Investigation of the Use of an Authentic Learning Environment for Development of Graduate Attributes in Third Year Chemistry Students

This work describes the redesign of a Quality Assurance and Validation module for third year students in the School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland. The module, which had been previously assessed by summative examination, was changed to a completely continuously assessed module. The students had to work in teams to complete a series of tasks, reflective of those performed in various regulated environments. The development of graduate attributes during the module was assessed by a survey instrument. Students from two class groups (2016 and 2017) were assessed on their perception of the development of both technical and soft skills. The results showed that students perceived themselves to have improved in technical knowledge, communication skills and organisational skills, upon completion of the new module. The students identified the use of teamwork as the aspect of the module they most enjoyed.