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Problem-Solving Case Studies Educators in the United Kingdom prepare their students for the working world. Stephen Summerfield and Tina Overton, University of Hull, U.K. Simon Belt, University of Plymouth, U.K.
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or many years in the United Kingdom, employers have urged universities to produce graduates with a range of transferable skills that make them immediately effective in the working world (1). Employers who hire chemists require graduates who can think critically and analytically, interpret information and experimental data, tackle unfamiliar openended problems, and apply their chemical knowledge. In addition, the modern chemistry graduate must master communication, teamwork, time and information management, independent learning, and the use of information technology. Whereas any single approach to teaching is unlikely to be capable of providing sufficient training in all of these areas, the use of problem-solving case studies addresses at least some of these issues. Despite their recognized value within chemistry, case studies unfortunately remain a novel method for the majority of university students and staff (2–8). We therefore decided to design a series of case studies to help students develop their knowledge of analytical chemistry and enhance other scientific skills, as recommended by the United Kingdom Analytical Partnership Skills Network (9), such as information handling and problem solving, as well as important transferable skills, as defined by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) (10), such as communications, information technology, working with others, and planning. We also wanted the case studies to be flexible enough to be tailored to a particular under- or postgraduate course, yet well documented enough
for wider dissemination. To this end, we developed six case studies, which collectively focus on analytical science within environmental, forensic, industrial, and pharmaceutical chemistry contexts. For each case study, students work in small groups for 4–6 h during a series of weekly workshops or one-hour sessions. In addition, students usually spend 6–12 h in independent study. Students may be evaluated on the basis of written reports,
which might be submitted individually or as a group and could be as short as a single page. The duration and focus of oral presentations are at the discretion of the tutor and can be peer-assessed. An individual student’s contribution to the group can also be assessed by his or her peers.
Summary of the case studies The Titan project. For this case study, students adopt the role of the manage-
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ment team of a TiO2 plant empowered to make recommendations on the future of the site. The case study encourages them to consider industrial chemistry in a broad context of the associated safety, environmental, economic, and social issues. Students compare sulfate and chloride processes for TiO2 production, assess why the site is a good location for a TiO2 plant, and finally propose a fiveyear strategy for the site. In the second part of the project, the students consider establishing an environmental monitoring laboratory for the chloride process and select a method of analysis for Cl– ions in river water (11). New drugs for old. In this project, groups of students plan how to isolate and identify a pharmacologically active constituent in vegetation obtained by a research chemist during an overseas visit. Subsequently, they propose long-term activities needed to bring the drug to the marketplace. Students then interpret spectra to identify the isolated components and determine the cost of synthesizing the active ingredient (salicylic acid). Finally, the students assess the drug’s commercial viability against leading pharmaceuticals on the market. A dip in the dribble. In this case study, students determine the cause and nature of an acute pollution incident in a local river and its probable environmental impact. After identifying the chemicals involved, they consider the possible methods of analysis, make some recommendations, and finally, commission a monitoring program from contract analysis companies (12). Tales of the riverbank. Students assume the role of a mock investigation team following a complaint about a reduction in the number and size of fish caught along a local river. Considering both temporal and spatial factors, the students identify an array of possible causes. As further data and information are made available, the group must consider environmental issues, pollution, sampling, analytical techniques, water quality, data analysis and interpretation, toxicity, and remediation (13–14). The pale horse. The students act as the investigation team for a (fictitious) suspicious death. The evidence is gradu182 A
ally presented in reports from attending police officers, an investigating officer, both a forensic medical examiner and scientist, and a scene-of-the-crime officer. From the different reports, students select samples for analysis together with the corresponding analytical methods. On the basis of the results, the students identify the cause of death, the manner in which the poison was administered, and the role of analytical chemistry in solving the case (15–17 ). Launch-a-lab. Students take the role of the management team of a small contract analytical company. They must ensure that the company can deliver a high-quality service with a suitable profit margin if they are to secure the contract for the analysis of organic pollutants in groundwater. The choice of instruments, validation of methods, accreditation of the laboratory, laboratory design, and costs are considered by the students. To deliver the expanded service, the students must prepare a job advertisement, interview students posing as candidates, and hire a new analytical chemist (18).
