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Q: What is the goal of this ProBase project?
A: We wanted to write student activities for vocational education in chemistry. The activities can be used to organise students' work in competency-based education, also using the advantages of problem-based learning. Besides professional skills and knowledge in chemistry, the activities also develop the communication skills, as well as time and workload and/or resource and budget management.
Q: Can my school join this project?
A: Yes, you may use each activity at any time for educational purposes as long as you make it clear where it was obtained. We would be pleased to hear your feedback. However, if you want to use material from this project for preparing any product that is not free of charge, you must ask for permission from the project partners. In this case, please contact the coordinator of the project (Luca Szalay, e-mail: luca (at) chem.elte.hu).
Q: What is this students self-assessment about?
A: Self-assessment is important to make students look back and evaluate the whole process after finishing an activity. We believe reflection is important – it helps students to learn from mistakes by pinpointing weaknesses.
Q: Can other fields join this ProBase project?
A: We have written 32 activities mainly for analytical chemistry. The website is suitable for other fields like physics, mathematics and medical education. Feel free to exchange ideas with us.
Q: How can we use the tests?
A: Each test is linked to an activity and tests relevant prior knowledge. So, by using the test, students find out for themselves whether they are really ready to start that particular activity. We decided not to use this kind of on-line testing to find out whether students gained any knowledge or understanding after they have done an activity.
Q: I want to make contact with the national editor in my country, how can I do this?
A: On the project website (www.pro-base.eu) you will find the email addresses you need. If your country does not have a national editor, you can contact the final editor (Ruud van Iterson).
Q: Will there be a next project?
A: We were glad to be sponsored by the Leonardo da Vinci programme of the European Union but expect to pass on our ideas and enthusiasm to you. According to recent publications, teachers’ networks contribute considerably to the improvement of quality in education. We look forward to reading your proposal.
Q: Where can I find the ProBase activities?
A: On the website click the link "Show activities" in the main menu. Then click the link "enter the ProBase database of activities" and there you will find links leading to all the activities, the teachers files and all their Hungarian and Slovenian translations.
Q: How can I fill in the tests related to the ProBase activities?
A: On the website, click the link "Show activities" in the main menu. Click the link "enter the ProBase database of activities". There you will find the link "Tests". You will have to register first and then you can select the test related to the activity you are interested in, in English, Hungarian or Slovenian. After answering a question, click the "Feedback" button to see if your answer was correct.
Q: How can I download a StandardBase procedure?
A: Go to http://www.standardbase.com (or click the link „StandardBase” on the home page of the ProBase database at http://www.compacitypro.nl/ProBaseMenu/tabid/377/Default.aspx) and click the link “Enter procedures database”. Then click "View or conduct a StandardBase procedure", then "View all experiments". (You can also search for the procedure by keywords and fields.) By clicking the title of the procedure you will see the metadata. Click "show step-by-step" at the top of the main menu on the lefthand side and then you can read the full text of the procedure in a pdf file.
Q: To whom can I turn for advice if something goes wrong or I do not understand something in the description of a ProBase activity?
A: You will always find the author’s e-mail address beside his or her name on the first page of the activity. Please send a copy of your message to the coordinator of the project as well (Luca Szalay, e-mail address: luca (at) chem.elte.hu).
Q: How would I know what competencies are developed by a certain type of activity?
A: On the website lefthand menu, select "Activity types". A sub-menu offers the choice of types A to H. The competencies developed are described for each type of activity and the titles of the relevant activities are given.
Q. Wich password do I use to login for the test?
A. To enter a test page, you must first register. You can select your own username and password.
Q. How do I know what the level of an activity is?
A. You can find the letter showing the type of an activity in front of its title. The letters "A" to "H" each stand for a level. On the lefthand menu, click "Using activities". You can then read the content of the levels.
Q. What is the difference between "Activities" and "Teacher files"?
A. "Activities" are written for students. The "Teacher files" contain much additional information necessary for teachers and technicians to use the activities effectively.
Q. I see some Hungarian and Slovenian translations. What kind of files are that?
A. The Hungarian and Slovenian translations have the same content as the English "Teacher files". Only the language is different.
Q. If I want to add some activities is that possible?
A. In this case you should write an e-mail message to the final editor (Ruud van Iterson: viterson (at) home.nl). Please send a copy to the coordinator of the project (Luca Szalay: luca (at) chem.elte.hu). They will discuss this first with you and then with the project partners.