An undergraduate teaching initiative to demonstrate the complexity and range of issues typically encountered in modern industrial chemistry

Abstract

In 1997 the Chemistry Department at the University of Glasgow introduced a new initiative into its undergraduate teaching programme. Two exercises were developed that require the students to operate in small groups and to work through exercises that are representative of issues in contemporary industrial chemistry using a problem-based learning format. These modules, termed interactive teaching units, aim to demonstrate the number of factors, often disparate, that contribute to the implementation of successful and sustainable industrial chemical processes. The units are a vehicle for presenting applied chemistry, and also introduce the economic and environmental issues affecting an overall business area. Although these units do not specifically target the concepts of green chemistry, they do enhance student awareness of the principles that underpin the discipline. This report provides an overview of this initiative and briefly outlines the methodology adopted.