Development of Undergraduate Course in Solid State Chemistry

化学(12)正在为化学和化学物理专业的高年级学生开设一门新的固体化学本科课程。这门课程的基本原理是基于这样一种观点，即在本科课程中，固态化学和计算方法已经被搁置，转而采用定性的方法来理解材料，但有些形式的直觉只能通过在课程中加入定量思维来培养。该项目的目标包括：1)为学生领导的小型研究小组开发一套固态化学项目，涉及合成、结构、实验表征和理论建模；2)为课程创建一个安全的网站，为学生提供访问教学材料、计算和可视化软件以及敏感课程材料的途径；3)开发课程文档，包括理论背景材料和教学笔记；4)创建针对课程量身定做的评估工具；5)实施课程并评估其成功，然后将反馈纳入课程的第二次提供；以及6)包括对整个课程的内部和外部同行审查，以促进课程的评估和传播。该项目包括围绕固态化学中的重要问题开发实验室项目，并要求使用差示扫描量热仪和热重分析仪，以及计算机模拟程序：1)探索在固体中存储氢的实用方法的化学存储材料项目，2)探索包合物如何用于此目的的隔离和分离技术材料项目，3)探索功能化纳米管能否组装成有序的导电结构，以及纳米管或其他形式的碳的多孔阵列是否可以存储或分离气体的纳米技术材料项目，以及4)一个用于分离和催化的微孔材料项目，探索是什么控制了沸石的分离效率和催化活性。评价由内部要素和外部要素组成。汉密尔顿学院内部和外部的化学和物理教职员工参与了内部评估，他们正在审查教学材料和课程评估，并提供“关键朋友”的反馈方法。外部评估正在审查前、中、后评估以及课程材料，并将重点放在核心保真度、计划改进、有希望的和可复制的做法以及可持续性上。该项目的结果正在通过学生和教职员工在美国化学学会和其他会议上的陈述以及在同行评议期刊上发表计算和实验室实验来传播。

Chemistry (12)A new undergraduate course in solid state chemistry for senior-level chemistry and chemical physics majors is being developed. The rationale for the course is based on an argument that solid state chemistry and computational methods have been sidelined in the undergraduate curriculum in favor of qualitative approaches to understanding materials, but that there are forms of intuition that can only be developed through including quantitative thinking in the curriculum. The goals of the project include: 1) to develop a suite of solid state chemistry projects for small student-led research groups involving synthesis, structure, experimental characterization, and theoretical modeling; 2) to create a secure website for the course to provide access to instructional materials, computational and visualization software, and sensitive course materials for students; 3) to develop course documentation with theoretical background materials and instructional notes; 4) to create assessment instruments tailored to the course; 5) to implement the course and evaluate its success, and then incorporate feedback into a second offering of the course; and 6) to include internal and external peer reviews of the overall course, to contribute to the course's evaluation as well as dissemination. The project includes developing lab-based projects built around important questions in solid state chemistry and requiring the use of a differential scanning calorimeter and a thermogravimetric analyzer, as well as computer modeling programs: 1) a chemical storage materials project exploring practical ways to store hydrogen in a solid, 2) a project on materials for sequestration and separation technologies exploring how inclusion compounds can be used for this purpose, 3) a nanotechnology materials project exploring whether functionalized nanotubes can assemble into ordered, electrically conductive structures and whether porous arrays of nanotubes or other forms of carbon can store or separate gases, and 4) a project on microporous materials for separation and catalysis exploring what controls the efficacy of separation and catalytic activity in a zeolite. Evaluation consists of internal and external elements. The internal evaluation involves chemistry and physics faculty both internal and external to Hamilton College who are reviewing instructional materials and course evaluations and providing a "critical friends" approach to feedback. External evaluation is examining pre-, mid-, and post-assessments along with course materials, and is focusing on core fidelity, program improvement, promising and replicable practices, and sustainability. Results of the project are being disseminated via student and faculty presentations at American Chemical Society and other conferences and publication of the computational and laboratory experiments in peer-reviewed journals.