Chemical Education Today
Journal Feature Columns: Mission Statements An important part of this Journal is its feature columns. Some appear in every issue whereas others appear at much longer intervals, but each provides useful information about a specific aspect of chemical education. Each editor of a feature column has been asked to provide a statement outlining the mission and goals of the column and the types of manuscript that should be submitted. These statements appear below, except for High School features. (Because of the changeover of High School editors, the mission statements for High School features will appear in a subsequent issue.) Please read these statements and consider whether a manuscript you may submit would be appropriate for one of the feature columns. If so, indicate this in the cover letter with your manuscript, but submit the manuscript to the editorial office in Wisconsin, not to the feature editor. If you have an idea for a manuscript, do communicate directly with the appropriate feature editor in advance. In many cases feature editors can help you to produce a more effective, publishable paper. If you are interested in developing a new feature column, please write a summary of your idea in one page or less and send it to the Journal editor. Your summary should be similar to the mission statements below. Whenever a new feature is added, its mission statement will be published along with the first feature article. The editor and the feature editors are interested in your ideas and suggestions regarding any of the feature columns. Please communicate them to us.
The Chemical Information Instructor Arleen N. Somerville Carlson Library, University of Rochester Rochester, NY 14627-0236 Phone: 716/275-4465; FAX: 716/473-1712 Email:
[email protected] This column provides instructors with practical information on a wide range of topics related to teaching information-searching skills to undergraduates, graduate students, and other researchers. Although it is oriented towards academic situations, all chemists can benefit from this material. Information is provided in print, on the Web via JCE Online. Topics include, but are not limited to: • courses: semester, short courses • workshops • integration of information instruction into one or more courses • integration of WWW sources into instruction • specific types of information: e.g., inorganic chemistry, organic reactions, polymers, bioorganic chemistry • specific types of materials: e.g., patents, journal articles • specific sources and databases: e.g., Science Citation index, Chemical Abstracts • specific types of searches: e.g., structure, reaction, citation indexing
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• ways to stay current on a topic • teaching techniques: e.g., interactive teaching Contributions aim to provide information needed by readers to replicate similar experiences in their institutions. Information includes description of the instruction; staffing; costs involved and how resolved; logistics— hardware, software, scheduling; practice questions and exam questions; how this instruction contributed to the overall instruction program; and any other information the author thinks other instructors would find valuable. The Editor welcomes contributions by potential authors and by all readers about topics they would like to see discussed in the column. Potential authors are urged to contact the editor and submit an early draft version before completing a paper and submitting it to the editorial office in Wisconsin.
Computer Bulletin Board Steven D. Gammon, Coordinator of General Chemistry Department of Chemistry, University of Idaho Moscow, ID 83844 Phone: 208/885-6864; FAX: 208/885-6173 Email:
[email protected] As we continue to grow into the age of computerbased information and instruction, I am excited to be the new editor of the “Computer Bulletin Board” feature. As many of you are probably aware, this feature has been focused on the print publication of articles that describe innovative uses of computer software in the teaching of chemistry. Articles that have appeared in the past have included spreadsheet templates, descriptions and examples of the instructional use of symbolic processors and molecular modeling software, and examples of using commercial software in the lab. Availability of computers in computer rooms, lecture halls, laboratories, and student dorm rooms has raised the potential for the use of computers in chemistry instruction to its highest point ever. Please share the results of your research and experiences. If you are using computers and commercial software in your classroom, lab, or lecture hall in a new and innovative way, I encourage you to submit an article. I am interested in submissions from the K–12 community, the two-year college community, and the college/university community. I encourage you to become involved in discussions about how we can best publish articles in an electronic format. Electronic publication has advantages over the current print medium: speed of publication and wide dissemination to audiences who might not otherwise be exposed to the journal. In an electronic format, we also have the potential to publish in a manner that will allow readers to interact with the author. These interactions will hopefully stimulate both the author and readers to use and improve upon what has already been done. My ultimate goal in this section of the Journal is to provide you, the reader, with useful and timely information about the use of computers and computer software in chemistry
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instruction. I welcome any comments and suggestions that you may have so that I may better reach this goal.
