Unit information: Advanced Practical Skills for Chemical Physics in 2016/17

Unit name	Advanced Practical Skills for Chemical Physics
Unit code	CHEM30008
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. May
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	CHEM20370, CHEM20190, CHEM20220
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Chemistry
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

This unit develops the practical chemistry skills introduced in CHEM20220 to expand that essential base of practical chemistry into this more advanced level of study. The unit covers the main areas of chemistry with experiments based on inorganic, materials, physical, theoretical and analytical chemistry.

The unit provides training in practical chemistry and literature research in preparation for a research project, a career as a professional chemical-physicist, or in an area of employment requiring the skills of scientific reasoning, critical evaluation and numeracy. This course aims to provide an advanced understanding and knowledge of the main areas of practical chemistry, reinforcing and building on year-2 material and laying the basis to enable progress to independent laboratory work in later years. Students face challenging experiments, learn to research and choose appropriate techniques for a given problem and work independently, managing their own time.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Advanced aspects of all relevant of the subject with increasing emphasis on topics at the frontiers of the subject.
• Practical training in research methods through supervised work.
• The ability to manage their own learning,
• Independent learning through the use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the discipline).
• Present complex issues to others through written reports
• Develop communication skills through written reports
• Employ and carry out complex practical operations and techniques
• Critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem
• Able to take decisions in a responsible and professional manner
• Develop time management and efficiency skills
• Report writing skills
• Make appropriate use of information and communication technology resources
• The qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring:
  • the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility
  • decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts

Teaching Information

Supervised practical classes, workshops (classes of 50 students with two staff members) and independent study. The Dynamic Laboratory Manual provides important e-learning resources in advance of practical sessions.

Assessment Information

Students will assessed by continuous summative coursework in the form of reports.

Reading and References

The reading needed for this course is available on the Bristol ChemLabS Dynamic Laboratory Manual.