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Highlights -,

SUSAN H. HIXSON National Science Foundation

Arlington. VA 22230

CURTIS T. SEARS, JR. Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA30303

Projects supported by the NSF Division o f Undergroduote €ducation

Course and Curriculum Development Program Awards

Twelve awards in chemistry in the Course and Curricu- lum Development program for FY1995 have been an- nounced.

Development and Evaluation of Internet-Based Hypermedia Chemistry Tutorials

Brian M. Tissue DUE 9455382 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University $80,000

The goal of this project is to develop and evaluate internet- based hypermedia tutorials for undergraduate chemistry courses. The specific objectives are (1) to develop hypermedia resources that increase the effectiveness and efficiency of stu- dent learning and retention, (2 ) to evaluate and refme hyper- media designs for maximum student use and efficacy, and (3) to evaluate the accessibility of hypermedia educational mate- rials via the internet for students and educators inside and outside the university The main advantaae of hwermedia educational materials is the ability to link-a topiedo related andlor remedial material. Having immediate, in-context re- medial help will improve the effediveness and efficiency of a student's study time, and will also reinforce the under- standing of basic concepts. The links themselves illustrate the interrelatedness of different topics and the importance of basic principles. Funding of this project will allow expansion of our current hypermedia tutorial for instrumental analysis to sonhomore-level analvtical chemistrv and freshman-level general chem~stry cl:is.+.i. Thr. chcmlstry tutorials are \,iewed with KC'Sl\ .Mo;;aic. which is an internet-bawl hwrr - .. . media hn,ws(:r. I t i i ;I multimed~a vlea.lng tool with \ ' ~ ' ~ l O l l d

fir Unix \\'lndows, and Macintosh ont!r;~tina svstcnls. Smce this projkct is acce'ssible worldwide h a the-internet, it will provide an educational resource for undergraduate chemistry students; K12, vocational, and college-level educators; and for the public at large. The hypermedia design and internet ac- cess concepts that are learned by evaluating and refining this project will facilitate the creation and distribution of effective hypermedia resources for science education in chemistry and other disciplines.

Improving Student Instrumentation Skills With Pre- and Postlab Computer Simulations

Marlana Blackburn College of St Catherine

DUE 9455394 $60,012

Prooer use of instruments is internal to the physical and life sLiences, yet many students never become-confident or even comfortable operators because of limits on laboratory time and instrument availability. To introduce and procedures before laboratory exercises and to rein- force key experimental ideas after laboratories, a series of interactive computer simulations of laboratory devices and accompanying text materials will he developed. These simulations allow students to explore instrument concepts

a t their own pace, alone or in groups. Using a n icon-based simulation en,eine/environment which embodies a block diagram approach, realistic and sophisticated simulations (with online help, text and graphical output, and anima- tion) can be created much more rapidly than those written in higher level languages and can be easily tailored to spe- cific courses and audiences. The exercises promote logical thinking, active learning, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.

Transforming Traditional Quantitative Analysis into a Course in Modern Analytical Science

Sam P. Perone DUE 9455416 San Jose State University Foundation $135.214

This curriculum development project transforms tradi- tional sonhomore auantitative analysis into a course on modern kalytical Hcience. Building on work supported by the NSF, we are developing a course that emulates the working environment of a modern commercial analytical laboratory. The new lab work reflects a commitment to ad- dressing organic, biological, and environmental studies, in place of much of the traditional emphasis on simple inor- ganic systems. The types of investigations include: separa- tions science (mixture analysis); multielement and trace analysis; and combined physical & chemical charac- terization. Pervading all of this is a laboratory structure based on Federal Good Laboratory Practice guidelines, where students are responsible for calibration, certifica- tion. and documentation. The obiectives of Phase 2 of this project, proposed here, are (1) to conduct arealistic experi- ment in trans~ortabili tv of the restructured so~homore quant course; and (2) to produce a Laboratory Manual which is flexible enough to be useful even a t institutions with limited resources r~e have enlisted the cooperation of a small but diverse group of interested academic institu- tions to test transportability a t their respective campuses. These schools will also provide feedback reaardina labora- tory revisions to help accommodate the wide diversity of academic resources. We will initiate Phase 2 with a sum- mer workshop in 1995 a t SJSU for all participating faculty. This event will be repeated through 1997, with a viable Laboratory Manual as the ultimate product.

Biologically Relevant Chemistry in the Freshman Laboratory

Angelica M. Stacy University of California-Berkeley

DUE 9455418 $1 90.000

In a n innovative approach to teaching the freshman chemistry laboratory, &dents are being exposed to a vari- ety of chemical principles in the context of biolo,eically rele- vant chemistrv: ~ a r e e numbers of students tckinefresh- u " man chemistry (upwards of 60%) are pursuing careers in the bioloeical sciences andlor medicine. These students are - being shown the relevance of chemistry in understanding bioloeical svstems bv eneaeine them in authentic scientific - " - - - inquiry. The program is module-based, where each module

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