PChem Teaching Lab

PLACEMENT & PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES - Year 3 Projects

Some Year 3 "Education and Outreach" Undergraduate projects are run in the Level 4 Teaching Laboratory. In general these (Level 4 Lab projects) have a clear aim of improving a particular area/practical associated with the Level 4 Laboratory, although there is scope for students to independently propose their own project, providing it falls under the remit of "Education and Outreach".
Project allocation follows the standard procedure for all Year 3 projects.
A list of previous Year 3 projects in the Level 4 lab (including the Project Abstracts) are tabulated below.

Year Student
(Course Code) PROJECT TITLE
Abstract

2018-19 Caroline Barclay
(CHEM3012) AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SKILLS DEVELOPED IN THE UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING LABORATORIES
When entering the third year of a chemistry degree, students are expected to have developed many skills in practical chemistry from time spent in the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories. To start the research into the extent to which these have been taught, the students' and supervisors' views need to be analysed. Surveys are an efficient way of collecting bulk data and from their analysis, can identify which areas are underdeveloped in the students' knowledge. Having obtained this information, research into the practical experiments is carried out to identify where changes could be made to enhance the students' laboratory skills.
An Infrared Spectroscopy practical is experimentally changed with the introduction of using household products such as shampoo and dish-washer tablets to create an attractive experiment for the students.
Additionally, learning methods are analysed to determine whether further changes could be beneficial for the students' learning process. A new online company, called Learning Science, provides pre-laboratory exercises, which tests practical skills in a virtual environment, and post laboratory worksheets, ideal for mathematical based reports.

Calum Bavin
(CHEM3012) TO ADDRESS TOPICS WITH COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TO INVESTIGATE HOW TO OVERCOME STUDENT MISCONCEPTIONS WITH THE USE OF CLASSROOM PRACTICALS AND THROUGH A TWO LESSON OUTREACH PROJECT AIMED AT KEY STAGE 3 STUDENTS
Within the science education sector, there has been extensive research into misconceptions and how they affect teaching and learning. Following wide-ranging analysis of different articles focussing on student misconceptions, there is 3 significantly less research carried out on overcoming these misconceptions through teaching. The purpose of this study is to identify the most common misconceptions in secondary school science education and to fill that gap in the literature by investigating how to overcome misconceptions through the design an outreach project, involving practical elements.
The results find that practical work inside the classroom has a positive effect on overcoming student misconceptions because students rely on their personal experiences and what is visible when searching for scientific explanations.

2016-17 Angharad Jenkins
(CHEM3012) THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE "SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERISATION AND ANALYSIS OF POTASSIUM FERRIOXALATE" PRACTICAL FOR YEAR 1 SEMESTER 2 STUDENTS
This report describes the development of the "Synthesis, Characterisation and Analysis of Potassium Ferrioxalate" practical, as well as its implementation into the Level 4 Laboratory Year 1 Semester 2 Lab course.
The initial research and development of the practical procedure that was carried out is described, including the development of the potassium ferrioxalate synthesis, oxalate content analysis, iron content analysis and IR characterisation section. Also covered are the details of how the Lab script and report questions were devised (with regards to specifying the degree of difficulty appropriate for Year 1 students).
To evaluate the success of the implementation of the practical, feedback provided by students after completing the practical was reviewed and an analysis of the outcomes performed to assess how successfully the aims of the practical and project had been met. It was found that the practical engaged the students well and gave some practise of laboratory skills. There is however scope to improve the practical to increase the development of additional skills and to more closely relate it to the associated lecture course.

2015-16 Kate Moynihan
(CHEM3012) DEVELOPMENT OF A CHEMISTRY OUTREACH EVENT FOR KEY STAGE 3 STUDENTS
The aim of this project was to update existing experiments for the Chemistry Challenge, an outreach event held at the University of Southampton for year eight students. The aim of the event was to enthuse the students about chemistry and improve their practical skills. The experiments developed were based on a forensic theme and included salt tests, chromatography, synthesis of natural indicators and identification of unknowns.
Feedback was gained from teachers about the level of chemistry knowledge the students have, and the range of experiments already performed in schools. The students were questioned about their enjoyment of the event, chemistry knowledge and their intent to study chemistry in post-16 education. The responses given demonstrated that the students all enjoyed the event and developed new practical skills, and these can be further used to help improve future outreach events at the university.

