Chemrev Final

8/22/2019 Chemrev Final

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Review of the Student

Learning Experience in:

CHEMISTRY

2008


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Consultant and AuthorDr Michael Gagan (formerly Open University)

ResearcherDr Ruth Wellock, Higher Education Academy Physical Sciences Centre, University of Hull

Advisory PanelProfessor David Phillips (Chair), Imperial College; Chair, RSC Education and Qualifications BoardDr Stuart Bennett, The Open University; President, RSC Education DivisionProfessor Steve Chapman, University of Edinburgh; Chair, Heads of Chemistry UKDr Mike Cole (Part), Manchester Metropolitan UniversityProfessor Mike Edmunds, Consultant, University of CardiffProfessor Peter Goodhew, Director, Higher Education Academy UK Centre for Materials Education;Project Director, National Subject Profile for higher education programmes in MaterialsDr John Holton, Strategic Development Director, Cogent Sector Skills Council

Professor Richard Jackson, The University of Sheffield; Heads of Chemistry UKDr Brian Murphy (Part), Manchester Metropolitan UniversityProfessor Tina Overton, Director, Higher Education Academy Physical Sciences Centre,University of HullMrs Libby Steele, RSC, Manager, Professional Education and DevelopmentDr Paul Yates, Keele University, Chair, RSC Tertiary Education Group

Contents

1. Foreword ................................................................................................................................2

2. Preface....................................................................................................................................43. Executive summary ...............................................................................................................6

4. Introduction and methodology ............................................................................................8

5. Background and context.....................................................................................................115.1 The interaction of chemistry and society......................... ................................... ......................... ............ 115.2 Chemistry in the UK economy ..................................... ..................................... ..................................... .... 125.3 Chemistry as a teaching discipline in the UK .................................. ................................... ..................... 135.4 Recent events of significance for undergraduate chemistry teaching .............................. .................. 14

5.4.1 Departments and programmes .................................................... .................................. .................... 145.4.2 The enhanced first degree courses .................................... ................................... .......................... 145.4.3 Improving teaching quality .................................. .................................. .......................... ..................... 165.4.4 European developments and influences ................................ .................................. ........................ . 17

5.5 The role of the Royal Society of Chemistry in chemistry education ............................. ................... 185.6 The role of the HEA Physical Sciences Centre in chemistry education ............................... ............ 195.7 Generic background issues not specific to chemistry ................................ .................................. ......... 195.8 Teacher training ............................................................................................................................................. 21

6. The School-University Transition ............................................................................................................ 226.1 Secondary education qualifications .............................. ................................. ......................... .................... 226.2 Levels of entry qualification .................................. ................................. .......................... ............................ 236.3 Trends in entry to full time programmes in chemistry ................................. .................................. ...... 256.4 Starting a university course .................................................... ................................. .......................... .......... 26


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7. Undergraduate programmes in chemistry ......................................................................................... 287.1 The chemistry curriculum ........................................................................................................................... 287.2 Curriculum review and development .................................. ................................... ....................... ........... 29

7.3 Class of degrees for chemistry students ..................................... ..................................... ........................ 308. Student satisfaction with their programmes ..................................................................................... 32

9. Student welfare ................................................................................................................................................ 34

10. Student workload .......................................................................................................................................... 36

11. Types of teaching........................................................................................................................................... 3911.1 Lectures ......................................................................................................................................................... 4011.2 Tutorials ........................................................................................................................................................ 4011.3 Workshops ................................................................................................................................................... 4211.4 Problem Solving Classes ............................................................................................................................ 4211.5 E-learning and educational technology .............................. ................................. ......................... ........... 42

11.6 Practical Work ............................................................................................................................................. 4411.7 Students working in groups ...................................................................................................................... 4611.8 Project Work ............................................................................................................................................... 4611.9 Learning outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4711.10 Transferable skills ..................................................................................................................................... 4811.11 Mathematics ............................................................................................................................................... 4911.12 Non-chemistry subjects (other than mathematics) ............................... .................................. ......... 49

12. Assessment....................................................................................................................................................... 51

13. Feedback............................................................................................................................................................ 5413.1 Feedback on teaching ................................................................................................................................. 5413.2 Feedback to students ................................................................................................................................. 55

14. Chemistry teaching staff............................................................................................................................ 5614.1 Developing teaching skills ......................................................................................................................... 5614.2 Teaching commitments .............................. .................................... ................................... ......................... 57

15. Preparing students for employment.................................................................................................... 59

16.Work placement and foreign exchange............................................................................................. 62

17. Input from employers/employees ......................................................................................................... 65

18. The chemistry graduate............................................................................................................................. 67

19. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................................... 70

20. References......................................................................................................................................................... 71

21. Glossary of terms .......................................................................................................................................... 78

Appendix 1: Grouping of University Chemistry Departments ................................ ................................. ..... 83

Appendix 2: Names of Departments in Universities teaching Chemistry ................................ ................... 86

Appendix 3: Names of Degree Courses followed by students responding to the questionnaire ......... 87

Appendix 3a: Other popular courses offered by departments .............................. .................................. ...... 88

Appendix 4: List of National Student Survey Questionnaire Statements ............................. ....................... 89

Appendix 5: Choices of Subjects other than Chemistry and Mathematics ........................... ...................... 90

Index ............................................................................................................................................................................. 91


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2 Review of the Student Learning Experience in Chemistry

1. Foreword

In 2007 the Higher Education Academycommissioned three Subject Centres toproduce National Subject Profiles in Materials,Microbiology, Biochemistry and Art, Design and

Media. Although not part of this pilot schemethe Physical Sciences Centre believed that thetime was right to carry out a similar review ofthe undergraduate experience of teaching andlearning in chemistry and in physics. This reportis the product of that review in chemistry.

The aim of this report is to provide a snapshotview of the state of the student experience inUK chemistry departments in 2008. We haveused online and paper questionnaires to

determine the views of undergraduate studentsand all levels of staff across a wide range ofinstitutions. This information has beensupplemented by detailed interviews withDirectors of Study in several institutions.Although these samples were not statisticallysignificant we are confident that they dorepresent a cross section of views.

Overall, this review demonstrates thatchemistry education in the UK is in good shape.Recruitment is showing indications of upturn

and students are generally well qualified. Theyare overwhelmingly satisfied with theirexperience. Perhaps most surprisingly, thenature of the student experience differs verylittle across different types of institution.

We hope that this report will be of value to allthose involved in teaching undergraduatechemists and to those in a position to influencecurriculum developments. It should make a

useful companion to the baseline informationobtained from the National Student Survey.

We would like to thank the members of theAdvisory Panel for their constructive supportand sound advice. Thanks are also due to theacademic staff and undergraduate students whotook the time to complete the substantialquestionnaires and to provide advice andfeedback through the development phase byattending focus group meetings. Mike Edmunds

and Michael Gagan, consultants on the physicsand chemistry reviews respectively, haveproduced reports of outstanding quality andshould be congratulated.

Professor Tina OvertonDirector, Higher Education AcademyPhysical Sciences Centre


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Higher Education Academy Physical Sciences Centre 3


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It is a pleasure to write the preface to thisReview of the Student Learning Experience inChemistry. Although this has been producedsimultaneously with the National Subject

Profiles supported by the Higher EducationAcademy (HEA), the present report was not socommissioned. However, chemistry is such avital subject in the pantheon of the sciences,and opens the student career gateway in such avariety of ways, it was felt that a parallel studywas essential for chemistry, and it is hoped thatreaders will agree. The Review has thereforebeen funded independently by the HEA PhysicalSciences Centre.

This report is intended primarily for Departmental Heads and other managers

of HEIs for use in considering the futureorganisation and delivery of chemistry

teaching industry to use in dialogue with HEI

Departments the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

and other bodies to use in presentingand representing the discipline ofchemistry to Government, the public,and industry

potential students and departments inproviding evidence to support theirrecruitment of both students and staff

use by Vice-chancellors and senioruniversity management in supporting thechemical sciences, and understanding thenature of the subject, and its role withinscience, engineering and medicine.

2. Preface

The Panel felt the results of the surveyswere a cause for optimism about thesubject.


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An Advisory Panel, which met throughout2008, consisted of a range of university stafffrom all types of institution, representativesfrom industry and the RSC, and HEA staff. Theprincipal methods for the survey were

questionnaires to academic teaching staff, toDirectors of Teaching in selected HEIs, and tostudents. The questionnaires were informed bypilot face-to-face meetings with staff in selectedHEIs, though these results have not been usedin the survey. Returns from staff were good,and are clearly statistically valid. Returns fromstudents were proportionately smaller, andthus statistically suspect, though it should besaid that the present results agree substantiallywith independent student surveys.

