Acquisition of an FTNMR Spectrometer for the Transition to an Investigative Laboratory Program in Chemistry

化学（12）在伯明翰南方学院化学系，我们通过开发新的化学课程来丰富学生的学习经验，该课程包括在化学课程中更多的体验性、研究性实验室练习。FT-NMR和其他仪器在部门被用来演示通过使用现代仪器解决科学问题。我们的目标是通过适应和发展实验室实验来提高学生的批判性思维能力，这些实验要求他们制定协议，在小组中合作，并在口头报告中捍卫结果。为了实现这一目标，我们正在改编化学教育文献中的一些实验，并将它们作为合作实验室项目实施到有机、物理、生物化学、无机和高级分析课程中。我们系在将研究性实验室纳入课程和开发活跃的本科生研究项目方面已经取得了重大进展。第二个目标是进一步延续这一趋势。核磁共振波谱仪是实现这一目标的关键，因为它已成为化学中的重要工具。我们的学生接触到核磁共振波谱在各个层面，从有机化学开始，最终与独立研究。随着2002年春天埃尔顿·斯蒂芬斯科学中心的建成，以及它显著增强的教学和研究设施，更好地反映了我们的新教学方式，我们期望看到参与科学的学生人数的增加，从而受到新的化学课程的影响。我们还将该仪器提供给迈尔斯学院，这是阿拉巴马州费尔菲尔德的一所历史悠久的黑人小型学院，用于教学和研究。

Chemistry (12)At the Chemistry Department of Birmingham-Southern College, we are enriching the learning experience of our students by developing a new chemistry curriculum which includes more experiential, investigative laboratory exercises across the chemistry program. FT-NMR and other instruments in the department are used to demonstrate scientific problem solving through the use of modern instrumentation. Our goal is to improve students critical thinking skills by adapting and developing laboratory experiments that require them to develop protocols, collaborate in groups, and defend results in oral presentations. To accomplish this, we are adapting a number of experiments form the chemical education literature and implementing them as collaborative laboratory projects into the Organic, Physical, Biochemistry, Inorganic, and Advanced Analytical courses. Our department has already made significant progress in incorporating investigative laboratories into our curriculum and developing an active undergraduate research program. A second goal is to further continue this trend. An NMR spectrometer is critical for fulfilling this goal since it has become an essential tool in chemistry. Our students are exposed to NMR spectroscopy at all levels beginning with organic chemistry and culminating with independent research. With the completion of the Elton B. Stephens Science Center in the spring of 2002, and its significantly enhanced teaching and research facilities that better reflect our new way of teaching, we expect to see an increase in the number of students involved in the sciences and thus impacted by the new chemistry curriculum. We are also making the instrument available to Miles College, a small, historically black college in Fairfield, Alabama, for use in both teaching and research.