ERIC Number: EJ888319
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1756-1108
EISSN: N/A
Contextualising Nanotechnology in Chemistry Education
O'Connor, Christine; Hayden, Hugh
Chemistry Education Research and Practice, v9 n1 p35-42 2008
In recent years nanotechnology has become part of the content of many undergraduate chemistry and physics degree courses. This paper deals with the role of contextualisation of nanotechnology in the delivery of the content, as nanotechnology is only now being slowly integrated into many chemistry degree courses in Ireland and elsewhere. An evaluative methodology of the pedagogical approach for two introductory nanotechnology courses has been chosen for this study. Pre and post-course testing at 2nd year level (Case study A) and 4th year level (Case study B) has been carried out, 80 % of students in case study A and 64 % in case study B felt that they had little or no prior knowledge of nanotechnology before the courses were delivered. The students were very interested in learning about nanotechnology and enjoyed its futuristic concepts. They recognised that nanotechnology is an enabling technology, and when surveyed, considered the biomedical applications of most interest. (Contains 3 tables and 5 figures.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Chemistry, Science Instruction, Interdisciplinary Approach, Molecular Structure, Technology, Visualization, Prior Learning, Context Effect, Biomedicine, Physics
Royal Society of Chemistry. Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK. Tel: +44-1223 420066; Fax: +44-1223 423623; e-mail: cerp@rsc.org; Web site: http://www.rsc.org/cerp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A