The Panel felt the results of the surveys were acause for optimism about the subject. Themajority of students and staff have a verypositive view of their teaching and learningexperiences. The readers should discover thisfor themselves, but two points are particularlynoteworthy in my view Despite prior beliefs that the teaching

and learning experience of students andstaff in institutions of different typeswould be very different, the surveyshows a wholly contrary view, that the

differences are relatively small. The importance and enjoyment of

laboratory experience is a core feature inchemistry courses. Practical work clearlyplays a key role in the recruitment ofstudents into chemistry, and remains anessential ingredient for recruitment ofgraduates into industry. This element ofchemistry courses must be maintained.

I would like to thank all of the Panel membersfor their immense insight into the teaching ofour subject, and for their dedication and hardwork over the past year.

Professor David Phillips, OBE, FRSCChair, Chemistry Review Advisory Panel,December 2008

The majority of students and staff havea very positive view of their teachingand learning experiences.


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1. This Report aims to present an overviewof the education provided for full-time,chemistry undergraduates in UKuniversities, to inform academic staff,

administrators, students, parents,employers and planners about the rangeand nature of the provision.

2. Chemistry makes a massive contributionto the quality of life, and is a majorcontributor to national prosperity. It istherefore essential to continue producinghigh quality chemistry graduates.

(section 5.2)

3. Employment prospects for chemistry

graduates are extremely good incomparison with many other graduates.(section 15)

4. The quality of the student experienceacross different types of institutions(Russell, 1994 and Alliance Groups) isremarkably similar.

5. A wide variety of courses is available inthe chemical sciences, but despite theirdifferent emphases, they are overallproviding a high quality education.

6. Almost a third of the students rateteaching excellent overall, and very fewsay they experience poor teaching.

(section 13.1)

7. Most undergraduates will experienceexcellent or good teachingaccommodation in laboratories andlecture rooms.

(section 5.7)

8. Although average tariff scores for entryto chemistry are increasing, scoresobtained by entrants exceed the entryrequirements.

(section 6.2)

9. The enhanced degrees (MChem/MSci)are generally preferred to the BScdegree, by both staff and students.

(section 5.4.2)

10. Staff report that entrants are notgenerally well-prepared to becomeindependent learners. Theirmathematical ability, practical skills andproblem solving skills are causes for

concern. (section 6.4)

11. The percentage of students gaining aFirst Class Honours chemistry degreehas hardly changed since 2004 despite asteady rise over the physical sciences.Very few students on MChem/MScicourses leave without a first or secondclass degree.

(section 7.3)

12. Students have a high number of teaching

contact hours per week, but only seemto work independently for half thenumber of hours that staff expect. Theyfind tutorials the most effective teachingmethod, and practical work the mostenjoyable. They believe that attending alecture is time well spent. Staff prefertutorial groups of 4-6 students.

(section 10)

3. Executive summary


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13. Students find e-learning the least effectiveand least enjoyable teaching method, butappreciate on-line library access andexternal internet resources. Staffregularly use presentational software,

and a virtual learning environment.(section 11.5)

14. Students are mostly positive aboutspending long hours in the laboratory, asthey recognise the importance ofdeveloping practical skills. The averagestudent will spend more than half asmuch time again writing up outside thelaboratory. Alliance Group studentsspend significantly less time inlaboratories than other students, andalmost all their staff think their studentsspend too little time for them to becomecompetent laboratory workers.

(section 11.6)

15. All departments include extensiveproject work in the final year of both BScand MChem/MSci courses.

(section 11.8)

16. All departments promote thedevelopment of transferable skills, butnot many students think this has

enhanced their learning experience.(section 11.10)

17. Staff provide learning outcomes for allcourse components, but they think thatmost students ignore them. One third ofstudents seem to use them regularly.

(section 11.9)

18. Most students have an option to studysome modules outside chemistry, andmost find this useful.

(section 11.12)

19. Most students think the amount ofassessment is about right, but nearly halfwould like to see more emphasis oncontinuous assessment. Just over half thestudents feel assessment accuratelyreflects their level of ability, while twothirds of the staff hold that view.

(section 12)

20. Almost all departments collect regularfeedback from students, and staff believethat student feedback is improving theirteaching.

(section 13.1)

21. Moststudents would prefer moreregular and prompt feedback.

(section 13.2)

22. Most staff who attend teachingdevelopment events use material or ideasthey pick up and pass them on tocolleagues.

(section 14.1)

23. Few staff read current research inchemistry education, orundertake

research or scholarship relating toundergraduate teaching. Twice as manywomen as men staff, pro rata, have beenactively engaged in chemistry educationresearch.

(section 14.1)

24. Staff spend about half as much time againon informal support to students as ontheir timetabled teaching load, with manyoperating an open door policy. Staff inAlliance Group departments seem tohave the heaviest teaching loads.

(section 14.2)

25. Most students think their courses areproviding them with knowledge and skillsthat will be useful in their expectedcareer, but some feel departmentsshould offer more help.

(section 15)

26. Nearly all students are given the optionof an industrial placement. Everydepartment believes this is a good way to

prepare for employment, and almost 90%of the students who participate agree.Three times as many students take upwork placement as foreign exchange.

(section 16)

27. Few DoTs are convinced that theirdepartments engage effectively withemployers. Many rely on informalcontact through their industrialplacement schemes.

(section 17)


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When in late-2006, the Higher EducationAcademy (HEA) (1) proposed that surveysshould be undertaken to examine the studentlearning experience in various disciplines in

higher education (now called National SubjectProfiles)(2), the Physical Sciences Centre (3)Advisory Committee endorsed this idea andagreed to conduct surveys in the areas ofchemistry and physics. This seemed to be anappropriate time to investigate the state ofteaching and learning in the chemical sciences,and provide a baseline for subsequent studies,to gauge the direction and rate of change inchemistry education at an undergraduate level.Although these subjects were not selected by

HEA for the pilot investigations, the Centre putaside funding to enable separate surveys toproceed in the two disciplines. Two consultantswere appointed in the summer of 2007 withthe aim of completing the task before the endof 2008. An Advisory Panel, chaired byProfessor David Phillips OBE of ImperialCollege was convened to oversee the develop-ment and production of the Chemistry Review.

Three questionnaires were devised after muchconsultation, and distributed in the first half of

2008. Those for staff (4) and students (5) weremade available in paper and on-line format; thatfor Directors of Teaching (6) (or staff in anequivalent position) was distributed via e-mail.Where the responses to individual questionsare discussed within this report the questionsare referenced as stuxx, stayy or dotzz,respectively.

Departments invited to participate in thesurvey were all offering undergraduate degree

4. Introduction and methodology

courses in chemical sciences the 4-yearMChem/MSci and the 3-year BSc that hadbeen respectively Accredited and Recognised(7) by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

(8). At least one of these courses wasdescribed as Chemistry, or had chemistry inthe course title. For the purposes of analysis,the departments covered by the survey aregrouped into Russell (9), 1994 (10), andAlliance (11) Groups. Although the RussellGroup is the Group as officially constituted,some similar departments have been added tothe official listings of the other two Groups(Appendix 1: Grouping of University ChemistryDepartments).

All the Russell Group departments offer anaccredited MChem/MSci degree but only elevenof them also offer a BSc in Chemistry. 1994Group departments all offer both accreditedMChem/MSci and BSc courses; and whereas allthe Alliance Group departments offer BScchemistry, only nine of them also offer theMChem/MScidot16 (12). The overall ratio ofMChem/MSci:BSc students in the Russell and1994 Group departments is about 60:40, whilein the Alliance Group departments this ratio is

reversed at 42:58dot17

. The responses to thestudent questionnaire show a higherproportion of MChem/MSc students than this(see Figure 3 below).

All departments have the option of transferringstudents from the BSc course to the MChem/MSci course (or vice versa) at the end of thefirst or second yeardot18; and it typically requiresstudents to achieve a minimum score fallingbetween 50 and 66% by the end of Year 2dot19.


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Only about 10% of students are not given achoice, at some stage of their course, as towhether they take a BSc or MChem/MScidegreestu86 (13).