Concepts in Biochemistry William M. Scovell Department of Chemistry, Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43403-0213 Phone: 419/372-2031; FAX: 419/372-9809 The aim of this feature is to present articles helpful to teachers and students of biochemistry and/or introductory courses directed toward the allied health professionals. Certain articles may also be useful to instructors in the “main stream” freshman chemistry courses in exemplifying principles in which the examples are directed toward biochemistry. The articles are of three types. 1. Minireview, on a topic in which current textbooks do not present up-to-date or thorough coverage. The level of writing should enable the article to serve as a bridge from current textbook coverage to critically reading research journals. Articles should briefly review (1–2 pages) background material or focused concepts as typically covered in current textbooks and then develop the concepts and experimental strategies used in current research to answer one or more important questions in the area. The level should be approximately that found in Trends in Biochemical Sciences (TIBS). Since it is impossible for even outstanding teachers and active researchers to keep up with areas outside their specialty, it will be important to clearly define the important questions being addressed in the area. In addition, review articles that bridge biochemistry and other areas, such as bioorganic chemistry or physical biochemistry, are encouraged. Reviews should not exceed 6 Journal pages, including figures, tables, and references. This translates to 12–18 pages of double-spaced manuscript. 2. Concept Capsule, on a focused concept, such as the characteristics of a biomacromolecule, history of a development, or definitions of terms that may be often misunderstood or misused. The depth of the article should be at least that found in standard textbooks. If coverage is equivalent to the level of most texts, new approaches to introducing this material, which have been successfully used to bring better understanding to a difficulty concept, are necessary. Articles should be 3 Journal pages or less. 3. Lab Notebook, on modern instrumentation, classroom demonstrations, laboratory techniques, or experiments that have been tried and tested. Articles should be 3 Journal pages or less. In the first two types of articles, 6–10 references are usually appropriate, with 2–3 referring to background sections in current textbooks or articles in nonspecialist magazines or journals (Scientific American, TIBS, or the like), 2–3 minireviews or general reviews (Cell, Nature, Annual Reviews of Biochemistry) and 2–3 original research articles.
Curricular Change Digests Baird W. Lloyd Center for Chemical Education Miami University Middletown 4200 East University Boulevard Middletown, OH 45042-3497 Phone: 513/727-3292; FAX: 513/727-3367 Email:
[email protected] Curricular Change Digests is an occasional column that will appear in the Chemical Education Today section of the Journal. The goal of the column is to provide succinct descriptions of innovative ideas that demonstrate successful curricular change in college chemistry courses for science majors. These changes might include new instructional strategies, variations in arrangement or sequencing of content, and novel applications or adaptations of ideas from other fields. They need not be finished products nor thoroughly tested and evaluated because the purpose of the descriptions is to show readers the wide variety of possibilities available in curricular change, to inspire them to try innovations of their own, and to promote interactions among people who are trying related innovations. The maximum length for a contribution is one Journal page (about 1000 words). What appears in the printed Journal should describe the innovation so that readers can decide whether it is of interest. Authors may, if they choose, put onto JCE: Internet additional supporting documentation, the detailed rationale for change, and any other detailed material they wish to share with Journal readers who might like to implement the change in their own programs. Such material should be submitted along with the one-journalpage summary.
Discovering… Paul and Brenda H. Cohen Chemistry Department,The College of New Jersey CN 4700, Trenton, NJ 08650-4700 Phone: 609-771-3174; 609/771-2434 FAX: 609/771-3167 Email:
[email protected] The Discovering… column provides division members and those who accompany members to the ACS national meetings with a description of the convention city and a list of science-related sites in the region of the meeting. This column has several goals: (i) induce more members to attend the national meeting, (ii) provide meeting attendees with a list of interesting sites within easy reach of the convention city, (iii) provide session attendees with information about brief escapes from the meeting, and (iv) provide members and those accompanying them with a list of places to visit before or after the meeting. The column appears in two parts; in the Journal there is an introduction to the convention city, and in the Division’s Newsletter is a more complete description of the city and a list of sites with a description of each.
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Journal Feature Columns: Mission Statements Exam Question Exchange John J. Alexander Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati P.O. Box 221-0172, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0172 Phone: 513/556-9249; FAX: 513/556-9239 Email:
[email protected] Current trends in chemical education are beginning to emphasize a wider range of options for assessing student learning than the traditional hour exam or final exam containing a selection of problems to work. A major focus is on the desirability of posing challenges that will prompt students to realistically assess their own progress in a nongraded situation. In particular, students’ grasp of chemical concepts (as contrasted with the ability to work numerical problems) has begun to assume larger importance. Questions revolving around concepts can help students sharpen their mental models of nature. (A more thorough discussion of the rationale behind such questions as well as a large selection of questions is provided by the Web site Conceptest (http:// www.chem.wisc.edu/~concept) maintained by Arthur B. Ellis.) Likewise, questions that can induce productive discussion among students are desirable, because they can facilitate understanding and foster skills in communal problem solving. These must be carefully formulated from both the point of eliciting some student interest and of relying on the extent of chemical knowledge that students could reasonably be expected to possess. Questions posed in novel formats such as by videotape or making use of computer technology are also desirable, inasmuch as they can increase student involvement and interest. A particularly interesting subclass of these is questions that involve hands-on, interactive participation on the part of students. In light of these developments, we are expanding the scope of Exam Question Exchange to include not only the more traditional types of questions that we have ordinarily published but also concept questions, discussion questions, and questions posed in novel format as described above. To reflect this change, we need a new name for the column. Readers are invited to submit their suggestions to the column editor at the address above by January 31, 1997. The author of the winning name will receive a free one-year subscription to the Journal.
