DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00564

Summary
The ACS Division of Chemical Education, Examinations Institute (ACS Exams) has been developing and publishing Anchoring Concepts Content Maps (ACCMs) for the various subdisciplines of the undergraduate program in chemistry. In this paper, the consideration of green chemistry content in the context of the content maps, throughout a recent collaboration between the Examinations Institute and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute, is presented. The method followed in order to incorporate green chemistry into the organic chemistry ACCM is described.
First, the design and development of these content maps with the general structure of broad, ubiquitous concepts pervading any subdiscipline (Level 1) to narrow, assessment-level content details that are subdiscipline specific (Level 4), are presented. Then, the 10 Anchoring Concepts (also known as “Big Ideas”) that have been used at developing and publishing Anchoring Concepts Content Maps (ACCMs) by ACS are listed.
Through working with faculty who teach green chemistry courses or organic chemistry courses with the theme of green chemistry, the organic chemistry content map has been revised and reconceptualized with the theme of green chemistry included. The process, excerpts of the content map, and alignments of traditional organic chemistry exam items to both the organic chemistry content map and the organic chemistry content map with the inclusion of green chemistry are reported. The limitations of this work are also presented.
The authors concluded that the addition of green chemistry to the organic chemistry ACCM only enhanced the ACCM rather than altered the ACCM. Any deviations in the item content locations were more likely due to additional statements added for clarity rather than for specific green chemistry concepts.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper deals with green chemistry and proposes an approach of incorporating green chemistry to organic chemistry curriculum through ACCMs.

Point of Strength
The point of strength of this article is that the project described can be used as a means to identify ways that green chemistry can enhance an organic chemistry curriculum. Alternatively, if some green chemistry has been included in an existing course, the new green chemistry/organic chemistry ACCM can serve as an evaluation tool.