Assessing the Practical Skills of Undergraduates: The Evolution of a Station-Based Practical Exam
Laura M. Hancock, Martin J. Hollamby
Abstract
Laboratory education is a defining feature of chemistry degree courses, with one of the fundamental aims being acquiring competency in a range of chemistry-specific practical skills, yet there are still limited reports of direct assessment of these skills. Here, we present the development, implementation, and evaluation of a station-based practical chemistry exam for first year undergraduate students. We have designed the exam to explicitly assess a range of practical chemistry skills that we highlighted as being essential for subsequent chemistry laboratory work in our degree program, including many final year independent research projects. Details are provided on the logistics of implementing this exam, which has run for cohorts of 50–120 and is suitable for cohorts of up to 200 students. Introducing the practical exam into our course has received positive feedback from both staff and students and has contributed to increased motivation to learn and retain practical chemistry skills.