News Release

Student suggestions enhance lab exercises

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Virginia Tech

(Blacksburg, Va., August 20, 2000) -- Since 1997, Virginia Tech chemistry professor Karen J. Brewer, graduate student Elizabeth Bullock, and postdoctoral associate Michael Jordan, have been designing new ways to use technology and computer assisted methods to help undergraduate students understand the properties of molecules.

"The enhanced calculational power of computers and the ease of graphics display is changing the way computer assisted methods are applied in the chemical sciences," says Brewer. "In response, our undergraduate curriculum needs to familiarize students with computer assisted methods and chemical structure visualization. We have designed and implemented new teaching methods that couple computer assisted methods to hands on laboratory excercises. This allows the students to learn about computer modeling of chemical systems within a forum of experimental chemistry which allows for the testing of computer based predictions. "

This new curriculiar approach and the student based evaluation process will be presented at the 220th national meeting of the American Chemical Society Aug. 20-24 in Washington, D.C.

The design of this integrated lab experiment involves a student driven and open-ended learning experience, says Brewer. "The undergraduate students are introduced to specific molecules and explore their characteristics on the computer. Later they make the actual compounds in the laboratory and compare properties with the computer predictions. This is facilitated by web based hyperlinked tutorials."

Brewer, Bullock, and Jordan will introduce these new types of experiments in their poster, "New designs for integrated molecular modeling, synthesis and characterization experiments for the undergraduate inorganic chemistry laboratory (CHED 61)," at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20 in the Convention Center Exhibit Hall D. It was also selected as a Sci-Mix poster, and will be available again Monday at 8 p.m. at the same location.

Bullock will also report methods used to evaluate the student response to the project, the results of the evaluations, and the changes made as a result.

"Students like the project overall," she says. "The students felt exposure to modeling was important and enjoyed learning about molecular modeling. They also liked the software (CAChe from Oxford Molecular)," Bullock reports. "The visual, interactive nature of current molecular modeling methods is appealing to a large number of today's students.

"Our student directed approach to this experimental design requires active participation in experimental design. This makes evalution of our approach using student interviews and evaluations natural."

Many changes have been made based on student evaluations. Following the first year of implementation student interviews lead to the design of additional www based tutorials on instrumental techniques and the correlation of calculation results with physical data.

"Incorporating students' suggestions and comments has really improved the quality of the education they are getting in the lab," Bullock says.

The poster, "Evaluation of an integrated molecular modeling, synthesis, and characterization experiment for the undergraduate inorganic chemistry laboratory (CHED 62)," by Brewer and Bullock, will also be presented Sunday evening in the Convention Center Exhibit Hall D. The research is sponsored by the NSF Department of Undergraduate Education.

###

PR Contact: Susan Trulove
540-231-5646 strulove@vt.edu


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.