DIGITAL LIBRARY
A PLATFORM FOR SHARING EXPERTISE AND GOOD PRACTICE IN UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY TEACHING
1 University of Ulster (UNITED KINGDOM)
2 University of Amsterdam (NETHERLANDS)
3 Jagiellonian University in Krakow (POLAND)
4 CPE Lyon (FRANCE)
About this paper:
Appears in: INTED2015 Proceedings
Publication year: 2015
Pages: 594-600
ISBN: 978-84-606-5763-7
ISSN: 2340-1079
Conference name: 9th International Technology, Education and Development Conference
Dates: 2-4 March, 2015
Location: Madrid, Spain
Abstract:
The European Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Thematic Network (EC2E2N), formerly the European Chemistry Thematic Network (ECTN) consists of some 150 universities and learned societies. The Network, which has been continuously funded by the EC over the past 18 years, has been instrumental in developing and promoting a range of innovations relating to the chemistry teaching dimension of university activity over this period. This has been achieved through the support of over 40 multinational working groups dealing with areas of specific interest and importance.

The wealth of experience of university chemistry teaching within the Network has been utilized to produce a range of outputs such as Quality Labels, Summer Schools, Books, Reports and EChemTests (for evaluating knowledge and skills in chemistry), which have been widely distributed. Details of all the Network’s projects can be found on our web site, (EC2E2N.net). However, as it has been possible to share only a small fraction of the existing knowledge and expertise through working group and the Network’s annual plenary meetings a working group has recently been established to compile a database of Expertise in Teaching Chemistry in Higher Education (http://starfish.innovatievooronderwijs.nl/information/77/).

The database is compiling records of both:
(a) Profiles of individual educators which present details of their experience and areas of expertise in teaching and learning.
(b) Short descriptions of a range of topics related to teaching and learning of chemistry and chemical engineering at university level.

Although the initial development work has come from within the Network all chemistry educators are welcome to join and be listed in the database. Our overall aim is to create a knowledge-based platform on which information and people are functionally connected in a network that can grow and develop in a sustainable way.

The lecture will describe the structure of the database which is hosted on the STARFISH platform at the University of Amsterdam and highlight how it will be of benefit to the wider academic community.
Keywords:
Thematic networks, Good practice in teaching, Database.