Highlights
The ChemConnections Approach
Decades of research show that students learn best when they can build on past experience, relate what they are learning to things that are relevant to them, participate in "hands-on" experiences, construct their own knowledge in collaboration with other students and faculty, and communicate their results effectively to others.
With ChemConnections modules, students build connections to material from other science courses, learn about chemical concepts in relevant (social, technological, and scientific) contexts, discover chemistry for themselves in guided, collaborative lab settings, put their knowledge to work in policy simulations and Web research, and communicate through writing assignments. For instance, in "Would You Like Fries with That?: The Fuss about Fats in Our Diet," students learn about organic structure by investigating the properties of fats and oils within the context of eating habits, an issue gaining increasing national attention. To close the module, students investigate the various fat substitutes available today, justifying their properties from a chemical perspective and debating their place in the American diet.
A Flexible Teaching Tool
ChemConnections modules are flexible enough to accommodate a variety of teaching styles and learning environments and are adaptable for use with majors and nonmajors. An instructor can build an entire course around a series of modules, or she can use one or two modules to add a relevant topic to her existing curriculum. Each module takes two to four weeks to complete and can be readily adapted for use in a variety of courses for non-science students, science and technology majors, and potential chemistry majors. The Series Guide to Teaching with Modules and a detailed Instructor’s Manual, which accompanies each individual module, help instructors make these decisions.
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