Sparky IntroChem: A Student-Oriented Introductory Chemistry Course

化学(12)这个项目正在修订化学入门(IntroChem)课程，包括三个不同的学生群体：健康科学专业、化学背景较少的理科专业和非理科专业。其目标是将以前开发的几项面向学生的倡议整合到拟议的Sparky IntroChem课程中，以促进学生在以下方面的学习：解决数学问题、理解概念、科学推理和发展对科学的积极态度。六个课程单元是根据现有材料改编或作为项目的一部分开发的，提供课堂活动的重点，以及使用概念测试问题来评估学生的进步。这些模块专注于当地感兴趣的化学问题，包括工业木材化学、空气污染和水质。由参加过这门课程的本科生主持的由八名学生组成的同行主导的工作坊，被用来解决问题和讨论问题，并向全班展示。正在调整或发展以发现为基础和以问题为基础的实验室，为学生提供有意义的化学实践经验。学习的技术方法包括使用Lucid提供互动模型、虚拟仪器和工具包，以及一个WWW讨论板来促进学生与教师和学生与学生的互动。Spaky IntroChem正在根据参与者的看法、表现、成绩分布和对后续科学课程的影响进行评估，方法是使用课堂观察、调查和从文献改编的访谈。我们的发现正在通过会议报告、教学期刊和我们的网站进行传播。此外，正在将我们的结果发送给制定倡议的财团，以便通过其机制传播。

Chemistry (12)This project is revising the introductory chemistry (IntroChem) course to include three distinct student populations: health science majors, science majors with little chemistry background, and nonscience majors. The goal is to integrate several previously developed student-oriented initiatives into a proposed Sparky IntroChem course to promote student learning in: mathematical problem-solving, understanding concepts, scientific reasoning, and development of positive attitudes towards science. Six class modules, which are being adapted from existing materials or developed as part of the project, are providing the focus of classroom activities, along with the use of Concept Test questions to assess student progress. The modules are focused upon chemical issues of local interest, including industrial wood chemistry, air pollution, and water quality. Peer-led workshops of eight students, conducted by undergraduates who have taken the course, are being employed to solve problems and discuss issues for presentation to the entire class. Discovery based and problem-based laboratories are being adapted or developed to provide students with meaningful, hands-on experience with chemistry. Technological approaches to learning include the use of LUCID to provide interactive models, virtual instruments, and tool kits, and a WWW discussion board to promote student-teacher and student-student interaction. Sparky IntroChem is being evaluated on the basis of participant perceptions, performance, grade distribution, and impact in subsequent science courses using classroom observation, surveys, and interviews adapted from the literature. Our findings are being disseminated through conference presentations, pedagogical journals, and our web site. In addition, our results are being sent to the consortia that developed the initiatives for dissemination through their mechanisms.