Reference:
National Science Foundation document: Curricular Developments in the Analytical Sciences
, A Report from the Workshops, National Science Foundation, Washington DC, September 12, 1997.
Goal of analytical sciences and problem-based learning.
"The goal of education in analytical science is to develop
problem-solving skills based upon scientific inquiry. This would
include team-based approaches to problem identification, application
of multiple analytical techniques, effective communications of
experimental results, and development of the ability to learn
new techniques and concepts."
Problem-based learning as an effective tool.
"What is problem-based learning (PBL)? Although not new, problem-based
learning has attracted a great deal of attention, especially in
the natural sciences. PBL is learning that is driven by a problem,
not by an abstract concept. Ideally, the problem can be found in
real life, and it has no quick, easy solution. Students not only
have to solve the problem, but they also have to find the information
and other resources they will need. They work in groups; they
share information; they teach each other."
"PBL teaches students how to learn and how to ask the questions
that lead them to solutions. What information do I need? Where
can I find it? How can I organize the data so that they are meaningful
to me and to others? How can I communicate the information to
others? These questions and the steps needed to solve a problem
and discover an answer or solution can be applied again and again
on the job or in graduate school."
"PBL captures students attention and presents them with real-life
situations that involve more than one discipline and certainly
more than one set of standard problems. In life problems are not
exclusively related to chemistry, or to biology, or to microbiology.
Environmental pollution, for example, may involve the gathering
and exchange of information across all those disciplines and more.
In life, learning and problem-solving are not detached and separated
by topic.
In the laboratory, PBL means students are active participants in experiments.
They are told less about how to do the experiments and are expected to make their
own decisions. In the analytical curriculum, PBL means students undertake the
complete process of performing measurements-from identifying the problem to
collecting samples; from doing appropriate sample workup and pretreatment to
undertaking the measurement; and from analyzing to validating the results. Such
an approach means that students participate in fewer experiments and that the
emphasis is on the depth of the problem solving rather than on the breadth of
analytical techniques."
PBL then addresses the real concerns of industry and graduate schools:
"PBL, however, requires that faculty be creative, flexible,
and willing to relinquish some control over and responsibility
for the students' learning. PBL also sparks concerns about how
faculty are to assign individual grades. Those who are concerned
about scoring student achievement might look to industry for guidance.
On the job, people's competency and contributions are evaluated
in any number of ways, including portfolios, peer reviews, self-assessments,
and final product. Grades can include evaluation of individual
contribution as well as the results of a team effort."
Terms:
The term analytical refers to (SME&T), science, mathematics,
engineering and technology.
