Concentration calculations

Description:

This learning design aims at helping bachelor and master students who join the research group to do a practical laboratory project (supervision). Experience shows that many students get stuck at the very start of the project because they are unable to do the concentration calculations required to make a buffer. This particular learning design will use online quizzes to ensure that the students can comfortably carry out basic chemical calculations required for successful laboratory work.

New students will be given the information on how to login to PeerWise and do the Quiz on the first day and will be asked to complete the quiz ‘out of class’. In the case that the student had difficulties with one or more of the questions we will use supervision time ‘in class’ one of the following days to go over the problem and make sure the student is up to speed. This will be followed by ‘real life’ usage of the knowledge in the laboratory where the students will be asked to prepare buffers at given concentrations (and will thus have to do the calculations and weigh off the correct amounts). These buffers will be used by the students in the following experiments and it is thus very important to them that they get it right. The students will also be asked to prepare one or two questions of their own for the quiz. In the case that more students start in the lab simultaneously they will be asked to answer each others questions.