Kingdom). Simon Belt is a professor at the University of Plymouth (United Kingdom). Address all correspondence to Summerfield, Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom (
[email protected]).
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Overview The case studies were piloted with students ranging from undergraduates to those pursuing their master’s degrees at more than a dozen U.K. universities. The staff and student feedback has been very positive; the enthusiasm and engagement of the students swiftly increases as the case studies progress, presumably due to an increased familiarity with the approach and perhaps due to a greater involvement in decision-making processes. Additional feedback from students shows that the case studies not only provide them with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of analytical chemistry but also to increase their awareness of their transferable skills capabilities.
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We thank the Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Trust Fund for funding and the UK Analytical Partnership for their encouragement. We also thank our students and colleagues from various universities whose involvement and feedback have been invaluable in the development of these case studies. Stephen Summerfield and Tina Overton are professors at the University of Hull (United
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Milgrom, L. Chemistry in Britain, 1993, 29, 949. Percival, F. A Study of Teaching Methods in Tertiary Chemical Education. Ph.D. thesis, University of Glasgow, U.K. 1976. Garratt, C. J.; Mattinson, B. J. H. Education Industry and Technology; Pergamon Press: London, 1987. Pontin, J. A.; Arico, E.; Pitoscio-Filo, J.; Tiedeman, P. W.; Isuyama, R.; Fettis, G. C. J. Chem. Ed. 1993, 70 (3), 223. Wenzel, T. J. Anal. Chem. 1995, 67, 470 A. Wilson, G. S.; Anderson, M. R.; Lunte, C. E. Anal. Chem. 1999, 71, 677 A. Werner, T. C.; Tobiessen, P.; Lou, K. Anal. Chem. 2001, 73, 84 A. Thompson, R. Q.; Edminston, P. L. Anal. Chem. 2001, 73, 679 A. UK Analytical Partnership Home Page. www.chemsoc.org/networks/ukap/skills.htm. Royal Society of Chemistry. Undergraduate Skills Record, www.rsc.org/lap/educatio/ ugskills.htm. Overton, T. L.; Topping, C. Proceedings: Variety in Chemistry Teaching 1998, Lancaster University, U.K., Sept 7–8, 1998; Royal Society of Chemistry: Hull, U.K.; p 22. Belt, S. T.; Clarke, M. J.; Phipps, L. E. U. Chem. Ed. 1999, 3 (2) 52. Overton, T. L. U. Chem. Ed. 2001, 5 (2) 62. Belt S. T.; Overton, T. L.; Summerfield, S. Proceedings: Variety in Chemistry Teaching 2002, University of Keele, U.K., Sept 9–10, 2002; Royal Society of Chemistry: Hull, U.K.; p 22. Summerfield, S.; Overton T. L.; Belt, S. T. The International Simulations and Gaming Research Handbook: Employability, the Role of Games, Simulations and Case Studies, Volume 10; Society for Interactive Learning, Napier University: Edinburgh, 2002; pp 174–183. Overton, T. L.; Summerfield, S.; Belt S. T. Proceedings: Variety in Chemistry Teaching 2001, Lancaster University, U.K., Sept 3–4, 2001; Royal Society of Chemistry: Hull, U.K.; p 24. Belt, S. T.; Evans, E. H.; McCreedy T.; Overton T. L.; Summerfield S. U. Chem Ed. 2002, 6 (2), 65. Belt S. T.; Overton, T. L.; Summerfield, S. Proceedings: Variety in Chemistry Teaching 2002, Keele University, U.K., Sept 9–10, 2002; Royal Society of Chemistry: Hull, U.K.; p 23.