The survey of chemistry department teachingstaff yielded responses from 237 staff in 45Chemistry Departments from across the UK(14). Responses were received from across thewhole range of teaching staff in departments Professors - 47, Readers - 20, Senior Lecturers- 55, Lecturers - 60, and other teaching staff -28. Others identified themselves as Head ofDepartment, or Director of Studies/Teachingsta3. Russell Group departments have ahigher ratio of professors to other teachingstaffdot2 & website data, but a lower proportion of

female staffdot3 (Table 1).

Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the age distributionof staff responding, indicating a roughly normaldistributionsta4.

There was a gender distribution in responsesto our questionnaire of 82% male: 18%femalesta5. This represents the usual distributionbetween male and female staff in

departmentsdot3, and it is notably different fromthe distribution between male and femalechemistry graduates, which reached 49% male:51% female in 2007 (15). Overall, around 6% of

chemistry professors are female, an increasefrom only 2.4% in 1999. (16, 17) The staffgender distribution differs only slightly fromthis in each Group of departmentsdot2. Of ourstaff sample, 69%were submitted in the 2008RAE (18), a distribution of 78% of male staff,and 51% of female staffsta6.

Returns to the student survey were receivedfrom 328 students in 29 universities. Of these,141 students were attending Russell Groupuniversities, and 187 non-Russell Group

Universitiesstu1. Overwhelmingly these studentscame from Departments named Chemistry(286 students), or something similar (seeAppendix 2: Names of Departments in Universitiesteaching Chemistry). Other students came from

biosciences departments (including medical andveterinary sciences, and pharmacy),engineering, health, physical sciences, andothersstu2.

Figure 1: Age distribution of staff responding(showing gender)

Figure 2: Age distribution of staff responding byinstitutional group

Table 1: Chemistry department staff data by departmental Group

Profesors:Average(range)

Otherteachingstaff:Average(range)

RatioProfesors:others

Male staff:Average

Femalestaff:Average

% Femalestaff

Russell 18 (30-8) 25 (48-13) 1:1.4 38 7 16%

1994 11 (21-3) 19 (34-10) 1:1.7 25 5-6 18%

Alliance 4 (10-1) 13 (22-4) 1:3.2 14 3 19%


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Figure 3andFigure 4 show that of the studentswho responded to the questionnaire, thosewho are taking MChem/MSci courses - 218outnumber those taking BSc courses - 107 byabout two to onestu4; and also that male and

female students responded in similar numbersin all yearsstu5,6.

The male:female ratio among the respondentscorresponds quite closely to overall figures (19)shown in Figure 21.

Directors of Teaching from 8 out of 18 RussellGroup Chemistry Departments, 10 out of 121994 Group Chemistry Departments, and 13

out of 18 Alliance Group ChemistryDepartments returned questionnairesdot1. Thesurveys were supplemented by focus anddiscussion groups attended by 54 students fromeight departments. Further information aboutdepartments was also obtained from theirwebsites.

Although considerable efforts were made toobtain a representative sample of responses tothe survey questions, there must always be

some doubt about the true generality of theresults obtained. Not all units responded,reducing the comprehensive nature of this data.Staff and student respondents were self-selecting, and so may have been biased towardsthose with more polarised views. Especiallywith the views quoted directly, it must alwaysbe remembered that these are statements fromindividual staff and students, even thoughselection has been made only of commentssupporting a consensus view. Despite theselimitations, the author and advisors consider

that the overview given in this documentprovides a generally reliable picture of theteaching and learning experienced by under-graduates studying for a degree in the chemicalsciences at the present time.

A government enquiry is currently taking placeto investigate several of the areas covered inthis report, but on a wider scale. (20)

Figure 3: Gender and course distribution ofstudents responding to the Student Questionnaire.

Figure 4: Distribution of students who respondedto the questionnaire by year of course and gender.


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5.1 The interaction of chemistry andsociety.

In 2001 the RSC published a timeline (27)showing the most significant chemical discoveryor achievement in each of the previous 50years. These included the determination of thestructure of DNA (1953) and vitamin B12(1955); the synthesis of Kevlar (1964) andinsulin (1966); the discovery of Nutrasweet(1965) and Viagra (1989); the launch ofsuperglue (1958) and TAXOL (1993); theproduction of silicon chips (1961); and theapplication of DNA fingerprinting (1984). So,

although the public perception of chemistry(and more particularly chemicals) is oftenrather negative, these events and the brief listbelow demonstrate the overwhelminglypositive contribution made by chemists tohuman welfare and our modern lifestyle. (21,28, 29)

Pharmaceuticals (30)Antibiotics (For example: sulfonamides,

penicillins, cephalosporins, -mycins,carbapenems and tetracyclines)

Antiretroviral drugs to contain thehuman immunodeficiency virus thatleads to AIDS (efavirenz, zidovudine,lamivudine)

Antiviral drugs for herpes, hepatitis,influenza and other viral diseases(Aciclovir, Rimantadine, Tamiflu)

Anti-ulcer and anti-heartburn drugs(Cimetidine, Esomeprazole)

Cholesterol lowering drugs - statins(Simvastatin, Lipitor)

Heart disease drugs antithrombotics(blood thinners - Clopidogrel),-blockers to counter angina(Propranalol, Atenolol), bloodpressure (hypertension) reducers(Captopril, Norvasc)

Anti-asthmatics (Seretide, Salbutamol)Anti-cancer drugs (Cisplatin,

Chlorambucil, Vinblastine,Tamoxifen, Sunitib)

Drugs to counter mental illness schizophrenia (Olanzapine,

Risperdal), depression (Venlafaxine)Oral and injection contraceptives

(Progestins, Mifepristone,Depo-Provera)

Drugs to counter diabetes (Exenatide),insomnia (Eszopiclone), obesity(Acomplia)

MaterialsMaterials can now be made to almost anyspecification, especially by the use of

5. Background and context


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composites, in which the properties of differentmaterials can be combined. Artefacts that inthe middle of the twentieth century were madefrom the traditional materials of wood, metal,rubber, card, paper, leather, ceramics, glass,

wool, cotton and silk are now made of plastics,or artificial fibre.Plastics polythene, polystyrene,

polycarbonate, synthetic rubberResins melamine, epoxy resins and

adhesives, polyurethanes, ionexchange resins (for water softeningand purification)

Fibres nylon, polyester, Lycra, opticalfibres, carbon fibres, nanotubes

Organics liquid crystals (for liquidcrystal display units in electronic

devices, and flat screen televisionsets), conducting polymers

Inorganics ceramics, superconductingmagnets, high specification alloys

Catalysts noble metals (catalyticconverters), zeolites

EnergyBatteries - rechargeable nickel-metal

hydride, lithium ion for the personaldigital industry

Photovoltaic cells for harnessing solar

energy.Fuel cells offering clean energy

Health and SafetyAdvances in the analysis of chemical substances in food science, forensic science, industry andthe environment make it possible to detectminute quantities of toxic metals, explosives, orperformance enhancing drugs quickly andreliably.

AchievementBritish chemists and biochemists have won fourNobel Prizes for Chemistry in the last 20 years Richard Roberts (1993) for discovery of themechanism of gene slicing, Harry Kroto (1996)for the discovery of buckminsterfullerene, JohnWalker (1997) for elucidating thebiomechanism of ATP synthesis, and John Pople(1997) for developing computational methodsin quantum chemistry (31).See also references 21, 28 and 29.

5.2 Chemistry in the UK economy

More than any other science, chemistryunderpins an extensive and successful industry.

The UK chemical industry, which includeschemicals, pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil & gas,petroleum and polymers (32, 33) is criticallydependent on research, especially towardsgreen chemistry (34), much of which is pursuedby graduates from UK chemistry departments.An output of well-qualified chemistry graduatesmust be maintained, or increased, for thehealth of the industry (35). The UK chemical industry has an annual

turnover in excess of 160 billion, (a 32%rise since 1997) (36).

The industrys 15,000 employers providemore than half a million jobs (37, 38).

In terms of productivity (i.e. value addedper employee) the UK Chemical industryranks 3rd in Europe and 5th globallyamongst OECD countries, at about100,000 per employee (36, 39).

The UK chemical industry spends over2 billion a year on new capitalinvestment.

ChemicalsThe UK chemicals sector includes industrialgases, dyes and pigments, fertilisers, pesticides,soaps and detergents, perfumes and toiletpreparations, explosives, glues and essentialoils. This sector accounts for 2% of UK Gross

Domestic Product, and 17.7% ofmanufacturing industrys gross valueadded (36).

