In 2018 Victoria University began block-mode delivery of all first-year units. First-year chemistry is an enabling unit and attracts a large cohort of students, of varying academic backgrounds, studying towards diverse degree programs. The first-year chemistry curriculum is delivered via two units traditionally delivered by lectures, tutorials and laboratory classes over twelve weeks. Block-mode delivery mandates an intensive four-week period of activities over eleven days (sessions) with no more than three hours face-to-face contact in any one session, except where units have a laboratory component. Curriculum design in moving from traditional content delivery via lectures and a final exam as the major assessment to a program focussed on a student-centred transition pedagogy incorporating modern learning and teaching principles aimed at improving the first-year experience. Specifically, the new curriculum has a strong blended learning focus; is collaborative and cooperative and driven by team-work; allows for differentiated learning; has a variety of assessment tasks with early feedback; and allows students to explore their own interests including opportunities for peer feedback. The block-mode chemistry curriculum delivery uses specific design principles for development of units but also incorporates favourable learning and teaching elements as indicated from previous student feedback. Some specific chemistry curriculum design principles include: students work in groups of four to maximise peer interaction; each session incorporates multiple opportunities for interactive learning and follows a clear lesson plan with a learning cycle allowing for learning review in the beginning of the next session; textbook as the single source of content; an online learning tool linked to the textbook allowing for 24/7 access to learning; frequent in-class assessment including laboratory skills; laboratory reports completed in-class; and a final student poster presentation mini-symposium. The presentation will highlight details of the first iteration of the chemistry curriculum for block-mode delivery including initial student feedback.

Block-mode delivery of undergraduate chemistry – Designing the curriculum

256th National Meeting (2018)

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