DESIGN OF THE LABORATORY SCRIPT BY THE STUDENTS IN CHEMISTRY PRACTICALS: ANALYSIS OF WATER Samuel Carda-Broch 1 , Josep Esteve Romero 1 , Juan Peris Vicente 2 , Jaume Albiol Chiva 1 , Mar Esteve-Amorós 1 , María José Ruiz-Ángel 2 , María Teresa Doménech-Carbó 3 , Dolores Yusá-Marco 3 1 Universitat Jaume I (SPAIN) 2 Universitat de València (SPAIN) 3 Universitat Politècnica de València (SPAIN) Abstract The laboratory practices during the Degree in Chemistry are currently designed so that the student must learn and execute a fully developed experimental protocol, previously written up by the professor, which contains all the information and requirements for the correct development of each laboratory session. Under these conditions, students do not need to take any initiative and, consequently, they do not put enough effort in reaching practical abilities with a well-based scientific criterion and do not try to think over the purpose of each lab operation, as well as the reason to use each material and/or each reagent. Thus, with the aim to promote a more active role of the students in their learning process and to improve their autonomy, a new laboratory practices design has been developed in this work, which follows methodologies on project-based cooperative learning: the students have been requested to elaborate themselves the laboratory script by pairs. With this innovative design, we pursue to involve the students in both elaboration and execution steps of the laboratory practicals, and then to increase their attention on them. Besides, the required bibliographic research would improve their knowledge about the studied topic and all aspects about the work at the laboratory. The practicals to-be-developed were related to the study of the physico-chemical quality of natural water, which has a high social relevance. Keywords: Active participation; Cooperative learning; Initiative; Practical; Water. 1 INTRODUCTION Traditionally, the teaching of the laboratory practicals in the Degree in Chemistry has been conducted following a strategy fully led by the lecturer, wherein the student has to strictly follow the instructions detailed in the laboratory script. This kind of didactic laboratory practical favors the acquisition by the students of several skills related to the laboratory work. However, this approach does not train the student abilities and competencies like initiative, team work, search, organization and synthesis of information (from books, journals and databases) with a critical sense, interpretation of the results, design of experimental protocols, by selecting the required laboratory operations, reagents, material and instrumentation, and elaboration of laboratory guides. We consider we must break with this traditional didactic methodology and bring the student the real problematic of the work at the laboratory in a job environment, where the student of the Degree in Chemistry has in charge the selection and/or development of the analytical methods for each project, and who must decide which is the optimal way to carry out a specific analytical determination, using a rigorous scientific criterion. Besides, they are expected to organize the tasks at the laboratory, and to dispose which laboratory facilities, reagents, material and instrumentation must be purchased. It also aims to provide a global overview about the work at the laboratory. The optimal way to reach these objectives was the students elaborate the entire laboratory script for one practical. This represents an important change in the mentality of professors and students, as far as the preparation, execution and evaluation of the practical. In this sense, project-based learning (PBL) combined to cooperative leaning (CL) is an excellent tool to reach the indicated objectives, acquire autonomy, research and interpersonal skills, enhance the cognitive development and the ability to work in group. This would provoke an improvement of the teaching-learning process in the laboratory subject. Besides, their implication in all steps of the laboratory practical (design and execution) must attract their attention and increase their interest, and thus improve the learning process. We aim the students work and learn with their partners, and all Proceedings of INTED2018 Conference 5th-7th March 2018, Valencia, Spain ISBN: 978-84-697-9480-7 2572