Design and Evaluation of a One-Semester General Chemistry Course for Undergraduate Life Science Majors

The chemistry curriculum for undergraduate life science majors at Purdue University has been transformed to better meet the needs of this student population and prepare them for future success. The curriculum, called the 1-2-1 curriculum, includes four consecutive and integrated semesters of instruction in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry, taken by students in their first two years. As part of this curriculum, a one-semester general chemistry course, General Chemistry with a Biological Focus (GCBF), was created and evaluated. The course covers all topics typically taught in general chemistry, but with a shift in emphasis toward topics relevant to chemistry in biological systems. Students who took this new course performed better in subsequent organic chemistry courses compared with their peers who took a traditional two-semester general chemistry course.