We are all accustomed to periodic summative testing for achievement, but in this chapter the importance of requiring mastery of fundamentals as the baseline for evaluation, regardless of the level of the class involved, is discussed.

The work done in a chemistry laboratory is compared to cooking, as both processes use books for reference. It is felt that cooking and chemistry are complex processes and are creative endeavors that require skills beyond those developed by merely following the directions.

This article discusses the author's observation that in his thirty-plus years in academics, many students who, by natural ability, interest, and work ethic, should have performed well in the sciences, but performed poorly. Many of these students are operating at the bottom rungs of Bloom's taxonomy (ladder), while college professors and industrial…

The use of Symbolic Mathematics Engines (SMEs) in chemical education as a part of the Division of Computers in Chemistry was discussed by a panel of educators at the Symbolic Calculation in Chemistry symposium in Philadelphia in 2004. The panelists agreed that many more topics in chemistry are amenable to SME's exploration and that symbolic…

"Match Game" is a simple game designed through which students could learn the names of all lab equipment and glassware that they would encounter during the school year. The game leads into a student-based discussion during which they carefully think about proper uses for each piece of labware.

This article describes a few novel acid-base experiments intended to introduce students to the basic concepts of acid-base chemistry and provide practical examples that apply directly to the study of biology and the human body. Important concepts such as the reaction between carbon dioxide and water, buffers and protein denaturation, are covered.…

Bacterial loading in water from anthropogenic sources is of common interest in both student research projects and to regulatory agencies. The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in natural waters can be the deciding indicator for how the bodies of water are classified for use. Since current tests are not specific, it is difficult to determine…

The Imposter is a strategy that encourages a focused approach to reading among adolescents. Contradictions or other types of conceptual flaws are inserted into a reading passage. The reader, knowing that flaws are hidden in the text, attempts to discover the errors. The reader then justifies his or her identification of flaws based on the concepts…

This paper describes our use of the ADDIE protocol to design and develop an interactive tutorial for students learning molecular symmetry operations and point groups. The tutorial provides a 3-D environment where students can examine molecules, structures, and symmetry elements. Most such tutorials are connected to courses or instructors in…

The Society Committee on Education (SOCED) of the American Chemistry Society (ACS) held an invitational meeting, "Exploring the Molecular Vision" to re-construct the chemistry curriculum, in keeping with modern interdisciplinary practices. The meeting confirmed that chemistry education must interact with diverse disciplines, and portray its value…

An active service-learning research work is conducted in the field of advanced environmental chemistry. Multiple projects are assigned to students, which promote individual learning skills, self-confidence as scientists, and a deep understanding of the environmental chemist's profession.

An introductory undergraduate physical organic chemistry exercise that introduces the harmonic oscillator's use in vibrational spectroscopy is developed. The analysis and modeling exercise begins with the students calculating the stretching modes of common organic molecules with the help of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator (QMHO) model.

The use of molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods has provided efficient means to stimulate the behavior of molecular liquids and solutions. A Monte Carlo simulation program is used to compute the structure of liquid water and of water as a solvent to Na(super +), Cl(super -), and Ar on a personal computer to show that it is easily feasible to…

Two episodes of tutoring through the internet have been analysed in terms of situational, interactive and content perspectives. The episodes involved secondary students who submitted queries about chemistry issues to an online service provided by teachers. Studies of the asking of questions and of the dynamics of classroom interactions are…

This paper looks at three case studies within the teaching and learning of chemistry. Each case considers the effectiveness of group learning activities in terms of the ways in which they enhance cooperative learning. Group tasks are generally undertaken in order to encourage learners to develop their understanding of particular issues, lthough…