interest the students, and will be developed in an interdis- cidinarv manner. Core conceuts from the essential chem- istry ~tdol kit" will be includLd in each module and a n in- structor could select a varietv of modules in order to cover the same core concepts. This is more than a repacking of chemistry, i t is the beginning of ongoing systemic change that allows for all faculty, innovative or traditional, to use new auproaches and contexts in their classrooms. Aconsor- . . tium ofschools, predominantly firm Celilitrnin the Univer- sit\, ofCalifornia, the C'alilbrnia State Uni\.ersit\: the two- . . ye& Colleges, private institutions-as well a s three institutions from Atlanta, Georgia will serve as the work- ingpartners to establish the design and testing of the mod- ules.

Molecular Science Orville L. Chapman University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90024

Economic change and new technolow are driving educa- tional reform. he transition from theyndustrial ~ g e to the Information Age is causingpreat change in the institutions of our society, and the un&sities and colleges are not ex- empt. New technology--powerful computers, sophisticated client-server systems, high-resolution graphics for visual- ization, multi-media, virtual reality, and broad-band fiber- optic cable are transforming our economy and our society; they will alter forever what we mean by "education." An Alliance of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), and twenty-four community colleges in the meater Los An- geles area-has worked together f& many Ga r s in improv- ing chemistry instruction. The Alliance now requests funds to plan H proposal that will reorganize content'into a new molecular science curriculum and make maximum use of new educational technology. In preparing this pro- posal our attention is focused on informing our faculties, gaining hroad lkculty support, and arhieving consensus for action. To achieve these goals, we propose four plannlng mant activities. First. we wil l host a seminar that features - distinguished speakers in economics, technology, curricu- lum reform. science ~hilosouhv. science education. comi- ". . - tive science,' and edu~ationafinnovation. Second, Professor Orville Chapman of UCLA will present a one-quarter sem- inar course that defines the issues, presents the proposal, and facilitates debate and discussion. Third, members of the planning group will travel to sites of technological in- novation. Finally, we will have a two-day faculty retreat a t Lake ~r rowhead to fine tune the new c;rriculuk and plan for action.

The Greater Chicago Consortium for Chemistry Reform Donald J. Wink University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago. IL 60680

The faculty in the department of chemistry at Chicago State University (CSU), William Rainey Harper College (HC) and the University of Illinois a t Chicago (UIC) will join in a consortium to create, share, and evaluate curricu- lum changes in chemistry and related areas. Their efforts build upon networks already established for the purposes of curriculum reform. This new Consortium will create ver- satile, multi-faceted, and well-tested options for im- plementation at peer institutions. Each institution is re- sponsible for the independent generation of one or more comprehensive curricula that will be implemented on their campus andlater on the camuus of one of the other Consor- tia members. CSU faculty wiil initially focus on a two-year combined physical sciences and mathematics program. HC

faculty will initially focus on a two-year combined physical sciences and mathematics program. HC faculty will ad- dress both the general and organic sequences and non- major courses. UIC faculty will work on projects related to introductory chemistry, chemistry for engineers, and upper division courses. The personnel will also collaborate from the inception of the program on two inter-campus projects, The Data Project and The Chemistry Hook, de- signed to create a general set of materials to introduce re- search and life-related examples into chemistry courses. An annual symposium on science education issues will also be sponsored by the Consortium.

Reconstructing the Model: Rethinking Undergraduate Chemistry Mary B. Nakhleh Purdue University West Lafayefte, IN 47907

The faculty in the Department of Chemistry propose to assemble a model of change in both the undermaduate chemistry curriculum and-instructional strateges. The faculty also propose to fully evaluate the learning that oc- curs as a resultof these changes. The model en&ons an outwardly spiralling approach to innovative changes in the full undergraduate chemistry program. The model starts with a pilot program of innovative changes in the two-se- mester introductory course for chemistry majors (60-70 students per semester), spirals out to changes in the intro- ductorv sequences for scienceleneineerine maiors and az- - - " ricult&e&alth majors (3900 students per semester), a i d finally spirals out to the upper division chemistry courses (2500 students per semester), including the courses which train chemistry teaching majors. The model creates a the- matic approach to the curriculum so that students will un- derstand how the maior themes of chemistry interrelate and how major conce& in chemistry, such-as acid and bases, relate to major themes, such as equilibrium. In order to emphasize these themes and concepts the model prunes the curriculum and selects topics which are funda- mental to a sound understanding of the discipline. The model also weaves the real world of chemistry into the courses by appropriate examples and introduces organic and biochemistry in appropriate topics, such as equilib- rium, thermodynamics, and complex ion chemistry. In terms of instructional strategies, the model seeks to imple- ment cooperative learning. conceptual chance teachine. a -. ba1an~ed'~resentation of i;he mac~oscopic a& microscopic worlds of chemistry, and a balanced development of con- ceptual understanding and skill in problem solving and using algorithms in the real world environment of large - - lecture sections and multiple laboratory sections at t6e university level.

