We are failing our students and society

By Michael Seery2015-07-22T08:46:00

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Michael Seery discusses how to teach students that won't become chemists

Most students we see in front of us in school or introductory chemistry courses will not go on to be chemists. In school, students may choose chemistry because they wish to pursue a career in health sciences. At university, students may complete an introductory year of chemistry as part of a general science course, before going on to specialise in another discipline. The numbers here far exceed the numbers of students going on to specialise in chemistry. In the UK, only about five students in a class of 30 studying chemistry at A-level or Higher will pursue a degree in chemistry.

What do the remaining students leave us with? In a wide-ranging and thought-provoking critique of introductory university chemistry courses, George Bodner wrote,

‘the present curriculum, coupled with the mode of presentation that characterizes most large general chemistry courses, often leads to knowledge without understanding [and] produces a system of knowledge that students cannot apply to the world in which they live.’

Michael Seery explores whether our chemistry curriculum is failing students and society.

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