How we got on with the AS in 2001:
report from South Downs College

22 students took AS Nuffield Chemistry examinations at this FE College. Towards the end of their course, I held informal discussions with the students asking for their impressions of the year. The following comments represent the majority view.

What students like most about the Nuffield Chemistry AS is:

• lots of practical work
• the work is relevant to real life
• the work has ecological validity
• user-friendly books - good use of colour, format easy to use
• 'A-Z of Chemistry' is a useful companion book
• the CD-ROMs are useful for revision and catching up on missed work (Graham Hall's Nuffield Chemistry CD-ROMs - see the Halesowen College website)

The big changes have been -

• the increased volume of work
• the speed of change in an AS course
• lots more practical work than GCSE

The greatest challenge has been -

• committing more facts to memory
• coping with the volume of work
• new work e.g. Hess cycles, spd notation

Looking ahead to A2 we expect -

• to find developing patterns
• to put together the pieces of the jigsaw
• it will be harder, with more calculations
• it will be a challenge

And another thing -

• It has been great fun!
• we have enjoyed it
• it has been challenging and rewarding
• it will be useful in terms of HE currency

From my perspective as a lecturer, the Teachers' guide has been an invaluable resource in a very busy year. I have enjoyed the classes enormously and found the 4th edition of the course materials to be an improvement on the previous version (and that was very good). I have also found Graham Hall's CD-ROMs an excellent supplementary resource, particularly when my time management skills have been stretched to their limit!

Very, very few of the students who started the course have dropped out and, as the majority is timetabled into a Friday afternoon slot, I find this most pleasing! In addition, most of the students have completed their level 3 key skills portfolio work in Communications at level 3 during their AS Nuffield Chemistry course and this has given them a great sense of achievement and improved their chemistry.

Jeannette Bartholomew, South Downs College