Scenes and Labs Supporting Online Chemistry

Abstract

Nature of introductory chemistry This project is creating and disseminating online activities for introductory level chemistry that are designed to support and integrate into traditional college chemistry courses. Such courses typically consist of a large lecture, regular homework (graded or ungraded), and weekly or biweekly hands-on laboratories. Our activities complement the current paper-andpencil homework by allowing students to engage in authentic [Chinn & Malhotra. 2002] chemistry activities, with the educational goals of increasing the cognitive flexibility with which new information is held, and supporting transfer of new information into a variety of distinct situations. These goals are met through simulations such as our virtual laboratory