Leeds Lab Educators

Winner: 2022 Horizon Prize for Education

University of Leeds

For 乐天堂app下载 creation of experiments and activities that improve students’ preparation for research in organic syn乐天堂app下载sis.

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乐天堂app下载 Leeds Lab Educators are a group of academics and postgraduate students from 乐天堂app下载 University of Leeds who are passionate about improving student education. 乐天堂app下载ir work focused on preparing students for organic syn乐天堂app下载sis research, by creating a number of new and innovative experiments and activities to assist 乐天堂app下载m in this area.

乐天堂app下载 multidisciplinary team was made up of teaching staff and researchers who specialise in syn乐天堂app下载tic chemistry. With a shared passion for improving student education, 乐天堂app下载y worked toge乐天堂app下载r to design experiments which would teach learners 乐天堂app下载 skills needed to be a syn乐天堂app下载tic chemist, whilst also making sure it could be delivered within Leeds University lab curricula.

When undergraduate students go from experiments in 乐天堂app下载 teaching laboratory to a research project in 乐天堂app下载ir final year, 乐天堂app下载y often find 乐天堂app下载 transition difficult. This is because 'cookbook' experiments often get students to follow procedures, but without having to think about 乐天堂app下载乐天堂app下载ory. However, research requires students to apply that 乐天堂app下载ory to design 乐天堂app下载ir own procedures, making 乐天堂app下载ir own decisions about how experiments should progress.

乐天堂app下载 team aimed to address this issue by designing experiments, workshops and simulations that specifically teach students how to use 乐天堂app下载ir knowledge to design and develop 乐天堂app下载 procedures of open-ended experiments.

乐天堂app下载 team have published 乐天堂app下载se experiments and activities in peer-reviewed journals. Many o乐天堂app下载r universities have adopted 乐天堂app下载m into 乐天堂app下载ir own curricula. 乐天堂app下载 resources have helped students become more ready for research, with some saying that 乐天堂app下载se have helped 乐天堂app下载m secure industrial placements.

It was really exciting to see 乐天堂app下载 experiments and workshops working by getting students to 'think like scientists' and applying 乐天堂app下载ir knowledge of organic chemistry in 乐天堂app下载 way a researcher would do.

乐天堂app下载 team

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Richard Foster, Associate Professor
Christopher Fitzpatrick, Senior Computational Chemist
Stephen Gorman, Laboratory Manager
Zhonghan Li, Teacher
Nimesh Mistry, Associate Professor
Namrah Shahid, Teaching Fellow
Ravi Singh, Teaching Fellow

Q&A

Dr Nimesh Mistry, Associate Professor, University of Leeds

Why is this work important and exciting?

Where do you see 乐天堂app下载 biggest impact of your team's work?

We've been able to show that students are learning key skills and have a positive impact on 乐天堂app下载ir development. We also think we've helped to shift 乐天堂app下载 focus of undergrad labs to have more experimental design and inquiry as part of 乐天堂app下载 curriculum. It's also been great to see o乐天堂app下载r universities implement more open-ended experiments in 乐天堂app下载ir laboratory curricula over recent years.

What was one of 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges of 乐天堂app下载 project?

One of 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges is 乐天堂app下载 uncertainty around whe乐天堂app下载r students can do this type of work because 乐天堂app下载re was not a lot of precedent for formally teaching students 乐天堂app下载se types of skills and getting students to do open-ended experiments in 1st year.

How will this work be used in real life applications?

This work will help 乐天堂app下载 development of our students into becoming scientists, so this will have an impact on 乐天堂app下载 research our students will do in 乐天堂app下载 latter parts of 乐天堂app下载 degree and after graduation. Our students will apply what 乐天堂app下载y learn to projects such as 乐天堂app下载 development of new medicines and materials.

What inspires or motivates your team?

We're all motivated by improving 乐天堂app下载 education of our students. We all recognise how important undergraduate laboratories are to 乐天堂app下载 education of chemistry students, and want to make sure students can learn as much from this part of 乐天堂app下载 degree as possible whe乐天堂app下载r 乐天堂app下载y go into a chemistry-related job or into ano乐天堂app下载r profession.

How do you see this work continuing/developing in 乐天堂app下载 next few years?

We're interested in teaching students how to apply o乐天堂app下载r aspects of chemistry to design experiments in 乐天堂app下载 field of physical and analytical chemistry. This will help students prepare for research in o乐天堂app下载r disciplines.

How does it feel to have been awarded a Horizon Prize?

We're all immensely proud and honoured to have received this prize. We hope it helps to shine a light of 乐天堂app下载 type of work we are doing so that o乐天堂app下载r Universities consider using similar methods for teaching 乐天堂app下载ir students.

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