| Unit name | Synthetic Chemistry Summer School |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CHEM10015 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Professor. Briscoe |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School of Chemistry |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The aim of this unit is to introduce current international Chemistry undergraduate students to advanced laboratory skills in synthetic chemistry. The unit has been carefully designed to offer students a wide exposure to a variety of laboratory skills and experiences within the chemical sciences in conjunction with language classes.
Aims
To promote understanding of the chemical sciences through exploration of scientific techniques.
To work independently in the laboratory environment to design, carry out and analyse chemical experiments and data.
To develop scientific communication skills
To promote the integration of scientific theory with practical application
In their Academic English for Chemistry classes, students will learn the technical and discipline-specific language required to complete a series of experiments. Upon completion of the summer school, students will be equipped with the language skills necessary to explain (in written and oral form) the details of their experiments and learn the correct forms of expression for sharing their work in an English-language context..
It is envisaged that the unit will help develop a wide range of skills required for all chemical science students, both laboratory based as well as transferable skills such as group work, problem solving and scientific communication.
By the end of the unit students should be able to:
1) Competently and safely perform key laboratory skills and procedures.
2) Record and report laboratory work in discipline specific Academic English.
3) Use chemistry-specific software packages to retrieve and analyse chemical information.
4) Effectively communicate experimental chemistry results for the appropriate audience(s) and purpose(s).
5) Work in pairs and groups to prepare, present and review written work and presentations.
The unit will be assessed through a combination of assessed laboratory work (50%: ILOs 1, 2 and 3) and written and oral reports delivered in the final week (50%; ILOs 2, 4 and 5).
For the assessed laboratory work, demonstrators will watch the students performing the experiments and make a holistic judgement of their performance of the intended learning outcomes associated with each experiment against a 21-point mark scheme, and will also provide some written feedback; the students are also asked to do this, enabling a feedback dialogue to take place.
In the first two weeks this will be formative, and only the marks from the final week will go towards the final grade. The final-week report written assessment will be a laboratory report of no more than 5 pages length about one of the experiments from the second week of the course, and will be the culmination of a series of formative assessment activities designed to provide peer- and teacher feedback. Reviewing each others' work and providing feedback is a crucial component of the process, allowing students to not only practice these skills, but also allowing them to improve their own work by comparison with others. The reports will be submitted early in the week, allowing time for preparation of the presentations, which are delivered in a supportive atmosphere to the remainder of the cohort, and which form part of a celebratory final day of the course.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. CHEM10015).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
