Area of Improvement for CM8001

Problem (1):
Assessment questions require prior knowledge and critical thinking that students may not have focused on during self-read, hence encountering difficulty answering assessment questions. It is also very disadvantageous to non-chemistry students as some students may not have any chemistry background at all.
>> Example: Assessment question asking for the boiling point of propane, butane, pentane and octane. Students without chemistry background will not know that the boiling point is affected by the molecular weight.

Solution (1):
Hence, assessment questions can be tested from the notes instead of making the assumption that students have the prior knowledge of these chemistry concepts.

Problem (2):
There is overload of information in the lecture slides (with more than 80 slides per unit), making it hard for students to identify the key concepts in each unit to focus on.
Also, this module is too independent learning centred.

Solution (1&2):
Since there is extra time (3 hours of lecture not fully utilised), the professor can conduct a brief summary of the key concepts for weekly topic, pointing out important points and going through some of the slides. This can help facilitate students’ learning and reinforce their understanding. Too much independent learning may be counter-productive as instead of invoking interest in topics taught, it may decrease the enthusiasm of students in the topic. Therefore, it is crucial to strike a right balance between independent learning and facilitated assistance from the professor.

Suggestion:
To ignite interest in the application of chemistry on our daily lives, every group of students can be tasked to do a small presentation of the unit taught each week. Through peer tutoring, students can clarify their doubts and the professor can make sure the students understand their concepts well. Also, there will be easier and more effective communication as opposed to having a lecturer to give all the details. This will encourage more interactive and fun lessons. The lecturer does not have to do much talking in this manner and it is a win-win solution for everyone. 🙂

Minutes for 3rd meeting

Location: Lee Wee Nam Library
Date: 23 February 2015
Time: 1530h
Duration: 2 hours

Present:

  1. Cui En
  2. Gideon
  3. Han Beng
  4. Li Ying
  5. Qin Ni
  6. Sin Yan

Topics discussed:

  1. Discuss about the impact of acidic rain on society, and how it has impacted locally.

Tasks to be done before the next meeting:
Nil

Problems arising:

  1. Hard to search for actual figure on the pH of acidic rain in Singapore NEA website. Problem solved using previous pH figure carried out by researchers locally.
  2. No article on how acidic rain cause serious corrosion in Singapore, hence we replaced it with oversea countries.

Minutes for 2nd meeting

Location: Lee Wee Nam Library
Date: 16 February 2015
Time: 1630h
Duration: 2 hours

Present:

  1. Cui En
  2. Gideon
  3. Han Beng
  4. Li Ying
  5. Qin Ni
  6. Sin Yan

Topics discussed:

  1. Discuss about team assignment questions.
  2. Discuss findings on the chemical concept behind acid rain.

Tasks to be done before the next meeting:

  1. Research more on the impact acid rain has on society (everyone)

Problems arising:

Team Questions Session 3

1. Understanding Earth’s energy balance is essential to understanding the issue of global warming. For example, the solar energy striking Earth’s surface averages 168 watts per square meter (W/m2), but the energy leaving Earth’s surface averages 390(W/m2). Why isn’t Earth cooling rapidly?

The earth-atmosphere balance is the balance between incoming energy from the Sun and outgoing energy from the Earth. In order to cool, Earth must radiate heat back into space which increases with increasing temperature. Earth has to be “heated up” before it can start cooling.

Despite having more energy leaving Earth’s surface as compared to the solar energy striking Earth’s surface, Earth is not cooling rapidly due to greenhouse effect. The energy that leaves Earth’s surface is trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases and is unable to radiate back into space. Therefore, the Earth is not cooling rapidly.

2. Do you think that the statement made by the cartoon is justified? Explain.

The statement made by the cartoon is not justified as the seasons that we experience is due to the axis tilt of the Earth and climate changes does not have any impact on it. The weather on each location of the Earth is different and the immediate temperature depends on the angle which light reaches the Earth. Furthermore, warmer weather holds more water content in the atmosphere and hence snow and blizzards are a more regular occurrence, despite global warming.

3. One of the first radar devices developed during World War II used microwave radiation of a specific wave range that triggers the rotation of water molecules. Why was the design not successful?

The design was not successful because the absorption of microwave radiation by water in the atmosphere interferes with the detection of the intended objects. More importantly, microwave radiation is harmful to water bodies. Take the example of a microwave oven, whereby food is heated up using microwave radiation. Any objects within the microwave will be heated up. Therefore, we can see that microwave radiation is dangerous. It is not appropriate to use microwave radiation as a radar device as the intensity of it has to be increased to detect devices that are further away, resulting in it being more lethal. A more appropriate design will be to use one with lesser energy and does not cause any damage to water containing bodies.

4. Now that you have studied air quality (Unit 1), stratospheric ozone depletion (Unit 2), and global warming (Unit 3), which do you believe poses the most serious problem for you in the short run? In the long run?

We believe that the most serious problem in the short term is air quality as the effects of poor air quality are felt immediately. Poor air quality causes lung related diseases such as bronchitis. It reduces the lifespan of animals which will invariably affect the food supply. In the long term, stratospheric ozone depletion has the most severe impact. The main function of the ozone layer is to block out harmful ultraviolet radiation which is detrimental to living things. The effects are more long term as ultraviolet radiation causes genetic mutations which are intangible immediately.

Minutes for 1st meeting

Location: Lee Wee Nam Library
Date: 10 February 2015
Time: 1630h
Duration: 2 hours

Present:

  1. Cui En
  2. Gideon
  3. Han Beng
  4. Li Ying
  5. Qin Ni
  6. Sin Yan

Agenda:

  1. Do up the menu and sidebar widgets.
  2. Fill in contents for introduction, about team or minutes log.

Topics discussed:

  1. Details about our team
  2. Introduction information on our topic of research
  3. Layout of our blog
  4. Aesthetic appeal of our blog

Tasks to be done before the next meeting:

  1. Research more about acid rain (everyone)

Problems arising:

  1. Encountered difficulties using WordPress, but problem was resolved after some Googling for solution.