EXPLORING CLASSICAL AND NEW EDUCATIVE APPROACHES FOR THE ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN PHARMACY

During the last years an increasing interest concerning to education at high education levels is presented in the teachers as a consequence of the European harmonization and the new developments related to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The high number of students at the Complutense University of Madrid make difficult to apply the examinations and continuously control test, as well as tutorial activities and team works. During the present semester (September 2008 to February 2009) we have applied to a group of second year (300 students) on the Analytical Chemistry as common and obligatory subject different alternatives to avoid the disconnections between teacher education and student learning.
The students are encouraged to participate in the courses. A group of volunteers (near to 35 % of the total group of 300) assist to regular meetings (one meeting per week) to discuss the proposed problems. This is an alternative to the conventional courses and also to the periodic tutorial classes for all students belonging to the group. Different activities and homework are proposed for the students and the results are auto-evaluated for each student in the presence of the teacher with the aim to enhance the personal relationships students-teachers and also the improvement in the understanding of complicated concepts. Teaching portfolio are being used for the students evaluation theoretical and practical teaching and also to elaborate their own check-list or questionnaires (1).

1.- D. D. Mansvelder-Longayroux, D. Beijjaard, N. Verloop, Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 47-62 (2007).