It is manufacturings number oneexporter, with 92% of its output (31.8billion) exported in 2004.

It produces a trade surplus of just under5 billion. It is estimated that each UK household

either directly or indirectly spendsaround 30 per week on products of thechemicals industry (39, 40).

PharmaceuticalsThis sector produces the active chemicals andthe preparations in which they are delivered. It employs 71000 in just under 600

companies, generating in 2003, a 20% UKshare of the sales of the world's top 100


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prescription medicines (36, 41).Nuclear processing The UK is the 10thhighest nuclear

generating country globally. (38) Nuclear power provides about 18% of

the UKs electricity (42).Oil, gas and petroleumUK still has substantial recoverable reserves ofoil and gas, potentially exceeding the amountalready produced (43, 44). This sector includes extraction and initial

processing, and stabilising, refining, andblending of oil and gas.

The nuclear, oil and gas, and petroleumindustries employ 114000 (includingretail) in about 5300 companies (35).

Up to 60% of the output from the UKs

nine petroleum refineries is transportfuels.

The industry is working on makingpetroleum-fuelled vehicles even cleanerand less polluting; but their chemists arealso creating new greener fuels (45, 46).

Plastics and synthetic rubber The UK shows an output of 2.5 million

tonnes of plastics per annum, amountingto more than 2% of the UK GDP (47,48).

5.3 Chemistry as a teaching discipline inthe UK

Chemistry is one of the corescientific disciplines. Advances inchemistry contribute directly to oureveryday lives to the medicines wetake, the food we eat, the clotheswe wear, the environment we live

in. In combination with othersciences, chemistry will helpunderpin much of the progress wecan make in the future and theprosperity which will flow from it.

So said the Rt Hon Tony Blair in 1999 in theRoyal Society of Chemistrys millenniumpublication, The age of the molecule (21). Theneed for a regular supply of highly-skilledchemistry graduates is implicit in this statement,and the chemistry departments of British

universities have already been teaching to meetthis need for more than a century.A succinct definition of what is meant bychemistry is found in the chemistry benchmarkdocument from the QAA:

Chemistry can be defined as thescience that studies systematicallythe composition, properties, andreactivity of matter at the atomicand molecular level. (22)

There is also a description on most chemistrydepartment websites. The example belowcomplements the more formal definition above:

Chemistry is a discipline centralto the sciences, ranging from theinterface with physics to thosewith biology and medicine. It is

concerned with all aspects ofmaterials, including living systems,their physical and chemicalproperties, how we determinetheir composition and structure,and how we synthesise suchmaterials and modify them for usein a modern society. (23)

Traditionally chemistry has been sub-dividedinto the distinct branches of inorganic, organic,physical, and analytical chemistry, but thisdemarcation is gradually being eroded,

especially where the boundaries of the subjectare being extended into bioscience and humansciences, as well as other physical sciences.

The nature of a chemistry education atuniversity has changed considerably in recentyears. As the bounds of the subject haveincreased the emphasis has moved away frombuilding up an encyclopaedic knowledge toacquiring a thorough understanding of chemicalprinciples and an ability to apply them. In line

with other academic disciplines, students ofchemistry are expected to take responsibilityfor their learning. Evidence for this is seen inthe widespread introduction of project work,group exercises, problem-based learning, andthe learning and practice of transferable(generic) skills.


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Subject benchmark statements covering theBSc (Hons) in chemistry were approved by theQAA (24) in 2000 (25), and have since beenused for guidance by HEIs, the QAA and theRSC in designing, reviewing, and affording

recognition to new programmes in thechemical sciences, setting standards for qualityassurance, and in developing course andmodule learning outcomes. They were used indeveloping the Budapest descriptors whichdescribe the chemistry graduate at Bachelors,Masters and Doctorate levels (26). Recently arevised set of statements has been published(22), that now provide guidance on integratedmasters (MChem/MSci) awards also.

5.4 Recent events of significance forundergraduate chemistry teaching

5.4.1 Departments and programmes

A certain amount of rationalisation in theprovision of chemistry courses has taken placeacross the university sector in recent years,with the closing of some chemistry depart-ments. At the present time, Chemistry degreesare taught not only within administrative unitscalled Departments of Chemistry, but also in avariety of departments with more extensivesubject coverage. Often a number of relatedsciences are grouped together in a School. Thetitles include Departments and Schools ofPhysical or Natural Sciences; of Science andTechnology; and those in which Analytical,Biological, Biomedical, Engineering, Environ-mental, Geographical, Health, Forensic, andPharmaceutical Sciences occur alongside

Chemical Sciencessta2

(seeAppendix 2:Names ofDepartments in Universities teaching Chemistry).This merging of departments into largerschools has enabled a greater variety of degreeprogrammes encompassing chemistry togetherwith either other sciences or quite differentcomplementary subjects.

In the decade 1998 to 2007, there was a 31%fall in the number of single honours chemistrydegree courses offered by UK higher educationinstitutions. (49) Joint honours degree

programmes (Chemistry and ), wherechemistry is approximately 50% of the degreecontent, generally seem to be less in favourwith departmentsdot21 than combined honoursdegree programmes (Chemistry with ),

where chemistry is significantly more than 50%of the degree contentdot22. The latterprogrammes include courses in the chemicalsciences, with titles like Analytical Science orMedicinal Chemistry.

A large majority of the students completing thequestionnaire in our survey (221) is studyingChemistry, with the name of the degreesometimes specifying with a Year in Industry/Industrial Experience/Industrial Option, orwith a Year Abroad/in Europe. (SeeAppendix

3: Names of Degree Courses followed by studentsresponding to the questionnaire). In othercombined honours courses chemistry isassociated with medicinal chemistry (15students), forensic science (27), and analyticalchemistry (11)stu3. For the most popular ofthese programmes within the departments seeAppendix 3a: Other popular courses offered bydepartments.

5.4.2 The enhanced first degree courses

The introduction of integrated mastersdegrees, MChem or MSci, from 1993 was amajor development for chemistry at universitylevel. The Higher Education ChemistryConference (HECC now HCUK)(50),supported by the Chemical IndustriesAssociation (CIA)(33) and the RSC, decidedthat with the theoretical basis of the subject,the technologies relevant to it, and the range ofits applications ever advancing, coupled with

the broader range of transferable skills beingrequired, courses had become of insufficientduration for graduates wishing to becomecareer chemists. (51) To distinguish thisenhanced first degree from the BSc it neededto include additional advanced material,practice in applying fundamental principles tosolving problems, opportunity to become acompetent practical chemist and learn basicresearch methods, while developingprofessional skills to a higher level.


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The proportions of staff who think studentsgain an advantage by taking an MChem/MScicourse rather than a BSc are shown in Figure5sta63. The preference shown by both studentsand staff for the MChem/MSci does have an

influence on how the department promotes itsprogrammes of study to potential studentsdot110.

The value of the four-year Masters courserather than a BSc also seems to be wellestablished in the minds of most students(Figure 6), with more than five times as manystudents thinking that this gave them anadvantage as disagreedstu87.

DoTs gave a similarly positive answer to aslightly different question (Figure 7), althoughthey expressed the reservation that for sometypes of employment it may not be

advantageous

dot109

.

The main reasons students give, for and against,are shown in Figure 8andFigure 9. Studentswere allowed more than one choice, and the271 students who felt the MChem/MSci gavethem an advantage, gave in all 700responsesstu87a. The much smaller group of 52students mustered 80 disadvantage responsesbetween themstu87b.

Figure 5 Staff response to the question: "Do youthink that students gain an advantage by taking afour-year Masters course rather than a BSc?

Figure 6 Student response to the question: Doyou personally think there is an advantage in tak-ing a four-year Masters course rather than a BSc?

Figure 7 DoTs response to the question: Do youthink employers believe that the MChem/MSci is amore valuable degree than a BSc?

Figure 9 Principal reasons why students wouldchoose not to take an MChem/MSci course.

Figure 8 Principal reasons why students wouldfavour the MChem/MSci course.


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Among other supporting reasons were havingthe opportunity given to do a years industrialplacement linked with the MChem/MSci but notthe BSc, and the better recognition afforded tothe MChem/MSci by employers in both large

and small/medium enterprises, both home andabroad. An additional reason for choosing aBSc was that it was possible to proceed fromBSc to a higher degree, with the option ofdoing this in a different university. Malestudents were more concerned that anMChem/MSci means a longer time beforeworking and earning, while female studentswere more convinced that enough knowledgeand skills can be learned for employment inthree years.

