Improving the students’ abilities in problem solving. How to verify the result’s correctness

The ability to solve problems is generally considered important and constitutes a significant part of every general chemistry course at university level. Problem solving ability is not a single monolithic skill. Even within the subject of chemistry, there are different types of problems requiring specific theoretical knowledge and different chains of reasoning are necessary for their solution. Meaningful problem solving is much more than the use of a mathematical relationship, the resort to a standard memorised procedure and the recall of information. It requires a lot of work and considerable experience to be able to handle a number of schemata and develop conceptual understanding and the students’ own problem solving skills.