ERIC Number: EJ1460239
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Apr
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Integrating Simple Environmental Impact-Based Metrics into the Undergraduate Curriculum
Jackson de Verteuil; Philip G. Jessop; Amanda Bongers
Journal of Chemical Education, v101 n4 p1592-1598 2024
The most important learning objective in green chemistry education is the ability to identify the synthesis, process, or chemical that is least environmentally harmful. Existing metrics fall short for different reasons. Mass-based metrics fail to assess environmental harm, while life cycle assessment (LCA) is much too complex to insert into the existing curriculum without displacing a significant amount of content. However, individual environmental impact-based metrics derived from LCA can be easily incorporated into the curriculum with very little instruction time and no significant displacement of content. For first year or introductory chemistry, we show how typical first-year calculation questions can be expanded to allow students to use an impact-based metric to identify the least harmful of the presented options. For upper-year courses, we propose an activity that scaffolds the LCA process of compiling data, calculating individual impact-based metrics, combining metrics, and using context to make a decision. This activity was implemented using a problem-based learning model to support multivariate reasoning through peer discussions.
Descriptors: Integrated Curriculum, Undergraduate Study, Chemistry, Science Education, Ecology, Sustainability, Conservation (Environment), Sustainable Development, Quality of Life, Evaluation Methods, Teaching Methods, Course Content, College Science, Introductory Courses, College Freshmen, Learning Activities, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Outcome Measures
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A