Staff noted that the value of the MChem/MScidepends on students career aspirations. Theoverwhelming justification staff would give forthe extra year is that it prepares studentsbetter for their future careers, especially if theyplan to do a PhD. They also place giving abetter educational experience high on their listof reasons for recommending the MChem/MScista63a. The principal disadvantages listed bystaff are the inappropriateness of thequalification for a non-chemistry career, andthe considerable extra cost entailedsta63b.

5.4.3 Improving teaching quality

When the Quality Assessment Committee ofHEFCE (now the QAA)(24) developed andintroduced a scheme (Teaching QualityAssessment TQA) for the assessment ofteaching and learning in higher education bypeer review in 1993, chemistry was one of the

15 subjects included (53). This exercise wasinfluential in establishing a new culture ofreview and evaluation of teaching and learningin chemistry departments, and led to auniversal adoption of aims and objectives(learning outcomes), incorporation of transfer-able skills, development of active feedbacksystems, and improved relationships with otherstakeholders in the ultimate product, the well-educated chemistry graduate. Currently ascheme of institutional audit, or review, is inplace (52).

A major catalyst for development in highereducation was Higher Education in the LearningSociety, the 1997 Report from the NationalCommittee of Inquiry in Higher Education (theDearing Report) (54). The Committee was

appointed to advise on the long term develop-ment of higher education, and among itsrecommendations were to focus on studentslearning, to ensure staff and students are ableto make full use of IT, to develop high qualitycomputer-based materials, to provide access toteacher training for their staff, to value goodlevels of competence in communication,numeracy and the practical use of informationtechnology, and to develop ability in criticalanalysis and learning how to learn. Ourquestionnaires made enquiries into the

progress of all these recommendations in theviews of chemistry staff and students.

Progress had already been made in thechemistry community towards implementingseveral of these proposals. Chemistry had oneof the first CTI (Computers in TeachingInitiative) Centres (55), publishing SoftwareReviews and demonstrating computer assistedlearning through roadshows, and the TLTPChemistry Courseware Consortium. The CTICentre was part of the DTI-funded Network

for Chemistry Teaching, together with theChemistry Video Consortium (CVC)(56), andthe eLABorate Project (57). Two chemistryprojects were supported by phase 1 of theFund for the Development of Teaching andLearning (FDTL); Project Improve and PersonalandProfessional Development for Scientists. ProjectImprove (58) set out in 1996 to address thecriticisms of chemistry teaching in the QAAOverview Report of the Teaching QualityAssessment exercise (59) and generally to

disseminate good teaching practice, byestablishing a network of staff in chemistrydepartments. Out of this project, in 2000,developed the Learning and Teaching SupportNetwork (LTSN) Physical Sciences Centre now combined with physics and astronomy,which ultimately became the Higher EducationAcademys Physical Sciences Centre (3).


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5.4.4 European developments and influences

In June 1999 the Education Ministers for theUK and 28 other European countries were

signatories of the Bologna Declaration (60),which committed their countries to adopt acommon framework of readable andcomparable degrees by 2010. In subsequentyears the development of this framework hasresulted in the general acceptance of a three-cycle structure, corresponding to bachelors,masters and doctoral studies of three, two, andthree years respectively. While many countriesacross Europe (e.g. Denmark) (61) haveembraced this structure wholeheartedly, theUK has been unwilling to follow suit (62). The

degree structure in Scottish universities fitswell into the Bologna format, and so does theEnglish BSc; the stumbling block has been theadoption of a two-year masters programme,and the stipulation that access to the secondcycle shall require successful completion of firstyear cycle studies. These arrangements fitneither the continuous MChem/MSciprogramme nor the three-year BSc followed bya one-year MSc in place in England, Wales andNorthern Ireland (63, 64). Many departmentsfeel they are not able to do anything on theirown and are awaiting guidance fromGovernment; but progress seems to be slowrelative to other European countriesdotint3. TheRSC has supported theMastering Bolognaproject (65) which aims to create a strategy forUK chemical science degree programmes thatwill enable them to meet the requirements ofthe Bologna Process.

The European Chemistry Thematic Network(ECTN) (66) has been funded since 1996 as

part of the EUs Socrates-Erasmus programmeto map and enhance education, and to facilitateEuropean co-operation. ECTN organises anannual conference, but its main activities areorganised through working groups, most ofwhich have UK membership. Early workinggroups developed a core chemistry curriculum,and initiated the EChemTest, (67) a large bankof objective questions administeredelectronically and available in a number ofEuropean languages. Current projects includethe image of chemistry, support for newly

appointed university chemistry teaching staff,and dissemination of innovative approaches toteaching chemistry.

The ECTN Association (68), a permanent body

maintained by subscriptions from its 120institutional members, was formed to developprojects that originated in the ECTN workinggroups. It has been at the forefront ofdevelopments designed to implement theBologna declaration through the EUs Tuningproject. The Eurobachelor (69) has beendeveloped as the framework for a Europeanfirst-cycle degree in chemistry. Eurobachelorstatus has been awarded to 45 degrees at 37institutions across Europe. The second-cycleEuromaster (70) framework has been more

recently developed; 19 such awards had beenmade by September 2008. ECTNA hasdeveloped the Budapest descriptors, relevantto chemistry degrees for each cycle, based onlearning outcomes and competences (26).

Another prominent European body is theEuropean Association of Chemical andMolecular Sciences (EuCheMS) (71), which hasthe stated object to promote co-operation inEurope between non-profit-making scientificand technical societies in the field of chemistry

and molecular sciences. In membership are 50national chemical societies, representing some150,000 individual chemists in academia,industry and government in over 35 countriesacross Europe. Its Division of ChemicalEducation (72) meets once a year, when eachsociety delegate provides an annual writtensummary of chemical education activities withintheir own country, thus providing anopportunity for dissemination of fresh ideasand good practice. The Division organises the

biennial European Conference on Research inChemical Education (ECRICE) (Istanbul 2008)(73), and, with the Tertiary Education Group ofthe Royal Society of Chemistry, the EuropeanVariety in Chemistry Education conference(Prague 2007; Manchester 2009)(74), thatprovide fora for researchers and practitionersin chemical education. The Division has alsopublished a number of handbooks and guides(75). ProChemE (76) is the EuCheMS standingcommittee on educational, professional andethical issues. The Division also oversees the


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initiative with Chemistry for our Future (80, 81),which aims to maintain a sustainable chemicalscience base within higher education, providingcourses appropriate for students andemployers in the 21st Century. It recognises

the importance of a well informed, highlymotivated and inspirational teaching force atsecondary level, and provides resources forteachers use on a regular basis, throughbooklets, meetings, in-service training, and themagazine Education in Chemistry(82)(that alsoincludes a pupil supplement, InfoChem, aimed atthe 14-18 year group). The website LearnNet(83) also provides a host of resources forstudents and teachers of chemistry. The RSCenables teachers to experience the chemicalindustry through Industry Study Tours, has an

ongoing teacher fellowship scheme to allowselected teachers to work on practicaleducational projects, and acknowledgesexcellence in teaching though annual awards.

At tertiary level, the RSC is responsible for theaccreditation and recognition of degreeprogrammes; and provides awards, andteaching publications and resources foruniversity staff. It supports the web-based, peer-reviewed journal Chemical Education Researchand Practice (CERP) (84), and the annual Variety

in Chemistry Education conference (85). TheRSC supports student chemistry societies,encourages the use of the Undergraduate SkillsRecord(86), and provides advice on employ-ment and further study opportunities touniversity students in the form of guidancedocuments, industry tours and careersconferences.

RSC accreditation and recognition (7) isintended to establish standards but not to

restrict the development of a wide range ofcourse curricula designed to meet evolvingneeds. Virtually all staff respondents are fromdepartments whose degrees are accreditedand/or recognised by the RSC, and the returnsshow that nearly 60% of staff seem to besatisfied with the procedures applied by theprofessional body. About 20% however wouldappear not to value themsta74 (Figure 10). Arevision of the criteria for accreditation iscurrently under consultation (87).

European Chemist (EurChem) designation (77),a title indicating a high level of competence inthe practice of chemistry.

