Introductory Skills & Practical 1 - CHE00027C
Module summary
This compulsory module complements the core theoretical content of the Chemistry degree programme by introducing and developing the core skills that students require to become a professional chemist.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2025-26 |
Module aims
This module introduces students to the Department of Chemistry, and begins to develop the vital skills that complement the core chemical knowledge of the degree programme. Specific aims are:
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To introduce students to the more independent learning styles that are part of University-level learning
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To introduce students to practical laboratory work at degree level, including core elements such as working safely in the laboratory, understanding and practice of key manipulative skills, making accurate records etc.
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To develop mathematical/biological/physical background knowledge, to complement each student's pre-University studies
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To develop core mathematical and quantitative skills
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To develop transferable skills in research, reasoning, and communication; team working, synthesising arguments to solve problems, and presenting findings, verbally and visually.
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To develop students’ awareness of employability for chemistry graduates, including aspects of equality and diversity.
Module learning outcomes
Students should be able to:
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apply the foundational principles of practical chemistry to conduct routine laboratory work safely, and to demonstrate competence in general laboratory skills
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perform mathematical manipulations confidently, including the manipulation of units
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apply mathematical methods to solve chemical problems, including quantification of uncertainties.
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understand and describe the molecular/chemical aspects of life processes as a prelude to subsequent chemistry modules.
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demonstrate transferable and problem-solving skills, with particular emphasis on communication of chemical content
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describe and be able to exploit the options and opportunities available to gain the required skills for employability, including equality and diversity principles.
Module content
Introductory sessions
These sessions introduce students to the Department of Chemistry, including key staff, key places and key support structures.
Practical work
Practical skills are taught in a variety of ways including a series of structured experimental exercises, conducted in the Teaching Laboratory, a series of practical theory lectures that provide a theoretical background to the practical exercises and PC classroom workshops on accessing, organising and processing laboratory data.
Mathematics for Chemists
Mathematics is taught in a chemical context and covers selected topics from calculus, power series, vectors and statistics to support fundamental chemical ideas later in the course. The sessions include opportunities for students to work through problems with guidance and supervision to develop their problem-solving skills in a 'hands-on' way. The Mathematics course is designed to support all the students with the mathematical aspects of the chemistry course, especially those without a post-16 maths qualification. All students are provided with support materials for private study. Students may attend specific workshops as required to support any topics they have difficulty with.
Building a Biological Background:
The Building a Biological Background course covers selected aspects of Biology/Biochemistry that underpin future core and option modules, familiarising students with biological/biochemical nomenclature.
Transferable Skills
These sessions help students to develop transferable skills in a wide range of areas such as team-working, problem solving, thinking/reading critically, working ethically and with integrity, independent learning, literature searching, referencing, handling information, synthesis of arguments from a range of different sources, scientific writing and oral/visual presentation skills. Broader aspects are also developed, such as awareness of equality and diversity. Together, these sessions develop students’ transferable skills to support future learning including a focus on employability.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) | 50.0 |
| Practical | 50.0 |
Special assessment rules
Pass/fail
Additional assessment information
BOTH assessed components must be PASSED to complete the module. Students will be supported to achieve this requirement throughout. Prerequisite Safety components must also be completed for continued participation in laboratory work, and the individual presentation is regarded as a compulsory requirement in preparation for future assessed presentations.
Candidates are allowed to bring up to four sides of A4 pre-prepared notes into this open book assessment for reference.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) | 50.0 |
| Practical | 50.0 |
Module feedback
Throughout the laboratory exercises, students will receive verbal feedback on their performance from demonstrators to help them improve their understanding and skills. For Practical Skills Assessment 1, students will receive individual feedback, by email, on their performance alongside generalised class feedback. Any students with unsatisfactory performance in Practical Assessment 1 are required to attend a retraining session, after which they have opportunities to retake this assessment to achieve the required Pass level.
For the Safety Acknowledgement and Safety Quiz, feedback is provided immediately after completion. Any students with unsatisfactory performance are required to resubmit the assessment.
For the Mathematics for Chemists course, students undertake online quizzes on a weekly basis with immediate feedback. There are weekly workshops and drop in sessions where students can discuss their mistakes with the GTAs and the lecturer. Feedback from the assessment is provided at the start of semester 2 to support those required to retake the assessment to reach the required Pass level.
The online Building a Biological Background test provides instant feedback after each question.
Indicative reading
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Cockett and Doggett, "Maths for Chemists"
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Voet and Voet, "Biochemistry"
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Dean, Jones, Holmes, Reed, Weyers and Jones, “Practical Skills in Chemistry”
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Vogel, “Practical Organic Chemistry”
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Cranwell, Harwood and Moody, “Experimental Organic Chemistry”