David W. Brooks University of Nebraska-Lincoln ~incoln.Nebraska 68588
I I
The Status of General Chemistry Ill. Recent innovations in presentation
Innovations in the presentation of general chemistry over the last decade or so may he classified within three broad categories: media, computers, and applied psychology. Media Television has significantly altered the course of society. It has had minimal impact on general chemistry instruction. One can only speculate about why this is so. It is veryexpensive to produce TV tapes of high quality. Lots of very sophisticated equipment is required. Experienced workers usually use three hours of studio time to get fifteen minutes of usable h o e . There are manv.oroduction nersonnel involved. . usually a minimum of seven, four of whom receive good salaries. Costs of $3.550 per minute of "polished tape are typical. These costs limit the game to well-heeled players. Once a tape is nroduced, of course. there must he some wav. to play . . it hack. ~ l i e a t e rtelevision is usually not availahle or appropriate, leaving monitors-often many of them-as the playback choice. Television is equipment intensive, especially when you prepare your own programs. Some models for TV instruction have been developed. At one time the entire program a t the University of Arizona ?as TV based. At Illinois, Gil Haight has developed an unusual system wherein GTAs are given videotapes from which they develop instruction within their recitations using the TV to whatever degree they feel is appropriate. If TV is equal to lecturing as a means for helping students to achieve high skill levels in quantitative problem solving, no substantial claims are made that it is suoerior. Why? Well, when was the last time y~ lwirned T O h .wne rliifi ult cdcul;,rt~mfrom 'IY, w v , I ~ h viillinc our 11 dv~1reci3tim5cl~edult.dm wDur inv
