Abstract

In the last decades, scientific literacy has emerged as a fundamental concept for informed citizens. As a result, Higher Education institutions are facing the challenge of supplying students with the key abilities to become scientifically educated. This paper is one of a series aiming to share the experience of the University of Aveiro, in Portugal, in developing and implementing a first year chemistry course aiming at enhancing students’ scientific literacy. The purpose of this paper is to describe how chemistry mini-research projects can be used to develop students’ higher order skills, such as quality questioning, critical thinking, creativity and communication. The chemistry course described in this paper shows that, with the appropriate strategies, students can enhance their interest, motivation and engagement with learning chemistry, adopting deep learning approaches and, ultimately, increasing their scientific literacy.