Theory Classes and Seminars:

The lecture model will be combined with audiovisual support and training activities that can be completed in groups or individually. In the lectures, the instructor will provide an overview of the topic covered, emphasize key concepts for understanding, and answer any questions or concerns. To facilitate the achievement of the learning objectives, training activities aimed at promoting cooperative learning and student participation will be introduced. For individual study and in-depth preparation of the topics, a basic and complementary bibliography will be provided. The activities are designed to acquire specific skills as well as develop transversal skills.

During the semester, seminars will be held dedicated to the presentation of group projects on selected applications of the instrumental techniques studied. The aim of these seminars is to delve deeper into aspects covered in the theory classes. The projects will be presented orally by the group members to the entire class. Optionally, a seminar led by specialists in the field of analytical instrumentation studied in the course could also be held. These invited seminars would not only serve to expand the course syllabus but also to introduce students to specialists with a wide range of experience and provide other forms of communication that will enrich their career placement.

Problem Classes

The knowledge acquired in the lectures will be applied by solving questions and problems. These will be developed following two different strategies: (a) The professor will solve selected problems or standard problems in front of the entire group, allowing the student to learn to identify the essential elements of the approach and how to approach its resolution; and (b) the students, in small groups, guided and assisted by the professor, will address similar problems and questions or problems that require novel approaches.

Additionally, and if possible, visits will be made to companies that manufacture analytical instrumentation based on optical measurements and/or large research facilities where optical analysis techniques are applied.

Use of AI

For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for supporting tasks, such as literature or information searches, text editing, or translation. Students must clearly identify which parts were generated using this technology, specify the tools employed, and include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. Failure to be transparent about the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total grade penalty, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Continuous Assessment

The competences of this course will be evaluated by means of:

a) Middle term test (individual assessment), including the 1st part of the subject. 20% of the final mark.

b) Final term test (individual assessment), including the whole subject. 50% of the final mark.

c) Cooperative and collaborative activities (seminars, problems, evidence, etc.) and individual (evidence) carried out inside and outside the classroom. They will have a weight of 30% in the final grade, adding both cooperative and individual contributions.

Assessments may be in written or oral format, depending on the progress of the learning process and time availability.

If the final grade is below 5, the student has another opportunity to pass the course by taking a resit exam, which will be held on a date set by the program coordinator.

To participate in the second chance exam, the students must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities whose weight must be equivalente to a minimum of two thirds of the total grade of the subject.

It will be considered that the student is not assessable when the activities carried out are not equivalente to 51% of those that are evaluated to obtain the total qualification of the subject.

Single Assessment

The students who have taken the single evaluation modality must take a final test which will consist of a final term test, including the whole subject, to be taken on the day that the students of the continuous evaluation take the second partial exam. The student's final grade will be the grade of this test.

The final exam may be in written or oral format, depending on time availability.

If the final grade does not reach 5, the student has another opportunity to pass the subject by means of the second chance exam that will be held on the date set by the degree coordinator. The final student's grade will be the grade of this second test.

The same non-assessable criterion will be applied as in the continuous evaluation.

The occurrence of any irregularity in an assessment (academic fraud, plagiarism, or improper use of AI, unless such use is explicitly authorized in the course guide), which could lead to a significant change in the grade, means that the assessment will be graded as 0. If the course guide states that passing the subject requires obtaining a minimum grade in this assessment, or if multiple irregularities occur in the assessments of the same subject, the final grade for that subject will be 0. Aside from that, a disciplinary process may be initiated against the student who commits any of these irregularities.