Chemistry for the Informed Citizen

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Chemistry (12). This collaboration is increasing the scientific literacy of undergraduate non-science majors by fostering an understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry. This is being accomplished by creating, testing, and implementing an inquiry-based curriculum, Chemistry for the Informed Citizen (CIC), in diverse academic settings and with diverse student populations. The curriculum is targeting common misunderstandings about the nature of scientific knowledge and inquiry as well as supplementing students' experiences with readings and reflection prompts to help them connect ideas about the nature of science with the process undertaken to construct their knowledge of chemistry concepts. The project also includes a professional development plan for faculty and Teaching Assistants implementing the CIC curriculum as well as an educational research and evaluation component. The project is being carried out by an interdisciplinary team of scientists and science education experts at a four-year university and two community colleges. The broader impact of this project is an increased scientific literacy for students in a wide range of careers, including future elementary teachers who will be better prepared to foster scientific literacy in their students. These students also represent a broad diversity of age, income level and ethnicity.