Searching for Exciting States: Curricular Reform in Chemistry at M S U Stanley R. Crouch Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824

Curricular changes are proposed that will introduce chemical principles in the context of relevant issues (the environment, health care, utilization of energy, etc.). In- stead of teaching chemical conceots in the conventional fashion (of micro~copic-to- macroscopic), our approach will begin by identifying the concepts associated with some chemical system; thereafter, the system will be studied from the top down, presenting and explaining chemical de- tails on a "need-to-know" basis. These approaches will re- quire using techniques that significantly enhance the amount of active learning that will take place in class-

44 Journal of Chemical Education

rwms and laboratories, with a concomitant emphasis on learning by doing rather than by listening. There will be extensive computer utilization for allowing interactive in- dependent study and self-testing, and for nomenclature, cbkmical bonding, etc. Appropriate uses of information technolo~ies will reduce dramatically the amount of time needed f i r convcntlonal rlassroom l&turinR, and provide, instead, time for identifying and understanding the unity, coherence, and relevance of various chemicd concepts. Laboratory settings will stress group-learning and team- oriented exneriments so that students mav coooerate in - . solving laboratory problems without merely following a cookbook. and in some cases. without the wsts of ~roviding each student with a full set of laboratory tools. h plan a broad revision of the curriculum, two types of workshops will be held. Faculty from small colleges, where innovative educational modes have already been introduced, will be invited to the first workshop to present ideas and discuss ways to implement such changes in the environment of a large university. A second workshop will invite partici- pants form various Michigan State University depart- ments that require chemistry courses as part of their cur- riculum. This workshop will focus on planning actual course outlines to better serve the needs of the clients, while maintaining the elements of the proposed curricular revisions.

Revitalizing Scientific Inquiry In The Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum David W Craig Hobart and William Smith Colleges $50,000 Geneva, NY 14456

The structure of the undergraduate chemistry curricu- lum is determined by the American Chemical Society Com- mittee on Professional Training (CPT). While the curricu- lar standards established by the CPT have succeeded in

sion of a new teaching model, Workshop Chemistry, piloted at the College with NSF support. The model emphasizes collaborative learning and creates more active roles for students in the teaching and learning processes, moving away from the passive learning of the lecture mode. The preliminary design of course modules that will form the basis of the Workshop Chemistry curriculum is a key as- pect of the planning process. The modules can include any combination of laboratory, computer and problem solving work. The project directors will work with faculty collabo- rators from the senior and communitv college levels to translate their ideas into module out1in"es. ~hLoutcome of the ~ l ann ing phase will be a detailed olan for s~ecification of the course modules and how they 211 be integrated into the curriculum. The planning process as well as the final project will involve as partners faculty in other science dis- ciplines, engineering, health sciences, architecture and ed- ucation, as well as individuals from industry; this will fa- cil i tate t he design of a curriculum which promotes students' ability to apply chemistry concepts to other fields.

Communicating Chemistry. A Planning Proposal for Changing the Chemistry Curriculum. - . Leonard W. Fine Columbiauniversity New York, NY 10027

A master plan will be developed for making sweeping changes in what we teach in chemistry and how we teach it, in light of revolutionary ways for improved learning that will be widely available before the end of this decade. At the heart of the svstemic chanees orooosed is a broad-

- A .

ening of the curriculum across traditional academic and ~rofessional boundaries to better reflect the needs of a Dro- ductive lifetime in society for students of different back- mounds. abilities and interests. At the same time. bv con-

defining and regularizing iducational standards for the ceiving ; new curriculum plan from the top down, i t \;ill be training of professional chemists, chamzing student popu- possible to produce one that is inclusive. not exclusive. al- 1ationsLave created pressures onthis &rricular structure. This curriculum planning project is designed to enhance the cducatlonal cxperlm~e~of both majors and non-mnijor;t by modelmg the i~ducatlonal process more closely in paral- lel to the wav in which scientific discoverv occurs. Curricu- lar structur& and support materials w k be designed to emuhasize Droblem solvine. interdisci~linarv a ~ ~ l i c a t i o n s -. " .. of chemistry, and increased ease of access to chemical in- formation. This eoal will be accom~lished through the ef- - forts of five curriculum initiatives. Four-person teams se- lected from primarilv undergraduate colleges will participate inihese iruhatwes. They are ~ o d u l a r Course Desim Initiative: Laboratow Innovation Initiative; Inter-

iowing those who complete the major tb share ideas i nd develop points of view and attitudes that have a wmmon origin with those students who drop away earlier into al- ternate careers. For those who do drop away, the curricu- lum plan provides a realistic sense of what is exciting and important in chemistry and how it fits into their lives. Pro- posed curriculum changes depend on delivery systems that take advantage of the technological transformation that is presently altering learning through electronic communica- tion and visualization of information. This planning pro- oosal will have a sienificant i m ~ a c t i n brineine about change in the entireehemistry curriculum a r ~ i l u m b i a and it will be transferable to chemistrv denartments in - .

medGte and Advanred ~nterdisci~linar? Courie Initiative; other institutions. Other institutions working on this p q - Visuillizatlon and Database Access Initiative: and Assess- ect are IIT. MIT, Stevens Instituw, Northwcstcrn. Wiscon- ment Tools Initiative. The Collaborating institutions are sin, ~ o r t h c a r o ~ u a . Allentown College, Buffalo State College, Finger Lakes Community College, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Enhancing Interdisciplinary Interactions Through a James Madison University, Millersville University, Penn- Modular Science Curricula sylvania State University, River College, Rochester Insti- Gilbert~. Pacey tute of Technology, University of Pittsburgh, York College Miami University $49,997 of Pennsylvania. Oxford, OH 45056

A Workshop Chemistry Curriculum David K. Gosser CUNY City College New York, NY 10031

Through the development of a modular approach to chemistry and relate sciences, we propose to address the

$49,995 following issues. Students: student pool is bifurcated into well-prepared and ill-prepared "at-risk" students; stu- dents with interdisci~linarv interests must decide amone -

City College requests support for a planning process traditional majors; siienceiiteracy among the nonscience leadine to the redesien and modernization of the under- students is extremelv low: student learning is more visual. graduate chemistry Grriculum a t City College and part- making the lecture firmat less effective. ~~s t ruc t i on : rapid ner community colleges. The planning will focus on exten- expansion of science has over-extended curricular content

Volume 71 Number 1 January 1994 45