edited by SUSAN H. HlXSON National Science Foundation Washington, DC 20550
Hiqhliqhts
CURTIS T. SEARS, JR. Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303
Projects supported by the NSF Division of Undergraduate €ducation Awards in the Course and Curriculum Development (CCD) program for FYI994 have been announced. This year there were 15 awards in chemistry with the major themes being an emphasis on cross-disciplinaryand alternative curricula, development of media materials, and discovery-based laboratory instruction. Interactive Learning: A Hypertext Introductory Chemistry Text Claude H. Yoder Franklin and Marshall College
This project is preparing a hypertext "electronic" textbook that requires the active involvement ofthe student in the discussion of principles as well as the application of these principles in the solution of problems. This hypertext book, ChemGuide, is encouraging student participation by constructing most discussions around questions that must be answered by the student. The responses to the questions are hidden in hypertext until selected by the student. ChemGuide also provides hints and definitionsupon selection and when necessary takes the student to an appropriate section of the text for review or help. We believe that this hypertext program, using the Guide software, is helping students to develop rational approaches t o learning and problem-solving, is building self-confidence, and is making the concepts of chemistry accessible to students with a greater range of abilities. General Chemistry: Discovery-Based Advances for the Two-Year College Chemistry Curriculum Arlyne M. Sarquis Miami University-Middletown
Faculty at two two-year campuses are revising the General Chemistry course to make it more interesting, relevant, and accessible to students with various academic backgrounds. This effort includes the design, development, and testing of discovery-based laboratory scenarios and take-home lecture supplements that illustrate topics in chemistry through activities beyond the classroom. In addition to demonstrating general concepts, the activities also involve students in critical-thinking and group problem-solving skills used by professional chemists in industry and academia. To further ensure success, the project is built on the pedagogical foundations of constructivism, Science-Technology-Society, and cooperative learning. Laboratory Driven Instruction in Chemistry Ram S. Lamba lnteramerican University of Puerto Rico
$296,232
This project is revitalizing the undergraduate chemistry curriculum by adopting laboratory-driven instruction using the discovery (inquiry) approach. With this approach, 506
Journal of Chemical Education
new topics are introduced f r s t in the laboratory and then discussed more fully during the lecture. The central objective is to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a comprehensive set of instructional modules that will address the concerns of chemistry educators and satisfy the needs of introductory chemistry curricula. The modules will include student handouts, a teacher's guide, and suggestions for their implementation. The modules will be appropriate not only for science majors but also for nonscience majors. Five colleges and universities are collaboratingin testing the discovery exercises and the instructional modules. The Language of Chemistry: Introductory Chemistry Based on the Study of Problems at the Interface Between Chemistry and Biology Jerrold Meinwald Cornell University Endowed
$150,000
To increase the scientific literacv of mlleee students in the United States, this project is &velopi"i a new introductorv course. The Lanmaee of Chemian intended orimarilifor students who are not committez to a majo; in chemistry. The challenge is to provide an attractive course that students from areas such as the social sciences and the humanities will elect to help fulfdl a "distribution" requirement. The course illustrates how chemists study problems involving chemical interactions in nature. Among the cases included for study are (1)Fabre's early attempts to understand insect communication and the subsequent characteriazation of the first pheromone by Butenandt, (2) Perkin's effort to synthesize quinine and the subsequent realization of the importance of molecular structures, (3) algal sperm attractants, (4) steroids in fungi and mammals, and ( 5 ) neurotransmitter-related drugs. Basic concepts in general chemistry and organic chemistry are developed as required for understanding this set of topics at the interface between chemistry and biology or medicine. Methods of analyzing problems are emphasized, rather than the memorization of specific results or formulas.
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Development of Computer Graphic Visualization Aids for the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum Nathan S. Lewis California Institute of Technology
The project is developing high-end workstation quality computer graphics to aid in the visualization of mncepts taught throughout an undergraduate chemistry curriculum. The goal of the work is to focus on visual presentations, and real-time visual manipulations, of a variety of concepts that are included in the current chemistry curriculum. Specific projects include 3-dimensional animation sequences of atomic and molecular orbitals, 3-D views of
