The use of a group-based approach to project
working has been shown to provide significant
advantage to students in terms of project
outcomes, motivation and engagement. The
Department of Chemistry at the University of
Reading has recently explored the use of group
projects for final year practical work. In this
model, students are presented with a research
problem that they investigate within a team of
three to five students. Students are expected
to divide the work and share results in a
manner that closely resembles project working
in industry. This paper will report the
experiences and attitudes of final-year BSc
students towards this group-based approach,
and outline the self-identified skills
development of these students
