6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Coordinator(s)
Unit guides
Synopsis
This unit will take students through the process of systematic analytical method development. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) systems, students will work in teams to solve authentic, complex analytical problems. Each team will design an experimental strategy and, in a series of practicals and workshops, test the relationships between operator-controlled parameters and system responses.
On successful completion of this unit, students will have developed a systematic and critical approach to analytical method development that will be demonstrated by the creation of relevant and accurate resources usable in future jobs or studies.
Outcomes
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
- Explain in detail the function and operation of an analytical instrument at the level of its individual components and the integrated analytical system.
- Safely operate an analytical instrument to produce accurate and reproducible data.
- Raise hypotheses on the impact of controllable variables on analytical responses and design experiments to test these hypotheses.
- Explain in detail the key concepts related to the quality of results from an analytical technique.
- Critically evaluate, analyse and interpret the collected results to generalise the rules that govern the analytical technique.
- Explain and apply the principles of analytical method validation.
- Create accurate visual representations illustrating the decision process and other aspects of analytical method development.
Assessment
In-semester assessment 70%, final examination 30 %.
Workload requirements
Contact hours for on-campus students:
- twenty-four hours of practicals
- thirty-six hours of workshops and self-directed study
See also Unit timetable information