USING WEB 2.0 TOOLS TO SUPPORT UNIVERSITY TEACHING IN CHEMISTRY: THE NEW WAY

On Spanish campuses, more emphasis is placed on what the lecturer says and less on the self-initiative of students and their teamwork. The reason for the difference can be found in the traditionally low allocation of resources for higher education in Spain. However, changes in the learning process, consisting mainly of increased interactivity between lecturers and students and encouraging teamwork, require the use of new educational technology. University education needs easy tools for students and teachers that can be incorporated into the development of a practical course. Web 2.0 makes it possible to develop different types of mentoring and promote the self-evaluation of learning if an educational platform is used that encourages social constructivism and collaborative learning. Educational platforms can adopt the use of Wiki activity that promotes teamwork, thus contributing to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and includes competency development. In addition, the platform can effectively facilitate online mentoring. As a resource of educational content, a virtual platform should primarily be a channel of communication with students. Of the different available virtual platforms, Moodle and Web 2.0 tools are, in our opinion, the best option because it offers a collaborative technology, incorporating resources that facilitate the exchange of ideas and materials. We have implemented these tools in a one-year analytical chemistry course at the University of Granada and received good reviews from students due to the fact that, the tools offer on-line tutorials and updated material. Furthermore students can be provided with the necessary information about last-minute changes in class schedules, laboratory hours and other activities. We believe that the new Web 2.0 tools are fully capable of handling the new teaching methodologies.