Chemical education and educational technologies’: an inter-university program for graduate studies

Abstract

In response to the general directive by the Greek Ministry of Education for the development of inter-university programs of graduate studies in Greece, the Chemistry Departments of the Universities of Athens, Thessaloniki and Ioannina, and the Department of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens have initiated a program for graduate studies entitled “Chemical Education and New Educational Technologies”. The goal of the program is to provide scientific and educational training at graduate level to serving and prospective secondary chemistry teachers in Greece. For 1998-99 and for 1999-00 thirty-five and thirty-seven students respectively were selected and are attending the courses taught in Athens and in Thessaloniki. The two-year study leads to the master’s degree, after which the students can continue for the doctor’s degree in any of the participating departments. During the first three semesters, every student has to attend taught courses, and to do practical work in science and in educational technology; in addition, in the second year he/she has to carry out a small research educational project. It is hoped that our students will be able to transfer the chemical knowledge in a more efficient way, taking advantage of (a) the guidelines offered by research in chemistry and science education and (b) the vast development of new educational technologies.