Collaborative Research: Constructive Chemistry: Problem-based Learning Through Molecular Modeling

合作研究：构造化学：通过分子建模进行基于问题的学习

• 批准号: 1245531
• 负责人: Deb Newberry
• 金额: $ 5.01万
• 依托单位: Dakota County Technical College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-02-01 至 2015-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1245531&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Constructive; Chemistry; Problem

This collaborative project between Bowling Green State University (a doctoral granting research university), Dakota County Technical College (an Associates degree granting 2-year school), and The Concord Consortium (a nonprofit educational research and development organization) is developing and examining a technology-based pedagogy that is challenging students to create their own molecular simulations covering a wide variety of basic concepts in general chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry, and nanotechnology. The curriculum materials, called "Constructive Chemistry" are based on The Concord Consortium's Molecular Workbench which provides the graphical user interfaces for authoring visually compelling and scientifically accurate, interactive simulations. Each instructional unit is posing one or more problems that can be solved using molecular simulations and their analytic tools. For example, students are investigating why average kinetic energy, rather than average speed, of molecules provides a microscopic interpretation of temperature. They are discovering deviations from the Ideal Gas Law as a function of the properties of the constituent gas molecules. They are designing a molecular sieve, a fuel cell, or a nanofabrication procedure. The students are achieving these accomplishments through a scaffolded process that is enabling them to both learn science content and modeling skills, while also building their understanding of the basic chemistry concepts. This project is allowing science to be taught as a verb, rather than a noun since 'doing science' is a compelling and effective way to learn. Enabling the process of exploration, creation, and invention, the students are applying theories, testing ideas, and synthesizing knowledge. By constructing molecular simulations, students are learning abstract concepts and reshaping their intuition. The project is utilizing computational chemistry to support student design and problem solving and is transforming how state-of-the-art computational tools are used to support student learning at all levels. The approach being developed is readily implemented by any course worldwide and is taking advantage of the widely used, freely available, Molecular Workbench resource.

这个由鲍林格林州立大学(一所授予博士学位的研究型大学)、达科他县技术学院(授予两年制副学士学位的学校)和协和联盟(一家非营利性教育研发组织)合作的项目正在开发和审查一种以技术为基础的教学方法，挑战学生创造自己的分子模拟，涵盖普通化学、物理化学、生物化学和纳米技术的各种基本概念。课程材料名为“建设性化学”，基于协和联盟的分子工作台，它提供了图形用户界面，用于创作视觉上引人注目且科学上准确的交互模拟。每个教学单元提出一个或多个问题，可以使用分子模拟及其分析工具来解决。例如，学生们正在研究为什么分子的平均动能而不是平均速度提供了对温度的微观解释。他们发现，作为组成气体分子性质的函数，它们偏离了理想气体定律。他们正在设计一种分子筛、一种燃料电池或一种纳米制造程序。学生们正在通过一个脚手架过程实现这些成就，这个过程使他们能够学习科学内容和建模技能，同时也建立了他们对基本化学概念的理解。这个项目允许将科学作为动词而不是名词来教授，因为做科学是一种令人信服和有效的学习方式。使学生能够探索、创造和发明的过程，学生正在应用理论，测试想法，并综合知识。通过构建分子模拟，学生们正在学习抽象的概念并重塑他们的直觉。该项目正在利用计算化学来支持学生设计和解决问题，并正在改变使用最先进的计算工具来支持所有级别的学生学习的方式。正在开发的方法很容易被世界各地的任何课程实施，并正在利用广泛使用的、免费获得的分子工作台资源。