Laboratory Teaching in Higher Education Chemistry

Laboratory teaching is at the core of chemistry curricula. Aims of laboratory work include among other things the development of scientific skills, the ability to engage in the scientific process and the development of a range of transferable skills. There is extensive literature on laboratory education documenting innovative strategies and approaches, but much of the current laboratory teaching is dominated by one particular approach.

This book advocates design of laboratory courses from a curriculum design perspective by considering the aims of laboratory work and how those aims can be achieved by our teaching approaches. Its audience is those who are responsible for change – practitioners who are planning and running courses either for an individual module or an entire programme. Rationale for particular approaches are presented in the context of the latest chemistry education research, with cases studies used to illustrate how these changes might work in practice. This book is unique in its focus on higher education chemistry, and will act as a useful toolkit for those looking to improve or re-invent their laboratory programme.