Problem- and case-based scenarios in teaching instrumental analytical chemistry: A two-level approach to trialling

Rapid technological development introduced dramatic changes in teaching analytical chemistry. While instruction of core analytical chemistry continues to be of significance, implementation of additional applied approaches helps to bridge the gap between the theoretical nature of academic teaching, and a practical way typical for employment. Although the use of problem- and case-based learning scenarios in chemistry have shown to be beneficial, evidence of their application for the teaching of instrumental analytical subjects remains limited. One of the main concerns in developing new curriculum disciplines involving problem- and case-based learning regards the way of testing these teaching approaches before implementation. In this report, we introduce a two-step model for trialling of problem- and case-based scenarios for the teaching of applied analytical chemistry, which was helpful in the development of several chemistry modules for both undergraduate and postgraduate curricula.