5.5 The role of the Royal Society ofChemistry in chemistry education

The Royal Society of Chemistry (8) is thelearned society for chemical science and theprofessional body for chemists in the UK.Under its Charter, the Society has theresponsibility to establish, uphold and advancethe standards of qualification, competence andconduct of those who practice chemistry as aprofession. So not surprisingly, it offers wide

ranging support to chemistry education at alllevels primary science to PhD andprofessional development through itspermanently staffed Education Department andits Education Division, drawn from themembership (78). The Education DivisionCouncil provides a route from members to thepermanent staff, and hosts Subject Groups withspecialist interests in Tertiary Education,Educational Technology and ChemicalEducation Research. Through EducationDivision Travel Grants it is able to supplybursaries, especially to young chemistry staff,for attendance at educational conferences, forwhich funding is not otherwise easily available.The RSC has a significant input into educationpolicy by providing evidence on current issuesand problems, and rightly claims that it is thelargest non-Government supporter ofchemistry education in the UK. It supports theHeads of Chemistry UK group, and collectsstatistics relating to education in chemistry(15).

The RSC Education Department is active intrying to enhance numbers of students onundergraduate programmes in the chemicalsciences, and subsequently into academic andindustrial chemistry, through poster campaigns,a nationwide series of exciting schools lectures,competitions, and the chemistry at workexhibitions. It is a participant in HEFCEs AimHigher scheme through Chemistry: the NextGeneration (79), and in their StrategicallyImportant and Vulnerable subjects (SIV)


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5.6 The role of the HEA Physical Sci-

ences Centre in chemistry education

The background to the HEA Physical SciencesCentre has been outlined in Section 5.4.3. It isone of the 24 Subject Centres of the HigherEducation Academy (88), a UK-wide initiativesupported by the four Higher EducationFunding Councils, and has as its mission, toenhance the learning experience of students inthe physical sciences (chemistry, physics,astronomy, and most recently forensic science)by addressing the needs of the subjectcommunity and relevant stakeholders. Itsprincipal aim is to disseminate good practiceand innovation in learning and teaching of thephysical sciences, and it does so throughorganising professional development activitiesfor university staff, including workshops, andscience-specific induction events for newlyappointed lecturers; and by providinginformation and resources relating to thepractical aspects of university teaching, and

pedagogic research.

A recent readership survey shows that therange of journals and monographs published bythe HEA Physical Sciences Centre is wellappreciated. Physical Sciences Educational Reviews(now Reviews) covers books as well assoftware; New Directions in the Teaching ofPhysical Sciences includes reviews of areas ofphysical sciences education and educationalresearch, together with communications oninnovative ideas; and the Physical Sciences

Practice Guides are monographs providingpractical advice and guidance on particularaspects of higher education. In addition briefingpapers, primers, toolkits and a newsletter,Wavelength, are produced.

Each year the HEA Physical Sciences Centreinvites competitive bids for funding fordevelopment projects, to enable academics tocarry out educational research or developmentso that the results can be reported at Variety inChemistry Education (for which it is jointsponsor with the RSC), or published in theCentre journals. This encourages academics toinvestigate in depth, perhaps for the first time,ideas they may have had about some aspect ofteaching, learning or student support at

university level.

5.7 Generic background issues notspecific to chemistry

The Royal Society, in its 2006 report A degreeof concern?(89) evidenced that there has beena reduction in the unit of funding of studentsover a long period. This may have been offsetsomewhat by the introduction of top-up feesin 2006 but, it is still too early to quantify theeffects of fees on the resources for teachingand learning.

Between 200203 and 200405, typical figuresfor overall space per student in highereducation went down by 3%, with reductions,particularly in teaching space, taking place innearly 60% of higher education institutions.Support space and office provision for academicand support staff hardly changed. As overall

student numbers rose faster than space, thishas put pressures on teaching, especially oflaboratory-based subjects. However theproportion of teaching space in good conditionfor a typical university has increased over theseyears. (90).

Figure 10 Staff opinion on the helpfulness ofaccreditation of chemistry degrees by the RoyalSociety of Chemistry.


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This certainly seems to be true for chemistrydepartments. Figure 11shows that for all threeGroups, more than half their lecture roomsand classrooms could be described as excellentmodern teaching space with all facilities

available, and that only 10-12% of the teachingrooms are in need of refurbishment andadditional facilitiesdot35.

Chemistry is a practical subject, and becoming acompetent chemistry graduate entails aconsiderable amount of time spent in thelaboratory. With the development of newcourses like medicinal and forensic chemistry,and with the introduction of the MChem/MSci,

the need for specialised laboratories hasincreased and this need has not always beenmet. As numbers have increased laboratoryspace has become insufficient in some HEIs,resulting in restricted time for student practicalwork, and causing problems with anyreorganisation of the curriculum. Resourceshave generally become more limited fortechnicians, demonstrators, and new orreplacement equipmentdotint2.

Nevertheless, asFigure 12shows the quality oflaboratory teaching space is highdot48; severaldepartments have recently completed extensiveteaching laboratory refurbishment programmes.Only a few Directors of Teaching say there arehealth and safety constraints against mountingthe type of laboratory course their departmentwould wish to provide for studentsdot46, but amuch higher number say there are financialconstraintsdot47. Both problems seem to bemore severe in Alliance Group departments.

In their report, the Royal Society expressed theview (as it did in 2005 to the House ofCommons Science and TechnologyCommittee) that university teaching is under-funded and subsidised from research activities,

and possibly from lower-cost teaching activities.As stated Laboratory-based projects in thefinal years of BSc Honours programmes areespecially expensive, and laboratory-basedsubjects have been particularly badly hit whenresearch income from the Funding Councils hasbeen cut (89). From 2007, the HigherEducation Funding Council for Englandallocated 25 million per annum in additionalfunding over four years to support subjects(including Chemistry and Physics) that are veryhigh cost because of the requirement for

expensive specialist chemicals, equipment andfacilities, and strategically important to theeconomy and society.

Across all university departments there appearsto be a perceived emphasis on the importanceof research as opposed to teaching in thecareer progression of academics. This

perceived pressure against committing time andenergy to teaching is easing somewhat with theintroduction in some parts of the UK ofnational and local schemes, which recogniseexcellence in teaching (National TeachingFellowships, for example) (91). Furthermore,many local promotion criteria now makespecific reference to contributions to teachingin all its aspects, including for promotion toprofessorial level.

Figure 11 DoTs perception of the quality oflecture rooms and classrooms used by theirdepartments

Figure 12 DoTs' perception of the quality ofdepartmental teaching laboratories


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In our survey, about one quarter of staffresponding said they were aware of staff beingpromoted on the basis of good teachingsta11, butalmost two thirds of the Directors of Teachingreported that good teaching had not been a

primarycause of promotion

dot6

. It would seemthat a definite contribution to teaching isexpected for promotion, but that it is stillunusual for that to be the determiningfactordot30.

A major HEFCE initiative for the improvementof teaching in higher education came with theestablishment of the 74 Centres for Excellencein Teaching and Learning (CETL) in 2005.These Centres have as principal aims therewarding of excellent teaching practice, and

investing further in that practice to deliversubstantial benefits to students, teachers andinstitutions (92). There are two CETLs directlyrelated to chemistry; the Chemical LaboratorySciences CETL (ChemLabS) (93) at theUniversity of Bristol with its aims totransform the student experience of learningpractical chemistry, and set new standardsgenerally for laboratory-based teaching andlearning of practical experimental science; andthe Centre for Effective Learning in Science(CELS) (94) at Nottingham Trent University

endeavouring to create a new more relevant,accessible and achievable image for science;although several other more generic CETLsmay also have an influence on chemistryteaching. ChemLabS hosts a state-of-the-artteaching laboratory, and supports both schoolteacher and university teacher fellows onsecondment; CELS also works at both schoolsand higher education levels.

5.8 Teacher training

In school science the proportion of non-specialist teachers is relatively small. A survey(104) of one in five secondary schools foundthat 25% of the teachers who are teachingscience held a degree in chemistry, orspecialised in chemistry in initial teachertraining; the predominant science specialismwas biology (44%), with a further 19% with aphysics background. Teachers with a degree in

chemistry tended to be more stronglyrepresented in schools with an age-range of 11-18 years. (105) A report in 2002 noted ashortfall in the requirement for chemistry-qualified teachers in schools of nearly 3700.

