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.