Calibrated measurements of concentration lie at the core of analytical chemistry and provide a unifying foundational theme for other topics in analytical chemistry. It is often late in the curriculum that students begin to see the deep underlying linkages that the ideas of calibration provide between the various parts of the analytical chemistry curriculum. Our hypothesis is that if students learn the principles of calibration in a setting that emphasizes the linkages between calibration and other areas of analytical chemistry that their sense of coherence and motivation to learn will be strengthened in the remainder of the curriculum. To test this hypothesis we have developed a module consisting of a series of student exercises aimed at constructing a confident understanding of the underlying logic, the computational details, and perhaps most deliberately, the errors that arise when the logical assumptions of the method of external standards fail, and a brief exploration of how each type of error provides a bridge to another area of analytical chemistry. For example violating the assumption of a noninterfering matrix provides bridges respectively to the topics of standard additions, and to the study of equilibrium chemistry for the purpose of matrix matching/tuning. Similarly, other errors provide bridges to other topics including sampling, uncertainty, internal standards, instrument calibration, separations, and advanced instrumental methods.   The module is designed to balance group versus individual work, in-class versus out-of-class exercises, and to be friendly for new faculty.  The instructor has a key role to play as a facilitator of learning. The module has undergone preliminary testing in the authors' courses, and we anticipate more rigorous trials with formal assessment in fall 2014 and spring 2015. An overview of the module will be presented and module materials will be available.

Calibration first - helping students construct a unified conceptual foundation for the rich diversity of analytical chemistry

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.