Experiential, Cooperative, and Study Abroad Education Geoffrey Davies Chemistry Department, Northeastern University Boston, MA 02115 Phone: 617/373-2834; FAX: 617/373-8795 Email:
[email protected] Jiwon Kim American Chemical Society, Education Division 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: 202/872-6176 Email:
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This feature column describes efforts by chemistry departments, colleges, government agencies, and industry to organize and maintain programs that help students to sharpen their skills and improve their prospects through productive off-campus internships, paid cooperative work assignments, and study abroad. Its aim is to encourage and enhance such programs through communication of effective and successful examples.
The Microscale Laboratory Arden P. Zipp Department of Chemistry, SUNY Cortland, NY 13045 Phone: 607/753-2905; FAX: 607/753-2927 Email:
[email protected] The goal of The Microscale Laboratory column is to disseminate information about microscale laboratory techniques and the advantages they afford for teachers and students at all levels of chemistry instruction. The column solicits manuscripts that present innovative microscale experiments, modify existing experiments to the microscale, offer new or modified microscale equipment, or addres¡s other items of interest to those who are using or planning to use microscale experiments.
NSF Highlights Curtis T. Sears, Jr. Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University University Plaza, Atlanta, GA 28741 Phone: 404/651-4954; FAX: 404/651-1416 Email:
[email protected] The purpose of NSF Highlights is to inform college faculty of innovations in both undergraduate lectures and laboratories as identified by their peers who serve as reviewers for the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education. The column consists of invited papers that are selected based on the proposal abstracts and the relative reviewers’ rank among the awards made in that year’s competition. The intent is both brief and rapid dissemination of information. Descriptions in Highlights do not preclude later publication of a complete description in a full-length article in the Journal or elsewhere.
Overhead Projector Demonstrations Doris Kolb Department of Chemistry, Bradley University Peoria, IL 61625 Phone: 319/677-3029; FAX: 309/677-3023 Email:
[email protected] The Overhead Projector Demonstrations column solicits and publishes manuscripts about classroom demonstrations that can be shown on the stage of a standard type overhead projector. The demonstrations may relate to any aspect of chemical education. The articles should be relatively short, giving explicit directions for
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carrying out the demonstrations and including pertinent references when appropriate. If a demonstration requires a projector that has been modified in some way, the modification should be carefully described.
locally produced software or routine uses of software are not appropriate to this column. Software, along with descriptions of its use, should be submitted to JCE: Software; descriptions of uses of commercial software should be submitted to the Computer Bulletin Board.