2013-14 Luke Kidwell
(CHEM3046) IS THERE A PLACE FOR OSCILLATING REACTIONS IN EDUCATION?
Oscillating reactions are a relatively new area of chemistry, discovered only 50 years ago, and is a popular topic for research.
This paper reviews the literature regarding how oscillating systems have been applied to the education of individuals in formal education and what benefits can be gained from its involvement in the curriculum. After a brief introduction, it provides some basic background information regarding the oscillating reactions that explains concepts that are often used as educational objectives, as well an explanation to where it has potential in education. This is followed by a number of summarised articles regarding various experiments and courses using oscillating reactions which are evaluated individually followed by a critical evaluation that compares their advantages and disadvantages.
The article concludes that the teaching of undergraduates nearing the end of their degree has more success, due to only students more advanced in their studies possessing the knowledge and experience that is required to get the full benefit from the area.

Callum Lang
(CHEM3046) WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL WEAKNESSES OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ENTERING A CHEMISTRY DEGREE AND WHAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSES OF THIS?
The knowledge provided to students in the UK from their A-Level learning has been regulated thoroughly by examination boards which set out learning curriculums for schools to teach their students accordingly. Curriculums work to create a level playing field, ensuring that all students cover the same content in their education.
The practical aspect of a qualification in chemitsry however is far less rigorously controlled by the examination boards, and combined with a contrast in the spending budgets of schools in science across the country, it can leave many students lacking in the practical experience needed for a chemistry undergraduate degree.
In this paper, the provision of practical education will be looked at in more depth, detailing the disparities between the types of schools as well as looking at other publications that analyse practical work in secondary schools in an effort to successfully gauge what the weaknesses of students entering undergraduate courses of a chemical nature are. The causes of these practical weaknesses will then be explored before possible solutions to the problem at hand are presented.

2012-13 Michelle Huggon
(CHEM3012) APPLICATION OF SIMULATIONS TO ENHANCE LABORATORY LEARNING
The aim of this project was to provide and assess a simulation to substitute part of the Year 2 "Hydrogen-Oxygen Explosion" experiment. A combination of a simulation and a hands-on experiment (using the existing explosion rig) was determined to be most appropriate configuration for the revised practical.
The new simulation component enables investigation of the spontaneous explosive reaction between hydrogen and oxygen over an increased range of pressures and temperatures in a safe environment. This is designed to enhance the learning of the students performing the experiment and also to enable a larger cohort of students to undertake the experiment.
The revised experiment was run during Semester 2 of the 2012-13 academic year. Analysis of student feedback indicated that this revised experiment allowed students to look deeper and gain a greater understanding of the reaction and the underlying concepts. This has demonstrated that the use of a simulation was beneficial to student learning in the experiment. The success of the project indicates that the use of simulations in conjunction with practical work can be useful.

2011-12 Deborah Ormond
(CHEM3012) DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES TO TEACH LUMINESCENCE AT VARIOUS LEVELS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ITS USE IN SOLAR TECHNOLOGY
The aim of this research was to investigate the current teaching of luminescence and to produce two self-study teaching resources, one aimed at A-level and one at Undergraduate level. Two PowerPoint presentations were developed to meet the four main types of learning styles and included interactive questions and videos. The effectiveness of the A-Level resource was then reviewed by giving a questionnaire to a sample of testers and showed that overall the testers found the resource interesting and they all learnt something new. After viewing the presentation the majority of testers would think about furthering their knowledge of luminescence.
The Undergraduate level resource included an example of a more advanced application of luminescence. This was the use of fluorescent dyes to increase the efficiency of solar cells (i.e. light harvesting) - research that is currently being undertaken by the Solar Energy Group at the University. Light harvesting systems were investigated practically and the results demonstrated that both fluorescein and rhodamine 6G dyes can be used to increase the voltage produced by solar cells under direct light.
Overall the resource appeared to meet its desired goals as an interesting and dynamic way of learning more about luminescence. The results of both the resource and the experiment with fluorescent dyes in solar cells have shown that this topic deserves further exploration in more depth.

2010-11 Nur Fathiha Arif
(CHEM3034) THE BELOUSOV-ZHABOTINSKY REACTION: DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY EDUCATION EXPERIMENT
Oscillating chemical reactions are complex reactions and require a large number of reactants, products and intermediates. Interest and activity in this area has grown tremendously and the sophistication of understanding has increased dramatically. There are a number of oscillating reactions known, the most studied being the Belousov-Zabotinsky (BZ) reaction that yields a sequence of colour changes from red to blue with the series repeating periodically. In a spatial BZ reaction the oscillation gives rise to outgoing waves as it alternates between the red and blue colours.
The objective of this project was to investigate an existing (Year 2) Oscillating Reaction practical and create a new experiment with a wider range of analysis. The existing practical dealt solely with temporal oscillations in well stirred systems, whilst the newly devised practical was aimed at expanding the students understanding of chemical oscillations by incorporating other aspects of oscillating systems, i.e. spatial behaviour.
Another objective was to educate and demonstrate chemical oscillations to people with differing levels of knowledge. For example, for the Science and Engineering Family Day (12th March 2011) at the University of Southampton, a means of demonstrating a simple oscillating chemical reaction was developed.

