KJM4050 ¨C Chemistry Education Research and Practice

Course content

This course is an introduction to chemistry education research and practice. How do we teach chemistry in a way that promotes learning and understanding? The course will cover central topics in the teaching of chemistry, with a special focus on aspects related to practical laboratory experiments.

Learning outcome

After completing this course, you:

• Are familiar with chemistry education research as a subject area, and important concepts and theories within the field.
• Can prepare, carry out and evaluate chemistry education based on scientific articles about chemistry education research, knowledge of students? understanding of chemistry and motivation for the subject, and you can explain your choices with reference to chemistry education theory.
• Can use laboratory experiments actively to introduce students to chemical principles and practical laboratory techniques, and you know how experimental work can be used to improve learning.
• Are aware of important aspects related to health, safety, and the environment when teaching chemistry, you can handle equipment and chemicals in a safe manner, and perform risk evaluation of experimental work.
• Are aware of the switching between macro-, micro-, and representational level when teaching chemistry, and how you can vary your instructional methods and adapt them to the different aspects of the chemistry curriculum.
• Can reflect on the role of chemistry in society and the place of chemistry as a subject in the Norwegian education system.
• Can familiarize yourself with chemistry education research literature and communicate your findings to your peers.

Admission to the course

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The course has 12 places in total at KJM3050 and KJM4050.?Teacher education students who have the course as a mandatory or recommended part of their education and master students with the course in their approved study plan will be given priority if there are more applicants than places.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

• KJM1002 ¨C Introduction to Chemistry, or KJM1101 ¨C Generell kjemi, or an equivalent course.
• HMS0501 ¨C Safety and Physical Environment, HMS0502 ¨C Positive Learning Environment, HMS0503 ¨C Laboratory Safety, HMS0505 ¨C Electricity Safety, and HMS0507 ¨C Fire Safety

Recommended previous knowledge

KJM1111 ¨C Organic Chemistry I or an equivalent course is strongly recommended. If you don?t have a background in organic chemistry, you must expect extra work with the course.

Overlapping courses

• 10 credits overlap with KJM3050 ¨C Chemistry Education Research and Practice.

Teaching

The course duration is one semester and the teaching consists of:

• 2 hours of lectures every week
• 4 hours of laboratory course.

The lectures will have an emphasis on student active forms of instruction, and you may be expected toprepare for class in various ways. You also have to prepare, carry out, and evaluate instruction with afocus on laboratory experiments, based on scientifically published literature. In addition, you have to present a scientific article to your fellow students.

The mandatory laboratory course, your teaching plan, the instruction itself, and the evaluation of your owninstruction must be approved before you can take the exam

Approved laboratory course and passed instruction (all parts) are valid 6 semesters after the semester they were approved. After this period, you must complete those parts again to be able to sit for the final examination

It is mandatory to attend the first lecture (including students on the waiting list). If you are unable to attend the first lecture, you must notify the Department of Chemistry before the start of the lecture, otherwise yourcourse registration will be cancelled

Attendance at the laboratory course is mandatory. If you are prevented from meeting, you have to show documentation that you were legally absent (medical note from a doctor or similar)

The course will have a teaching break during the 4 weeks when teacher students have school practice inPROF3025 ¨C Ledelse av elevers l?ring. This will be compensated by a somewhat higher workload for the remaining weeks.

As?the?teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance.?Read about your insurance cover as a student.

Access to teaching

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

Examination

The exam consists?of three parts:

• Work submitted during the course, which counts 20 % towards?the final grade.
• The teaching project, which counts 30 % towards?the final grade.
• Final oral exam which?counts 50 % towards the?final grade.

You must pass the final exam in order to pass the course.

This course has mandatory exercises that must be approved before you can take the final oral exam.

It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: KJM3050 ¨C Chemistry Education Research and Practice

Examination support material

No examination support material is allowed.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in Norwegian. You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a?postponed exam at the beginning of the next semester.

New examinations are offered at the beginning of the next semester for students who do not successfully complete the exam during the previous semester.

We do not offer a re-scheduled exam for students who withdraw during the exam.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.