Safety Tips Tim Champion Department of Chemistry & Physics Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC 28216 Phone: 704/378-1155; FAX: 704/378-1213 Email:
[email protected] The purpose of the Safety Tips column is to improve the “safeness” of chemical instruction at all levels. Safeness includes awareness of, avoidance of, and appropriate responses to all health hazards encountered in the process of chemical education. To this end, this column will include articles concerning: • health hazards (chemical, physical, electrical)— especially newly recognized hazards in common instructional practices • safety education for faculty and students • reviews of safety for beginning teachers • suggestions for helpful practices to improve safety (warning methods, documentation methods, inventory and waste management methods, modifications to improve the safeness of common procedures) • new regulations related to safety
Teaching with Technology (formerly Computer Series) James P. Birk Department of Chemistry, Arizona State University Box 871604, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604 Phone: 602/965-3129; FAX: 602/965-2747 Email:
[email protected] In classrooms and laboratories throughout the world, rapidly changing technology is changing the face of education in chemistry. This column deals with educational changes that can result from technological developments, especially the evolution of interactive education based on multimedia. Such education may involve the use of technology in a variety of settings, from the traditional lecture hall or laboratory to virtual or distributed classrooms. Technology may be used to communicate with students who are off-campus, perhaps in other states or countries. To bring these changes into effect, questions such as the following have to be addressed. What tools are being used to develop new courseware? What software is effective in enhancing learning? What computer systems and other hardware can be used to develop an effective learning environment? What modifications are needed in the classroom environment? How are distributed learning systems changing as multimedia and communications technology change? We are soliciting manuscripts that address these and related questions. Manuscripts that describe
Tested Demonstrations Ed Vitz Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA 19530 Phone: 610/683-4443; FAX: 610/683-1352 Email:
[email protected] Demonstrations are critical for conveying the meaning of science. Demonstrations make science much more exciting to students at all levels and they attract scientific minds to chemistry. It is a happy coincidence that demonstrations are also fun to do, and we look forward to hearing from all teachers who discover effective ways to demonstrate the excitement of chemistry. The Tested Demonstrations column aims to help teachers at all levels to make effective use of demonstrations by providing (i) complete, accurate instructions, (ii) a list of convenient sources for all equipment and supplies, (iii) brief explanations of the chemistry involved, and (iv) a description of how a demonstration has proven useful in teaching. To expand the traditional purview of demonstrations we actively seek demonstrations in biochemistry, instrumental analysis, environmental chemistry, materials science, food and textile chemistry, and other areas of applied chemistry. Submitted manuscripts should be complete, so that no other information is necessary for a teacher to present the demonstration. The demonstrations will be checked to make certain that they work as described. Manuscripts should include references that lead the interested reader to expanded treatments of the subject, and citations of previous demonstrations on the same or a closely related topic. Authors should check available compendia including those by Shakhashiri (1), Gilbert (2), and Ealy (3), other sources listed in Katz’s recent bibliography (4), and the electronic index to the Journal (5). Many excellent new demonstrations are derived from classics, but reference must be made to previous work. Tested Demonstrations should be live. Educators argue forcibly against replacing educational laboratory experiences with “dry” labs, and Tested Demonstrations will continue to focus on live, not “dry”, demonstrations. Computer simulations, videos, and other forms of multimedia demonstrations, which provide a useful supplement to the real thing, should be submitted to the Computer Bulletin Board, JCE: Software, or Teaching with Technology. 1. Shakhashiri, B. Z. Chemical Demonstrations; University of Wisconsin: Madison, 1983–1992; Vols. 1–4. 2. Gilbert, G., et al. Tested Demonstrations in Chemistry; Dept. of Chemistry, Denison University, Granville, OH, 1994.
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Journal Feature Columns: Mission Statements 3. Ealy, J. B.; Ealy, J. L. Visualizing Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1995. 4. Katz, D. A. Science Demonstrations, Experiments, and Resources; J. Chem. Educ. 1991, 68, 235-244. 5. Schatz, P. F.; Jacobsen, J. J. Computerized Index, Journal of Chemical Education, JCE: Software; 1993, Special issue 5-M (Macintosh) or 5-W (Windows).
Topics in Chemical Instrumentation Howard A. Strobel Department of Chemistry Paul M. Gross Chemical Laboratory Box 90354, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0364 Phone: 919/660-1500; FAX: 919/660-1605 Email:
[email protected] The mission of the feature is to provide a forum for chemistry faculty to describe: 1. major instrumental techniques and accompanying instrumentation with which they have developed special experience; 2. classroom adaptations of instrumental techniques that enhance the laboratory experience of students in a chemistry course at the sophomore level or above; 3. exposure to new analytical techniques and instrumentation that have reached a substantial level of acceptance.
The following mission statement is for a feature column that appears in JCE Internet.
Chemical Education Resource Shelf Hal Harris Dept. of Chemistry, University of Missouri–St. Louis St. Louis, MO 63121 Phone: 314/516-5344; FAX: 314/516-5342 Email:
[email protected] The Chemical Education Resource Shelf provides an up-to-date, comprehensive listing of books, journals, computer software, video, films, and other media that are potentially of use to chemical educators. For books, the author, title, edition, publisher, year of publication, number of pages, ISBN, and list prices are listed. For software, the title, a brief description, author, distributor, and price are provided. Contact with publishers is facilitated by a compilation of their addresses, phone numbers, FAX numbers, email addresses, and URLs. Because the Chemical Education Resource Shelf is part of JCE: Internet and is made available through the World Wide Web, the capabilities of the medium allow users to explore, through hyperlinks, more detailed descriptions of any items that publishers have included in their Web pages. The Chemical Education Resource Shelf provides the book and software data published in the Journal as the Book Buyers Guide.
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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 74 No. 1 January 1997