Year	Student (Course Code)	PROJECT TITLE Abstract
2018-19	Caroline Barclay (CHEM3012)	AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SKILLS DEVELOPED IN THE UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING LABORATORIES When entering the third year of a chemistry degree, students are expected to have developed many skills in practical chemistry from time spent in the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories. To start the research into the extent to which these have been taught, the students' and supervisors' views need to be analysed. Surveys are an efficient way of collecting bulk data and from their analysis, can identify which areas are underdeveloped in the students' knowledge. Having obtained this information, research into the practical experiments is carried out to identify where changes could be made to enhance the students' laboratory skills. An Infrared Spectroscopy practical is experimentally changed with the introduction of using household products such as shampoo and dish-washer tablets to create an attractive experiment for the students. Additionally, learning methods are analysed to determine whether further changes could be beneficial for the students' learning process. A new online company, called Learning Science, provides pre-laboratory exercises, which tests practical skills in a virtual environment, and post laboratory worksheets, ideal for mathematical based reports.
2018-19	Calum Bavin (CHEM3012)	TO ADDRESS TOPICS WITH COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TO INVESTIGATE HOW TO OVERCOME STUDENT MISCONCEPTIONS WITH THE USE OF CLASSROOM PRACTICALS AND THROUGH A TWO LESSON OUTREACH PROJECT AIMED AT KEY STAGE 3 STUDENTS Within the science education sector, there has been extensive research into misconceptions and how they affect teaching and learning. Following wide-ranging analysis of different articles focussing on student misconceptions, there is 3 significantly less research carried out on overcoming these misconceptions through teaching. The purpose of this study is to identify the most common misconceptions in secondary school science education and to fill that gap in the literature by investigating how to overcome misconceptions through the design an outreach project, involving practical elements. The results find that practical work inside the classroom has a positive effect on overcoming student misconceptions because students rely on their personal experiences and what is visible when searching for scientific explanations.
2016-17	Angharad Jenkins (CHEM3012)	THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE "SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERISATION AND ANALYSIS OF POTASSIUM FERRIOXALATE" PRACTICAL FOR YEAR 1 SEMESTER 2 STUDENTS This report describes the development of the "Synthesis, Characterisation and Analysis of Potassium Ferrioxalate" practical, as well as its implementation into the Level 4 Laboratory Year 1 Semester 2 Lab course. The initial research and development of the practical procedure that was carried out is described, including the development of the potassium ferrioxalate synthesis, oxalate content analysis, iron content analysis and IR characterisation section. Also covered are the details of how the Lab script and report questions were devised (with regards to specifying the degree of difficulty appropriate for Year 1 students). To evaluate the success of the implementation of the practical, feedback provided by students after completing the practical was reviewed and an analysis of the outcomes performed to assess how successfully the aims of the practical and project had been met. It was found that the practical engaged the students well and gave some practise of laboratory skills. There is however scope to improve the practical to increase the development of additional skills and to more closely relate it to the associated lecture course.
2015-16	Kate Moynihan (CHEM3012)	DEVELOPMENT OF A CHEMISTRY OUTREACH EVENT FOR KEY STAGE 3 STUDENTS The aim of this project was to update existing experiments for the Chemistry Challenge, an outreach event held at the University of Southampton for year eight students. The aim of the event was to enthuse the students about chemistry and improve their practical skills. The experiments developed were based on a forensic theme and included salt tests, chromatography, synthesis of natural indicators and identification of unknowns. Feedback was gained from teachers about the level of chemistry knowledge the students have, and the range of experiments already performed in schools. The students were questioned about their enjoyment of the event, chemistry knowledge and their intent to study chemistry in post-16 education. The responses given demonstrated that the students all enjoyed the event and developed new practical skills, and these can be further used to help improve future outreach events at the university.
2013-14	Luke Kidwell (CHEM3046)	IS THERE A PLACE FOR OSCILLATING REACTIONS IN EDUCATION? Oscillating reactions are a relatively new area of chemistry, discovered only 50 years ago, and is a popular topic for research. This paper reviews the literature regarding how oscillating systems have been applied to the education of individuals in formal education and what benefits can be gained from its involvement in the curriculum. After a brief introduction, it provides some basic background information regarding the oscillating reactions that explains concepts that are often used as educational objectives, as well an explanation to where it has potential in education. This is followed by a number of summarised articles regarding various experiments and courses using oscillating reactions which are evaluated individually followed by a critical evaluation that compares their advantages and disadvantages. The article concludes that the teaching of undergraduates nearing the end of their degree has more success, due to only students more advanced in their studies possessing the knowledge and experience that is required to get the full benefit from the area.