Although pupil numbers have fallen in recentyears the teaching profession still needs torecruit many more chemistry teachers. (106)

The numbers of graduates wishing to train aschemistry teachers fluctuates considerably overan extended period. The government bursaryscheme has had a positive effect, and other

variations may relate to the availability of otheremployment opportunities. A number of PGCEproviders entitle their courses Science orCombined Science rather than specifying aparticular discipline.

Figure 13 shows that after a steady rise since2000 in the number of graduates accepting aplace on a post-graduate certificate ofeducation course, there was a distinct fall in2007 (15).

The most recent figures show a decline in thenumber of applications in 2008 from 2007 of14%. The government is providing funding forscience learning centres, and introducingchanges in school science education, but untilthere are increased numbers of qualityteachers, then effective science educationalreform will never truly succeed. (J Osborne inRef 99)

Figure 13 Variation in acceptances for entry toPost-Graduate Certificate in Education Courses2000-2007


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6.1 Secondary education qualifications

Although students study a more variedcombination of A and AS Level subjects than inthe past, a student wishing to study science atuniversity still needs a strong background ofscience subjects at entry. At GCSE, the singlesubject chemistry now represents more than9% of the total science entry, and AS chemistrynearly 5% of all AS examinations taken.

However, Table 2 shows that in recent yearswell under 10% of the students passing A Levelchemistry have begun a chemistry degree.

Figure 14 indicates how numbers of entrantsfor A Levels in the three major sciences haveremained fairly steady since 2001, withchemistry showing an increase in recent years,although overall there has been an increase ofmore than 10% in the number of A Levelcandidates in that period. After reaching a high

6. The School-University Transition

Table 2 The progress of yearly cohorts of students; i.e. the students who sat GCSE in 2001 (column 1) wouldbegin their degree after A Level in 2003. * These numbers are supplemented by students from the EU andother overseas countries. ** Estimated from previous trends.

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

GCSE entries 46862 47068 48802 51225 53428 56764 59219 76656

AS Level entries 39058 45605 46586 48166 49951 50855 52835 54157

Scottish Higherpasses

7222 6871 6812 6831 7169 6858 7239 7347

A Level passes 33468 31883 34341 35689 37142 38502 38835 40221

UK Entrants tochemistry degrees*

2887 2836 2754 2790 3191 3267 3525 3650**

% successful A Levelcandidates whobegin a chemistrydegree

8.6% 8.9% 8.0% 7.8% 8.6% 8.5% 9.1% 9.1%**


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of 5.5% of A Level entries in1997, and thendeclining, chemistry is now back up to about5%. (15, 95-99)

In a survey of over 500 GCSE pupils inBirmingham nearly half said that biology wastheir favourite science, with chemistry chosenby just over and physics just under a quarter ofthe sample. Half these pupils would not like totake chemistry at A Level, and a further quarterwere not sure. (100)

Figure 15 shows the fluctuations in numbers ofmale and female candidates over the last fewyears.

The pass rate for A Level chemistry is about96%. The proportion of A Level A-grades inchemistry has steadily increased from 27% in2001 to 34% in 2008, with female studentsgenerally performing slightly better than malestudents. By contrast A Level A-grades overallhave increased from 19% to 26%. Despite this

academic staff still have considerable misgivingsabout the preparedness of first year studentsfor university study (Section 6.4).

In Scotland students sit the Scottish Higher

examination in chemistry (about a quarter ofthe number that take A Level chemistry)representing about 6% of all Higher entries.The pass rate in recent years has been about75%.

6.2 Levels of entry qualification

Students enter a chemistry degree course witha variety of qualifications, but a principalrequirement is an A-Level, Scottish Higher, orequivalent in two or more academic subjects. Apoints scoring system (see Tariffin Glossary of

Terms) (101) is used to assess student overallattainment. There seems to have been a slightincrease in the average minimum points scoresasked for entry to chemistry departments overthe last three years(see Table 3)dot9,10 & data from websites.

Table 3 Average points tariff requested by eachdepartmental Group (* = only one response 220)

MChem/

MSci(average)

2006 2007 2008

Alliance * * 258

1994 297 300 308

Russell 300 317 323

BSc

(average)

2006 2007 2008

Alliance 204 217 235

1994 274 277 288

Russell 293 307 314

Figure 14 Changes in the number of entrants tothe three major sciences at A Level

Figure 15 Entry of male and female students forthe A Level chemistry examination


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A similar trend can be seen (Figure 16) in the

average actual points score of students whobegan courses from 2006 to 2008 (102, 103). Apositive feature is the differential between thetariff scores asked for and the scores actuallyobtained by entrants, which shows that on

average students obtain higher grades thandepartments are seeking.

Some departments lay down a minimum ALevel points score in chemistry as well, andwhere it is applied, this is generally 120-100 forRussell Group, 100-80 for 1994 Group, and 80for Alliance Group departments, for studentswishing to enter BSc coursesdot11. Onlyoccasionally is this tariff raised by 20 points forMChem/MSci entry. Figure 17andFigure 18show that students entering Russell Group

departments have a higher average points scorethan those entering departments of otherGroupsstu7.

A high proportion (85%) of students beginningYear 1 of an honours degree continue into thesecond year of the programmedot58; and 80%complete their programme by obtaining adegreedot59. This rounded median hides figuresfor individual departments that can show a lesshealthy continuation rate.

6.3 Trends in entry to full time

Figure 16 Comparison of average tariff set by eachGroup of departments (for MChem/MSci entry)with average A Level (or equivalent) points scoreof first year students

Figure 17 Highest grade (tariff score) in achemistry qualification attained by students beforestarting a course at one of the Russell Groupdepartments

Figure 18 Highest grade (tariff score) in achemistry qualification attained by students beforestarting a course at a department other than oneof the Russell Group.


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programmes in chemistry

In the academic year 200607 the total numberof students within UK higher education was

2,362,815 including 1,208,645 full-timeuniversity undergraduates. Figure 19 showshow the total number of full-time under-graduates (including all overseas under-graduates) studying for degrees in the majorsciences has changed in recent years. Over thiswhole period, chemistry has comprised an

average of 1.0% of the undergraduatepopulation, compared with physics andastronomy at 0.9%, and biology at 1.5%. After aperiod of slight decline in numbers, chemistry isbeginning to rise again in popularity, with thenumber of first year full time entrants risingfrom a low of less than 3300 in 2001 to justover 4000 in 2008 (Figure 20). (113, 114, 115)

It seems the increase in all sciences is beingsustained, as The Guardian reported in August

2008: The number applying for biology is upby three percentage points, chemistry by fivepoints, physics by four points, mathematics byseven points, and engineering subjects by sixpoints. (116) However, as the total number ofuniversity students has risen, the proportion ofchemistry undergraduates has fallen from 1.2%to just over 0.9% during this period.

In Figure 21 the ratio of home entry male to

female students is seen to have stayed fairlyconstant at about 56:44 over the last few years.

When full-time undergraduates across alldisciplines are considered, the male to femaleratio is almost exactly reversed, and theproportion of female students seems to berising slowly. (19)

6.4 Starting a university course

Figure 19 Changes in the numbers of all full-timeundergraduates studying for degrees in the majorsciences 2000-2006. Physics includes Astronomy;and from 2006 all biosciences are included inBiology

Figure 20 Changes in the number of entrants toUK undergraduate courses in the three majorsciences.

Figure 21 Distribution of home entry male andfemale full-time chemistry undergraduates 2000-2006


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More than half the students who respondedconsidered that their schools prepared themvery well for starting a university chemistry

course, although male students think them-selves to be better prepared than do femalestudents. MChem/MSci students feel they arebetter prepared than BSc students. Fewer than10% thought they were not really preparedwell enoughstu64.

Figure 22 shows there is a closecorrespondence between the learningdifficulties the students encounter in makingthe transition from school to university, andthe problems that the staff have with teachingnew entrantssta51. Most of these issues havebeen recognised as the A and AS Levelcurricula have been revised (107). In the view

of more than 80% of staff, the range and levelof mathematical ability of students on entry iscausing both learning difficulties for somestudents, and problems for the staff teachingthem. This is perceived as a major problem atthe school to university transition. Studentsoften arrive with poor practical skills becauseof their limited use of laboratory equipment, orthe tendency in schools to rely on demonstra-tionsdotint34. The weakness in problem-solvingability probably stems from the difference in

teaching methods between schools anduniversities. Directors of Teaching commentthat universities expect independent learners,whereas at schools students are teacher-leddotint34. A high level European group has also

recommended that improvements in scienceeducation should be brought about through theintroduction of inquiry-based approaches inschools (108).

