Computerizing Physics and Chemistry Laboratories for Life Science Students

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Interdisciplinary (99) Chemistry (12) Biological Sciences (61) Physics (13) Essentially all the students at Mercy College who are taking physics and chemistry courses are preparing for medical, health, or bioscience careers. In this era of ever-increasing medical and biological sophistication and technology, these students not only need a firm foundation of physics and chemistry principles but need to be able to apply these principles in the scientific reasoning involved in making decisions and judgements about human and biological systems. There are no physics or chemistry majors at Mercy so we are in a position to devote ourselves to the needs of this particular student audience. We are incorporating computer technology into the physics and chemistry curriculum in a coordinated way in order to better prepare these students for their further coursework and their intended careers. The modifications in physics are based on adapting aspects of Realtime Physics, Workshop Physics, and Tutorials in Introductory Physics to create new experiments designed to provide direct relevance for students majoring in the life sciences. In chemistry, adaptation of computer-interfaced activities developed by the Middle Atlantic Discovery Chemistry Project and of several ChemLinks modules along with other existing laboratory experiments provide the basis for the new work. Through the use of laptop computers, whose portability allows multiple use, we are computerizing the general physics and general chemistry laboratory activities utilizing interface and sensor equipment. In doing so, we are incorporating human/biological relevance and inquiry-based pedagogy. The computers also are being used to computerize laboratory activities in the biochemistry course and in the non-science major chemistry course. Finally, a Science Learning Center is being established in which the computers are used as a networked active learning resource. This center is staffed by tutors who offer students support in the use of web-based and CDROM active learning materials, under the guidance of the science faculty.