2013-14	Callum Lang (CHEM3046)	WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL WEAKNESSES OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ENTERING A CHEMISTRY DEGREE AND WHAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSES OF THIS? The knowledge provided to students in the UK from their A-Level learning has been regulated thoroughly by examination boards which set out learning curriculums for schools to teach their students accordingly. Curriculums work to create a level playing field, ensuring that all students cover the same content in their education. The practical aspect of a qualification in chemitsry however is far less rigorously controlled by the examination boards, and combined with a contrast in the spending budgets of schools in science across the country, it can leave many students lacking in the practical experience needed for a chemistry undergraduate degree. In this paper, the provision of practical education will be looked at in more depth, detailing the disparities between the types of schools as well as looking at other publications that analyse practical work in secondary schools in an effort to successfully gauge what the weaknesses of students entering undergraduate courses of a chemical nature are. The causes of these practical weaknesses will then be explored before possible solutions to the problem at hand are presented.
2012-13	Michelle Huggon (CHEM3012)	APPLICATION OF SIMULATIONS TO ENHANCE LABORATORY LEARNING The aim of this project was to provide and assess a simulation to substitute part of the Year 2 "Hydrogen-Oxygen Explosion" experiment. A combination of a simulation and a hands-on experiment (using the existing explosion rig) was determined to be most appropriate configuration for the revised practical. The new simulation component enables investigation of the spontaneous explosive reaction between hydrogen and oxygen over an increased range of pressures and temperatures in a safe environment. This is designed to enhance the learning of the students performing the experiment and also to enable a larger cohort of students to undertake the experiment. The revised experiment was run during Semester 2 of the 2012-13 academic year. Analysis of student feedback indicated that this revised experiment allowed students to look deeper and gain a greater understanding of the reaction and the underlying concepts. This has demonstrated that the use of a simulation was beneficial to student learning in the experiment. The success of the project indicates that the use of simulations in conjunction with practical work can be useful.
2011-12	Deborah Ormond (CHEM3012)	DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES TO TEACH LUMINESCENCE AT VARIOUS LEVELS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ITS USE IN SOLAR TECHNOLOGY The aim of this research was to investigate the current teaching of luminescence and to produce two self-study teaching resources, one aimed at A-level and one at Undergraduate level. Two PowerPoint presentations were developed to meet the four main types of learning styles and included interactive questions and videos. The effectiveness of the A-Level resource was then reviewed by giving a questionnaire to a sample of testers and showed that overall the testers found the resource interesting and they all learnt something new. After viewing the presentation the majority of testers would think about furthering their knowledge of luminescence. The Undergraduate level resource included an example of a more advanced application of luminescence. This was the use of fluorescent dyes to increase the efficiency of solar cells (i.e. light harvesting) - research that is currently being undertaken by the Solar Energy Group at the University. Light harvesting systems were investigated practically and the results demonstrated that both fluorescein and rhodamine 6G dyes can be used to increase the voltage produced by solar cells under direct light. Overall the resource appeared to meet its desired goals as an interesting and dynamic way of learning more about luminescence. The results of both the resource and the experiment with fluorescent dyes in solar cells have shown that this topic deserves further exploration in more depth.
2010-11	Nur Fathiha Arif (CHEM3034)	THE BELOUSOV-ZHABOTINSKY REACTION: DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY EDUCATION EXPERIMENT Oscillating chemical reactions are complex reactions and require a large number of reactants, products and intermediates. Interest and activity in this area has grown tremendously and the sophistication of understanding has increased dramatically. There are a number of oscillating reactions known, the most studied being the Belousov-Zabotinsky (BZ) reaction that yields a sequence of colour changes from red to blue with the series repeating periodically. In a spatial BZ reaction the oscillation gives rise to outgoing waves as it alternates between the red and blue colours. The objective of this project was to investigate an existing (Year 2) Oscillating Reaction practical and create a new experiment with a wider range of analysis. The existing practical dealt solely with temporal oscillations in well stirred systems, whilst the newly devised practical was aimed at expanding the students understanding of chemical oscillations by incorporating other aspects of oscillating systems, i.e. spatial behaviour. Another objective was to educate and demonstrate chemical oscillations to people with differing levels of knowledge. For example, for the Science and Engineering Family Day (12th March 2011) at the University of Southampton, a means of demonstrating a simple oscillating chemical reaction was developed.