Careers and counterfeit cures: evaluation of a graduate student led active learning workshop for secondary school students

Approximately 300 students from 9 schools participated in a workshop that showcased careers in the chemical industries and provided an active learning experience through contextualized teaching. While spectroscopy/analytical chemistry outreach activities are commonly delivered using smartphones, inequitable access to such devices and changes to government policy on their use in schools has meant there is a need to design workshops that are not dependent on smartphones. In this activity, students were tasked with producing a calibration curve (of concentration vs light intensity) that allowed them to determine the unknown concentration of a “toxic” dye in a sample of medicine intended for children. Students and teachers have shared their opinions on the workshop through evaluation surveys. Students most enjoyed the active learning aspect of the workshop, and teachers considered that this was the most valuable aspect of the sessions. Students and teachers alike believed that they had learned about chemistry careers through the workshop. The workshop sessions were co-led by graduate students who have shared their personal reflections of the impact of participation for their career development and aspirations.