory time prepared the department to submit for its European accreditation.Institutions may encounter other hurdles, including financial difficulties upgrading teaching and research facilities to meet standards, says Modinah A. O. Abdul Raheem, head of the chemistry department at the University of Ilorin and director of its Centre for Open and Distance Learning. And Mahidol’s Dangkulwanich says time zone differences can be a problem.

“Many of the world’s current and future issues are challenges that can most likely be solved through chemistry,” Brooks says. “Excellence in postsecondary chemistry education simply means that you are developing a complex ecosystem of future chemistry professionals and problem-solvers.”

The University of Ilorin was the first institution in Africa to earn global recognition from the ACS. The GRP “has bolstered our department’s reputation, increased ACS membership among faculty members, and attracted more students,” Raheem says.

“Our curriculum has been enriched by incorporating international best practices, equipping our students with skills and knowledge relevant both locally and globally,” Raheem says. “Many of our graduates have gained acceptance into prestigious graduate programs abroad, secured international internships, and landed notable jobs.” He expects that opportunities for students will continue to grow as the department strengthens academic output and fosters international collaborations.

Jibuti says more students in TSU’s chemistry program are now participating in semester-long exchange programs, and he thinks global recognition has contributed to the rise. And Dangkulwanich has seen students continue their master’s and PhD studies in the UK, Europe, and Australia—as well as in the US, though less so recently. She credits the GRP for helping equip them with the knowledge and skills “that lead to admission to esteemed postgraduate programs.”

Brooks says that “by placing high expectations and academic standards on themselves, universities ensure that their graduates have the tools to be valuable contributors to the global chemistry enterprise.”