Empowering decision-making in the first-year undergraduate teaching laboratory

Conference item : Poster

The prevailing educational literature maintains that the use of expository, ‘recipe-style’, activities is necessary in first-year practical teaching sessions to prevent cognitive overload. However, student feedback suggests such a rigid format reduces student engagement, limits student ownership of learning, and limits the development of scientific and transferrable problem-solving skills needed for their final year research project and their future careers.

To address these limitations of traditional curricula, a novel ‘spiral curriculum’ featuring an innovative decision-making framework was designed and implemented. The framework introduces five distinct decision types ranging from simple apparatus or analytical technique selection through to full experimental design, progressively increasing in complexity over the first six months of study. By scaffolding decision-making in this way, students develop a deeper understanding of scientific principles, the rationale behind laboratory techniques, and essential problem-solving skills.

Initial decisions focus on core considerations of the scientific method, such as equipment calibration and standardisation, or what analytical evidence is needed for a reaction to be considered complete. Over time broader factors such as sustainability, cost and safety are incorporated. By embedding these elements, students develop a more comprehensive understanding of the wider context of the task at hand, fostering a deeper appreciation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations within chemistry. Student feedback confirms increased understanding and engagement through this ‘spiral’ approach, challenging the prevailing dogma against introducing problem-solving at an early stage in practical curricula.

Authors: Stewart, M; Hancox, C; Wilmore, J; Forsyth, E; Tanner, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Reviewed (other)
• Publisher: Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford
• Publication date: 2025-05-08
• Acceptance date: 2025-04-11
• Event title: CLEAR Symposium 2025
• Event location: Online
• Event website: https://clearsymposium.weebly.com/
• Event start date: 2025-05-08
• Event end date: 2025-05-08
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-e9gqpkppa
• Language: English
• Keywords: practical chemistry; experimental design; chemical education
• Subtype: Poster