Chemistry for our Future

The aim of CFOF is to ensure a strong higher education chemistry community throughout England, which will attract able students from all backgrounds and provide chemical science courses that are appropriate for both students and employers. This in turn will provide a basis for the continuing success of chemistry-using companies in the UK.

The RSC has played a leading role in lobbying the government to  halt the demise in the provision of chemical science higher education, not least because of the importance of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries to the UK economy. Over 15 chemistry departments have closed in the UK in the last ten years. 

The proposal

The campaigning has clearly had an impact. A HEFCE review of 'strategically important and vulnerable subjects' lead to a realisation that they needed to work with subject communities to make subjects such as chemistry, more sustainable. 

In recognition of this, HEFCE signed a joint statement with the RSC signaling its intent to work with the community. Subsequently HEFCE invited bids for significant funding. In February 2006, a consortium of interested parties, lead by the RSC, submitted a proposal for an initiative to support chemistry higher education. The proposal was successful. 

The CFOF programme

The programme began in September 2006 and involves stakeholders from across the chemistry community, including academia, industry, Sector Skills Councils, Regional Development Agencies and schools and colleges.

A 2 year pilot scheme has been developed which must show evidence of impact to secure additional funding of around £24m for a further 6 years.  

Although this funding is for England, the RSC hopes to extend the program to the rest of the UK through the sharing of good practice and by seeking other alternative funding.

The activity

CFOF activity will be focussed in four main areas, with two cross-cutting themes underpinning the project. These are listed in table 1.

Extending the outreach

Chemistry: The Next Generation (C:TNG) began in September 2004 as a pilot project funded as part of the HEFCE and Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Aimhigher initiative. The scheme was designed to encourage more students from under-represented groups to study chemistry at university.  Project activities were focussed in three regions - London, the East Midlands and the Northwest.

The pilot has been very successful; over 10,000 students have been involved with outreach events, 70% of whom have stated that they are now more likely to consider studying chemistry at university. 

C:TNG will now form an integral part of the CFOF program and will rollout to three more English regions: the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, and the South East.

Bridging the gap

One key problem identified in the transition from secondary school to university is the widening gap between the school and university environments. Many students experience problems, particularly in the sciences, because teachers and lecturers have little awareness of the changes that have occurred outside their respective educational sectors.  

Strand 2 of CFOF looks to address this issue by organising a reciprocal fellowship program, whereby academics will spend time in schools and teachers will spend time in universities.  

The project aims to enhance the understanding between school and university sectors and smooth the transition to higher education for future students. The process itself is also likely to inform higher education curriculum development by highlighting areas where there are problems.

Addressing perceptions

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in promoting the chemical sciences is the negative perception of chemistry that many people currently have. Strand 3 of CFOF aims to address this and make degree programmes more accessible.  

Although medics and forensic scientists are highly visible in popular media, chemists are not, meaning many people have little appreciation of the career opportunities available through chemistry. 

The problem is compounded by traditional higher education teaching methods, which focus heavily on knowledge acquisition and often fail to promote the excitement and relevance of the subject. This gives rise to a picture of a remote and difficult subject.

As part of the CFOF program, new HE curricula are being developed, which are rich in context and social relevance and based on current developments in teaching, such as problem- and context-based learning. Career opportunities will be strongly emphasised, as will interdisciplinary and transferable skills. 

To make degree programs accessible to all, Strand 3 will also develop an open-learning framework to make studying chemistry viable for part-time learners. 

Bologna opportunity

There are also plans to take advantage of the opportunities presented through the Bologna agreement which seeks to create a European Higher Education Area that allows mobility throughout Europe. Creating such a system for the chemical sciences in the UK will improve competitiveness, attract European students to the UK and allow UK students mobility within Europe.  

Improving labs

Participation in higher education chemistry can also be tacked by promoting sound scientific understanding and training. Recent research has shown that there is a need to make science more engaging in the classroom through practical experiments; hands-on work helps to make science compelling for young people.1 

The RSC has highlighted the lack of good laboratory facilities and equipment in many schools2 which poses a barrier to inspiring students. Strand 4 aims to meet this challenge by offering more effective use of existing laboratory space, in order that school students can gain experience of exciting and inspiring practical work in modern, well-equipped laboratories. 

Two different methods for this will be trialled. The first is the development of a purpose-designed laboratory exclusively for outreach use. The second involves re-structuring undergraduate laboratory courses to allow use of university facilities by higher education and school students.   
  

Careers through chemistry

Raising awareness of the career opportunities and financial rewards available to chemical science graduates is crucial to increasing the uptake of higher education chemical science courses and is a key cross-cutting theme in CFOF.

The programme will develop high quality careers resources which will provide accurate, relevant and up to date information for students, teachers, careers advisers and parents. Sharing good practice

In order to ensure that CFOF has a wide and lasting impact, a major aspect of the project will involve sharing good practice. Results of pilots will be disseminated through publications on an ongoing basis and during national and regional conferences. 

Long term impact

The RSC and partners will strive to ensure that the CFOF programme tackles all the major issues facing chemistry in higher education, from the curriculum to careers. Ultimately the project aims to have a strong, positive and long-lasting impact on the chemical sciences in the UK.

References

1  Real Science, NESTA, November 2005
2  Laboratories, Resources and Budgets, CLEAPSS (commissioned by the RSC), April 2004