The School of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne has transformed how more than 3,000 first-year students engage with chemistry through the Undergraduate Chemistry Practical Subject Rejuvenation project. Driven by the dual goals of improving learning outcomes and embedding sustainability into everyday laboratory practice, the initiative has reshaped both curriculum design and operational culture within one of the University’s largest teaching laboratories.
The rejuvenated program shifts away from recipe-style confirmation experiments toward experiences that emphasise problem-solving, data interpretation, decision-making, and sustainability. Students are challenged to evaluate experimental design, justify methodological choices, assess uncertainty, and consider environmental and ethical implications alongside technical outcomes.
A central focus of the transformation has been embedding Green Chemistry principles and sustainability frameworks throughout the curriculum. Sustainability is positioned as integral to scientific thinking rather than an optional add-on. Every experiment includes a clear “sustainability takeaway,” prompting students to critically reflect on waste generation, resource efficiency, and safer chemical practices. Assessment tasks prioritise scientific reasoning, communication, and critical evaluation over procedural accuracy alone.
Operational changes support this shift, including reducing single-use materials, improving waste systems, and streamlining workflows to model sustainable laboratory practice.
Together, these changes prepare students not only to understand chemistry, but to practise it responsibly and adaptively in research, industry, and broader societal contexts.