Department of Chemistry earns University Exemplary Department or Program Award
Virginia Tech’s Department of Chemistry, in the College of Science, is being honored with the 2025 University Exemplary Department or Program Award.
Awarded by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost in partnership with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, the award recognizes the collaborative efforts and successes of a group of dedicated colleagues actively performing work that is essential for sustaining a truly excellent academic environment.
The Department of Chemistry earned the 2025 award for its work in identifying and implementing data-informed decisions to advance teaching and learning, and creating an environment in which data is used proactively to design interventions that reach both majors and non-majors.
The Department of Chemistry recently redesigned the sequence of classes for chemistry majors through a data- and feedback-driven process that led to a marked increase in major retention from freshman to sophomore year. The department also introduced a recitation section for General Chemistry for non-majors, specifically for students who had low scores on the first test. Since its implementation, students who enroll have seen a score improvement on subsequent tests and the final exam.
A change in the approach to chemistry curriculum influenced by a paper in the Journal of Chemical Education that included survey data from industrial chemists detailing what technical and soft skills undergraduates need to know has been particularly successful and notable in an update to the General Chemistry laboratory course sequence. Additionally, the creation of a new professor of practice position that focuses on experiential learning was informed by survey data and has increased the percentage of chemistry majors pursuing experiential learning from 30 percent to over 75 percent.
Chemistry has been taught at Virginia Tech since the university's founding in 1872. The Department of Chemistry is a center for chemistry instruction and interdisciplinary research and home to nationally and internationally recognized faculty, strong academic programs, and state-of-the-art instructional and research facilities.
Presented annually since 1994, the University Exemplary Department or Program Award was developed as a part of Virginia Tech's Faculty Rewards Project, which sought to clarify the expectations of faculty and define appropriate rewards for their accomplishments. To be eligible, the nominated department or program must have teaching and learning as a primary purpose and identify as a “department” or “program.”
The Department of Chemistry will be officially recognized during a reception on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Blacksburg.
For more information on the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning or the University Exemplary Department or Program Awards, visit the center's website or contact teaching@vt.edu.
