Fall 1998 CONFCHEM Switching Students on to Science

CHEMISTRY COURSES FOR THE MILLENNIUM
KAREN MOSS
Department of Chemistry and Physics
Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK

Abstract:
Chemistry as a degree subject suffers from an image problem - Hard! Boring! Irrelevant!
As a result, in recent years, the numbers electing to study chemistry at degree level have fallen. To tackle this problem a think-tank workshop met in February to look at ways of revitalising interest in our subject. The main idea was to look at the success of a context-based approach to teaching chemistry such as that used by the Salter’s ‘A’ level course and the Open University and ask.
        "Is it possible to apply a context-based approach to the teaching of degree level chemistry?"
The outcomes of the workshop include the following:-

• Due to the diversity of the UK university system and associated autonomy issues - compared to 'A'-levels -, a fully integrated Salter’s style course would be less acceptable than stand-alone "chunks" of material defined in terms of student effort and outcomes.
• By reflecting on best practice from a range of institutions, it is proposed that the best strategy for delivering a "chunk" involves using a wide range of learning processes, apart from the lecture, to deliver material around a storyline that engages interest. This approach will not only enthuse the students studying the material but also encourage other staff to try it for themselves.
• To discover possible "chunks" an survey of a sample of first year chemistry syllabi was carried out. The survey showed that there are a lot of "chunks" in common. Therefore, context-based materials based on these common topics (eg :- Spectroscopy) could, in theory, be offered to all UK Universities .