Not many chemistry departments administerdiagnostic tests to entering studentsstu63,dot116,

and it appears that theseare for the benefit of thedepartment and not forthe studentsstu63a. Therewas a mixed opinion as

to whether they wereuseful or notstu63b,dot117.Similarly there isrelatively little streamingof students, most usuallyfor tutorials, practicalwork, or maths classes-dot118. Some studentsthought streaming basedon school results was agood thing, otherwisethe good students could

get bored, or the weakerones left behind.

Figure 23 shows student responses when theywere asked what might have helped them to

perform better when they entered university tostart a chemistry course. It would seem that

Figure 23 Student preparedness in essential skillson entry to university to study chemistry.

Figure 22 Comparison of areas that cause teaching problems to staff with theirperception of areas that cause learning difficulties to students on entry to thedepartment.


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they mostly need more skill in practical workand greater familiarity with solvingproblemsstu68. The problems of providingeffective laboratory work in schools, and theneed for more hands-on experience, have been

identified elsewhere as one of the mainrequirements for students intending to start achemistry degree (109). Financial constraints onproviding laboratory accommodation in schoolsare severe with the result that only 34% ofschool laboratories were rated good orexcellent in 2004 (110-112)

A considerable proportion of staff is unawareof the content of current A level syllabusessta48,and relatively few staff use this informationwhen developing their first year modulessta49.

Even less use is made of students A Levelscores when planning for teaching the first yearstudentssta50, although several departments doprovide additional support for students.Nevertheless, Directors of Teaching wereconfident that the first year modules in theirdepartments generally take a pragmaticapproach to the variations in students pre-university coursesdot120.

Departments have adjusted their first year tomeet the needs of a students with varied

academic backgroundsdotint35. Introductorymodules in Year 1 reinforce and extend A levelchemistry concepts to match the abilities of theless well-prepared students, and teachingproceeds more slowly than previously to bringall students to the same level of understanding.An introductory course of basic laboratoryskills is sometimes used as well. Somedepartments operate an exemption scheme forstudents who are able to demonstrate theyhave the necessary prior learning, for example

in mathematics. Alternatively, or in addition,ancillary courses are available to all studentslacking particular skills. These may be taught in-house in a chemical context; or, particularlywith support for mathematics and English,offered in regular workshops by the universitycentrally.


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7.1 The chemistry curriculum

On the whole students are satisfied that theircourses are well balancedstu89. Practically allstudents feel they are being challenged, at leastin some modules of the course, and aroundthree quarters would say this of the course as awholestu67.

Figure 24 shows how Directors of Teachingview their departments approach to teaching.More than one choice was allowed from thefive descriptions. The Russell Group considerthemselves as offering the most modern

curriculum, and the Alliance Group considerthemselves as the most applied. Tendepartments described their teaching as bothmodern and traditional; presumably they aim tocombine the best of the old with the best ofthe newdot70.

Most departments still organise theircurriculum around the traditional subdivisionsof chemical science organic, inorganic,physical and analytical chemistrydot71, but almost

all also make some attempt to integrate theirteaching across the divisions, even if it is onlyto some extentdot72. More than three quartersof the students recognise their departmentsattempts at integrationstu90; and a large majorityof Directors of Teachingdot73, and students,think that the departments have the correctproportions in the mixstu91, with the emphasesgiven to each subject about right. Table 4shows how students describe the curriculumthey are offeredstu89.

Only about half the students think that theircourse covers enough areas of modernresearch (Table 5a)stu92, with the BSc studentsfeeling this lack more keenly than the MChem/MSci students. This is unexpected, as only oneDirector of Teaching said the department doesnot aim to develop a link between teaching anddepartmental research, including the lessresearch-intensive Alliance Groupdot68; andalmost all departments consider these links tobe importantdot69. Just above half the students

say that enough emphasis is given to applyingbasic chemistry to more general areas andproblems (Table 5b)stu93. Real world problemsand applications, and learning with a view toopening career paths, both encourage effectivelearning. Staff are rather lukewarm aboutintroducing more options in both theseareassta72,sta73, with those in Alliance Groupdepartments easily the most enthusiastic.

7. Undergraduate programmes inchemistry

Figure 24 Descriptions applied by DoTs to theirdepartments approach to teaching


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7.2 Curriculum review and development

Many staff seem to be satisfied with their

curriculum as it stands, because they have aregular program of review and are continuallyimplementing recommended changes. Individualmodules are normally reviewed after eachpresentation, and several departments have amajor review and revalidation exercise every 5yearsdot75,dotint21, where redundant topics areremoved and appropriate additions made. Inthe first two years most degree courses aim tocover material from all areas of chemistry thatwill underpin later study, largely informed bythe National Chemistry Benchmarksdotint17 (25).

Thereafter curriculum content anddevelopment is informed by the individualexpertise and research interests of staff, byfeedback from industry, and by nationaldevelopments and ideas from educationalconferencesdotint 21. In most departments

responsibility for curriculum development restswith a departmental committee, but it is alsoshared in different departments between theHead of Department, the Director of Teaching,and individual lecturersdot74. There are someindications from the staff that the curriculum isbecoming more modern, more exciting andmore relevantsta70; but alternatively there is afeeling that more challenging topics have beendropped, the amount of practical work hasbeen reduced, and the degree course overallhas been simplifiedsta71.

Various topics have been added to thechemistry curriculum making it more topical like computational chemistry, nanotechnology,green and sustainable chemistry, andatmospheric and environmentalchemistrydotint17. More than two thirds of staffhave introduced new topics into their teachingprogramme from their own research orscholarship, or from other workers'researchsta68. More recognition has also been

given to subjects on the fringes of chemistrylike chemical engineering, biological, medicinal,and materials chemistry, and forensic science.Other changes have been made to reflectdevelopments in the research profile of thedepartment; or required because of theretirement of key members of staffdotint17,18.

Rather more seems to have been added to thecurriculum than dropped from it, but theteaching of statistical mechanics has beenabandoned by a number of departments, along

Table 4 Students' description of their chemistry curriculum

All BScMChem/

MSciRussell non-Russell

tooacademic:

15% 18% 13% 23% 7%

too applied: 2% 4% 1% 2% 2%

well-balanced:

83% 78% 85% 75% 91%

Table 5 Student's preferences for the inclusion ofmore research-based or world problem oriented

course components

Table 5a Russell 1994 Alliance

more

based onresearch

36% 46% 67%

no morebased onresearch

64% 54% 33%

Table 5b Russell 1994 Alliance

more onsolvingworldproblems

41% 56% 73%

no moreon solvingworldproblems

59% 44% 28%

Table 5 Student's preferences for the inclusion ofmore research-based or world problem orientedcourse components


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with some of the more descriptive chemistry oftransition and main group elements, and naturalproduct chemistrydotint18. Some material likeanalytical, polymer, and bioorganic chemistry,has been transferred into specialised degree

programmes.

Curriculum developments that some staffwould like to see are often structural ratherthan changes in the content of the courses. Amore flexible modular framework to allow

students more choice like more, but shorter,modules in the early part of the course wouldbe welcomed, as would better integrationbetween sections of the department, moreproblem-based learning and chemistry relevantto real life, and an increase in the linkagesbetween teaching and researchdotint20.Students have benefited from continuouscurriculum review and the introduction ofvariety into teaching methodsdotint22. Theyappreciate greater choice, covering up-to-date

research material in later parts of the course,and the transferable skills programmeintegrated into chemistry teaching modules.More workshops and problem based learninghas made the learning experience more varied;and the use of a wider range of assessmenttechniques has given students newopportunities to demonstrate their ability.

7.3 Class of degrees for chemistrystudents

Average degree grades from the last three

years are shown in Table 6

dot13

, and indicate

that very few students on MChem/MScicourses leave without a first or second classdegree. This is because students have to attainat least 50% at an interim stage (usually the endof Year 2) in order to be accepted on to anMChem/MSci course. By contrast, BSc gradesare more normally distributed.

The overall percentage of students gaining aFirst Class Honours degree has been risingsteadily in all subjects since 2001, and in thephysical sciences it had risen from 16% to 19%by 2007 (117). In chemistry the figures overall(Figure 25d) do not follow this trend, showingonly a rise of 1% over the four years. Within

the separate departmental Groups (Figure 25 a,b, and c) the proportion of First Class Honoursdegrees fluctuates from year to year, withRussell and 1994 Group awarding on average asligh

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