Becoming a Chemist: Scaffolding Authentic Professional Skill Experiences into the Undergraduate Chemistry and Biochemistry Curricula – Afternoon Session

Description: Becoming a professional in any field requires learning how to navigate entry into the field and moving as a professional within it. To do this undergraduate students must become proficient both in the mechanics (such as writing resumes and applying for jobs) and also in the behavior and practices required by professionals in the field (such as working on teams and networking). It is true that many resources which help students acquire these skills are available through professional affiliations; however, students often do not know of their existence, or how to use them effectively.

Furthermore, students who are unaware of these resources are often from groups who are historically underserved, creating an additional barrier to their success. In an attempt to combat this, programs may include professional skills within their coursework, but these attempts can often feel like non-authentic experiences or add-ons that have no relevance to the course. In fact, many learning experiences related to professional skills are optional for students through workshops or speakers presented by a campus career center where students self-select into them. This results in students who do not see the value in learning about professional skills or the fact that these professional skills are contextual to specific fields.

To be more effective, a program should aim for curricula that:

1) scaffold these experiences across the student’s entire experience rather than within an individual course;

2) are created through a backward design approach; and

3) utilize best practices and authentic experiences situated within the curriculum so that every student benefits and appreciates the value of professional skill development.

This day-long symposium will present the current need for and research on best practices in teaching professional skills (morning session) and examples from authentic, scaffolded professional skills curriculum including data collected on student learning.