Abstract: In response to the demands of emerging engineering education and the “101 Plan”, this study addresses the challenges of knowledge fragmentation and application disconnection in elemental chemistry instruction. Using chromium and its compounds as a case study, we implemented pedagogical reforms grounded in OBE principles. Through knowledge mapping for learning diagnostics and content restructuring, we incorporated engineering ethics and science-technology-for-national-strength elements. The innovative BPOPPS teaching model was developed with a “valence-state-property-application” framework and an underlying “environment-versus-technology” dialectical approach, guiding students to construct a “pH-electrode potential-species” model. Teaching practice demonstrated significant outcomes: a 25% improvement in core knowledge mastery, 100% completion rate for group project designs, and 90% of students developing ethical awareness regarding trivalent chromium substitution processes. This approach effectively enhanced higher-order thinking and knowledge-application integration, offering a replicable paradigm for elemental chemistry instruction.

Key words: Inorganic chemistry, OBE framework, AI-enhanced learning, BPOPPS teaching model