Assessment Brief

DescriptionYou will be responsible for accurately conducting virtual practical tasks as well as recording and analysing your findings in a scientific laboratory report to demonstrate your analytical skills.

By completing this assessment, you will:

Key and Employability Skills:

– Demonstrate analytical skills in collecting and assessing information and solve chemical problems
– Perform basic techniques in laboratory practical work and develop an awareness of risks involved in the laboratory environment, work safely in the lab and use appropriate equipment.

Task

To safely conduct a practical task you must track, record and communicate your findings in a scientific laboratory report.

You will conduct the following virtual practical tasks for your assessed lab report:
– Preparing a stock solution
(http://chemcollective.org/activities/autograded/107 )

– Determining the concentration of Acetic Acid in Vinegar
(http://chemcollective.org/activities/autograded/131 )

INSTRUCTIONS

You should:

– Conduct your own research and cite all of your sources appropriately using the Harvard referencing style.
– Demonstrate your ability to accurately track, record and communicate your observations and measurements in your scientific writing.
– Write in the third person narrative and all scientific terms used should be defined.
o Someone who has not carried out this practical before should be able to replicate your method exactly.

SPECIFICATIONS

Your Lab report must:

– Include a coversheet
– Give a brief description introducing the scientific topic,
– Include the accurate recording of materials, methods and observation / results,
– Include a discussion of the results and a conclusion.
– Be appropriately referenced using the Harvard referencing style

SECTIONS TO INCLUDE:

Your laboratory report must be structured in this order, however you may begin writing the sections in any order:

1. Title of your practical investigation

2. Abstract
 Precise summary of the whole report

3. Introduction
 Brief overview of key theories related to your practical investigation
 Review of literature based on similar practical investigations
 Objective

4. Method
 Risk assessment
o What risks would you have to consider when conducting this practical in real life?
 Equipment and other materials (such as chemicals including volumes required)
 Method
o This must be detailed and clear. Another person must be able to follow your method exactly.

5. Results & Calculations
 Presented in a table or graph
 Processed data with step by step calculations
o Formatted correctly and clearly
 Any observations made during the practical (such as colour changes) and in the results (such as trends)

6. Discussion
 What do the results mean?
 Do they answer the questions of the practical investigation?
 Where were errors introduced during the investigation?
o What errors could occur if you conducted this practical in real life?
 Would you make any changes to how the practical investigation was conducted virtually? If yes, what would they be?
o What changes would you make if you conducted the practical in real life?
 Any potential impact of your results on real world application?

7. Conclusion
 Short review summarizing your method, main results and significant findings

8. References
 Harvard Referencing only

9. Appendix
 Photographs of practical
 Tables and figures with suitable titles
 Raw Data