Theory-experiment interaction as a cornerstone of specialized electrochemical education: Invent your own less conventional problems

This article is an attempt to share the author's experience of teaching electrochemistry at an individualized level. In addition to lectures and seminars, it is proposed to solve individually the problems based on experimental data published in the literature. The thought-provoking problems should be less straightforward and even less exact. To illustrate the approach, theory-experiment interactions are considered and exampled by an electrostatics-based model for the electron transfer elementary step. Two particular problems are presented as illustrations. Possible solutions, typical students' mistakes, and misunderstandings are discussed step-by-step. This pedagogical approach is quite suitable for applied electrochemistry as well. It is time-consuming, but the author cannot imagine any alternative approach to generate qualified electrochemists for the future.

Automated summary

This article shares the author's experience of teaching electrochemistry at an individualized level. It suggests solving problems based on experimental data published in the literature, in addition to lectures and seminars. Through discussing examples, the article illustrates theory-experiment interactions using an electrostatics-based model for the electron transfer elementary step. The author believes that this pedagogical approach is suitable for applied electrochemistry, and although time-consuming, there is no alternative approach to generate qualified electrochemists for the future.