Instructors' Resources

Powerpoint, Worksheets, Writing Assignment, Case Study, Debate, Data Handling, Experiments, Research, Evaluation tools, Movie/Simulation

Comments:

  • Assumed student background knowledge includes the following topics: atoms, molecules, ions, physical properties, stoichiometry, enthalpy
  • The following collection of materials serve a very wide range of pedagogies and learning styles. They are intended to provide at least one useful resource suitable for any teaching style from traditional lecture to new teaching modalities. The materials stand alone in most cases and most are suitable for High School chemistry and/or adaptable for student science fair and research projects. A significant number have their roots in the National Science Foundation's DUE (Division of Undergraduate Education) effort to systemically improve the way that undergraduate chemistry is taught.
  • You may freely adopt, adapt, or expand upon any of the materials that are hosted on this server. If you wish to publish your materials on this site for free sharing with other interested educators please e-mail: rrusay@dvc.edu to make arrangements. Attributions will be carefully provided.

Powerpoint Presentations (Downloads)
Energy
Nuclear Chemistry
Aqueous Reactions
Solutions- Calculations
Worksheets: Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL)
         http://www.pltl.org
The PLTL Workshop model engages teams of six to eight students in learning sciences, mathematics and other undergraduate disciplines guided by a peer
leader. The PLTL Workshop Model provides an active learning experience for students, creates a leadership role for undergraduates, and engages faculty in
a creative new dimension of instruction. Peer-led groups meet weekly to work on carefully structured problems that provides a supportive environment which helps each student build an understanding of course content. 

Adaptations of a selection of those carefully structured problems have been developed into the following worksheets for Crystals for the Classroom. They can be used in a more traditional fashion, if the instructor so chooses. They are available in pdf format.  ( Requires free Abobe Acrobat Reader )

Ions in Solutions
Solutions
Solids / Crystals and Solutions

A publication: Peer-Led Team Learning: GENERAL CHEMISTRY, David K. Gosser / Victor S. Strozak / Mark S. Cracolice (2001) ISBN: 0-13-028806-3 is available from Prentice Hall. It contains worksheets and PLTL guidance for the complete General Chemistry curriculum.

Case Studies

Chem Cases: 
http://www.chemcases.com/overview/use.htm

Chem Cases are pedagogical concept maps. The process of case analysis requires progressive building of cognitive skills from the student. There is an emphasis on linking microscopic and macroscopic concepts. Chem Cases have a culminating evaluative group  assignment. Students resources include web links, e-mail, and streaming audio/video for use in the early stages of the case; they then enter whiteboard/chat functions during the evaluative phase.

Nuclear Chemistry and the Community:
http://www.chemcases.com/nuclear/index.htm
Five Case Studies: 235U Production, 239Pu Production, Atomic Bombs, Nuclear Proliferation, Nuclear Waste. Group based, guided inquiries into key social and scientific issues relating to nuclear energy.
http://www.chemcases.com/nuclear/nccases.htm

Debate (moderated / guided): 

Time allotment, 30 minutes for administrative instructions & group assignments, 2 hours information gathering (searching, evaluating and selecting from the resources found in this site and the background information from the case studies), 30 minutes to share information with main group, 1 hour for preparing presentation, 1.5 hours for presentations/discussion, 30 minutes for closure.

Proposition:
" Nuclear Energy should be pursued as the principal energy resource to replace fossil fuels by the end of this century."

1) Jigsaw to gather information, both pro and con:

Class divided into groups of four, each student is also assigned a subgroup.

Subgroups gather information in assigned areas:

a) Environmental Issues
b) Safety Issues
c) Technology / Scientific Feasibility Issues
d) Relative Cost vs. Possible Alternatives

2) Processing information and preparing arguments for presentation (Main Group):

Students return to their parent group and brief the group on their assigned area. After briefings, groups are arbitrarily assigned a pro or con argument (50% of the class pro and 50% con) to present to the class. Main groups then refine their information, prepare their arguments and their 20 minute (maximum) presentation..

3) Presentations/ Discussion/ Closure

A random selection of one group pro and one group con is made for the 20 minute presentations of arguments followed by a roundtable of additional arguments from each of the remaining groups. They are called upon by the instructor so that everyone is expected to participate and contribute. A class personal opinion survey (pro or con) is taken and the results shared as closure.

Writing Assignments 

Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)ô
http://cpr.molsci.ucla.edu/

CPR is a Web-based program that provides students with an innovative new perspective of their own writing versus their peers. It adds a new dimension to student awareness and self-appraisal and does not increase the instructor's workload.

Assignments which topically relate to Crystals for the Classroom are: 

  1. What is nuclear fission? 
  2. Interpreting Single Substance Phase Diagrams 
  3. Preparation of Dilute Solutions
  4. Identifying Solutions
Experiments / Procedures / Questions / Practicals

Copper sulfate pentahydrate
Lithium chloride

Outside resources / experiments:

Crystal growth:
http://www.cheminst.ca/ncw/crystal/xl.html
http://www.chemistry.co.nz/crystals_shapes.htm
http://www.science-park.info/projects/crystal3.html
 
Polarization 
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/iconpolarization.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/rotating_light.html

Simple Inorganic Crystals (Practical)
http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/course/inorganicsolids/


Data handling:

LiCl, CuSO4 and KDP

  • Solving problems graphically
  • Generating graphs from data
  • Interpreting information in graphs

Interpreting and working with research data
  • An example of a well-written student report report analyzing actual raw LLNL research data regarding organic dye incorporation into KDP crystals, which answers the fundamental question:

  • Students analyze actual LLNL data and write a report similar to the Dye Report that provides answers to one or more of the fundamental questions relating to crystal growth.

    • What are the effective ranges for optimum KDP crystal growth: temperature; KDP supersaturation levels; Al3+ impurity concentration; hydrodynamics?
    • Answering some basic questions related to what are the limits of rapid growth.

Evaluation Guides & Tools

Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) On-line Survey
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/salgains/instructor/

A free site that is designed for instructors of all disciplines who would like feedback from their students about how course elements are helping their students to learn. It is offered as a service to the college-level teaching community. Once registered, you can do the following quickly and easily:
  1. Modify the SALG instrument so that it fits your own course design. 
  2. Enable your students to complete the evaluation on-line. 
  3. Review and download a statistical analysis of the students' responses.
National Institute of Science Education (NISE) Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG) : http://www.flaguide.org/

The FLAG offers broadly applicable, self-contained modular classroom assessment techniques (CATs) and discipline-specific tools for instructors interested in new approaches to evaluating student learning, attitudes and performance. Each has been developed, tested and refined in college classrooms. The FLAG also contains an assessment primer, a section to help you select the most appropriate assessment technique(s) for your course goals, and other resources. 

[If any of the Crystals for the Classroom module's materials are evaluated please forward the results and any comments to: rrusay@dvc.edu ,Thank you.]

Movie (KDP Time Lapsed) /Virtual Crystals/ Simulation (Work in progress)

KDP Time Lapse Movie
Copper sulfate pentahydrate
Lithium chloride