Students lead in research driven undergrad labs

By Andrew Turley2015-05-11T00:00:00

Source: © Cultura RM / Alamy

Giving greater autonomy in practical work

A US university has overhauled its chemistry laboratory curriculum to give undergraduates the opportunity to design and conduct their own research while learning standard techniques. Each cohort of students picks up the research where the previous left off, resulting in a programme that evolves continually as the students explore. The new curriculum, which has run for three years, has already delivered an original research journal paper on the biomineralisation of gold, a $25,000 (£16,261) grant from NASA and a measurable boost in student satisfaction.

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