Some Latin American experiences concerning teaching of chemical metrology

In this paper, 15 years of the experiences acquired concerning the teaching of chemical metrology in Latin America are presented. These include postgraduate and undergraduate activities developed in eight countries. The combination of theoretic and practical activities and the sequence of learning from metrological, statistical, and chemometrical backgrounds up to practical activities in personal computers are basic and motivate the learning process. Care is taken to promote the metrological approach and thinking in analytical chemistry. The learning of computing techniques plays an important role, combining graphic and numerical techniques for data analysis. The role of examples during the teaching process is analyzed and recognized. The introduction of a general model of errors permits one to approach different topics on a metrological basis. The metrological approach of uncertainty based on the theory of errors permits one to develop the topic. Undergraduate students acquire a basic metrological knowledge and other experiences are also presented. Recommendations for undergraduate and postgraduate programs are pointed out.