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Sustainable Chemistry Katherine Haxton Education for Sustainable Development, January 2014

This article discusses the curriculum redesign of a Chemistry course to incorporate sustainability concepts and develop transferrable skills. It explores the inclusion of sustainability-related topics, group projects, and industrial chemistry essays with a focus on sustainability issues.

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Sustainable Chemistry Katherine Haxton Education for Sustainable Development, January 2014

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  1. Sustainable Chemistry Katherine Haxton Education for Sustainable Development, January 2014

  2. Course Background • ‘Traditional’ Chemistry Course • Dual Honours, Major Route • Major curriculum redesign: • redevelop every module • create Single Honours Route • create new modules • considering UG Masters (MChem)

  3. 2nd Year Sustainable Chemistry • Whole year, no exam, focus on developing transferrable skills hand-in-hand with chemistry knowledge. • Several aspects taught through narratives. • Disjointed list of topics: • - polymer chemistry • - environmental chemistry • - industrial chemistry • - chemistry of gadgets

  4. A Moment of Flippancy… • …and we called it • ‘Sustainable Chemistry’. • It was a ‘theme’ for the module. • Then we had no option but to ‘do’ Education for Sustainable Development. CC-BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/hryckowian/

  5. Chemistry Perspective http://www.education4sustainability.org/2013/02/25/the-social-side-of-sustainable-development/

  6. Foundations • Intro lecture on sustainability concepts • - thanks to Zoe Robinson and PhillipaCalver • - produced a toolkit of key issues. • Inclusion of relevant examples in other aspects • - biodegradable polymers • - environmental chemistry and life cycle analysis • - focus on chemical perspective of a product • - 12 principles of green chemistry in the laboratory

  7. Group Projects • ‘Green’ a 1st year laboratory experiment. (20 %) • Take an experiment you did as 1st years, can you change it to be: • - cheaper • - produce less waste/less problematic waste • - require less harmful solvents • - ‘better’ by some quantitative measure • but still fulfil the same learning outcomes (theory, laboratory techniques, data analysis as the original)?

  8. Industrial Chemistry • Essay in ‘New Scientist’ Style (25 %) • Focus on aspect of industrial chemistry but MUST bring in sustainability issues. • Scaffolding/Feedback Opportunities • - industrial chemistry lectures involving narrative • - life cycle analysis of a product (short written piece, 5%) • - infographic on aspect of industrial chemistry (5 %) • - lesson in proof reading, analysis of articles of type desired • CC BY 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/saragoldsmith/

  9. Beyond 2nd Year • One Module IS NOT ENOUGH • - but access is a problem. • 1stYearDKC Session • - skills with sustainability themes • 1st YearScreencast Presentations (15 %) • - last year ‘any aspect’ of chemistry. • - this year ‘chemistry relating to sustainability or the environment’ • - requires scaffolding: intro lecture and DKC session

  10. Lessons • Depressed students (‘we’re all gonna die’) • Extremely complex role of subject within sustainable development • - chemistry is both saint and sinner • Easy to consider the environment, harder to move deeper into issues

  11. Survive semester 2 (Industrial Chem, DKC, 1st year presentations) • Evaluate, revise and prepare for next year. • Read more! CC-BY-NC-2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/draconianrain/

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