Tag: chemistry curriculum

Course design workshop at McGill University coming up

I will be participating in a Course Design Workshop at McGill University for 2 day sessions in the next 2 weeks. Since I have already quite a few lectures under my belt, it is time to take a second look. So I have decided to give Course Redesign a spin, focusing on my Analytical Chemistry lecture.

There are exciting new teaching approaches around, especially for combined theory & lab courses. Interdisciplinary project-based learning [1] provides a better insight how research projects work and are carried out. The project-based approach provides a highly motivating environment and fosters critical thinking in a group-based process. It is something I have been interested in for a while and I certainly want to explore the opportunities the Analytical Chemistry curriculum provides for this approach.

Reference

[1] e.g., DL Van Engelen, SW Suljak, JP Hall & BE Holmes, Undergraduate Introductory W Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory Course: Interdisciplinary Group Projects in Phytoremediation (2007)  Journal of Chemical Education, 84(1) 128-131.

Marking, marking …

… and some more marking. Progress is good, however, and I should be able to get everything done until early next week.I also visited Dawson College today to present the Concordia Co-op Programme, which provides a nice mix of academic and practical experience with work terms in the summer in addition to the regular chemistry curriculum. The work terms provide students with the possibility to network, gain team working skills and get to know several companies! The programme is unique in the Montreal area and not many universities offer such training across Canada.The visit was extremely nice with interested students and some very good questions!