Teaching Resources (Instructor)

Instructor Resources

Experiments | Research Project | Evaluation Tools | Simulations

Comments:

Assumed student background knowledge includes the following topics: atoms, molecules, ions, physical properties, stoichiometry, enthalpy

If you adopt, adapt, or expand upon any of the materials that are hosted directly on this server and wish to publish them on this site for license free sharing with other interested educators please e-mail: rrusay@dvc.edu to make arrangements.

Powerpoint Presentations:

Energy

Nuclear Chemistry

Aqueous Reactions

Solutions / Calculations

Worksheets: Per-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.

Ions in Solutions

Solutions

Solids / Crystals in 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.

Proposistion:

Energy and the Future: 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:

I)	Environmental Issues
II)	Safety Issues
III)	Technolgy / Scientific Feasability Issues
IV)	Relative Costs 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 Assigment

Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)™

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.

The assignment specifically designed for Crystals for the Classroom is:

Experiments

Polarization Experiment: Pockels Cell

http://crystals.llnl.gov/LabPhotos/index.html

Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Titrations

Crystal Growth

Interactive Database (Work in progress)

Solving a problem graphically

Generating a graph from data

Interpreting information from graphs

Research Project & Reports (Work in progress)

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.

Virtual Crystals/NIF: Simulation (Planned)

Principal Investigator / Project Director / Principal Author:

Dr. Ron Rusay
Chemistry Professor, Diablo Valley College
Science Education Fellow, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Email:	rrusay@dvc.edu
	rrusay@llnl.gov

[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.]