Introduction to Stoichiometry

Abstract: Our on-line Chemistry course covers stoichiometry and demonstrates our scenario based approach to teaching chemistry. Traditional courses tend to follow a bottom-up approach to learning chemistry. This traditional approach teaches abstract concepts and tools before discussing their practical application, which results in students learning bits of unconnected knowledge that are rarely usable let alone memorable. In our approach, scenarios are used both to motivate the material and provide a framework in which students can organize their knowledge. In our current OLI chemistry course, stoichiometry is situated in the real world problem of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh's water supply. This learning experience is constructed from the following types of components: Scaffolded homework activities provide students with hints and feedback on an as-needed basis, and fade this help appropriately such that students remain challenged but not floundering. Structured dialogues help students analyze a complex problem, identify an appropriate approach, and build on that approach for a broader understanding of chemistry. Virtual labs couple the mathematics of the course with authentic chemistry experiments, helping students see how their calculations relate to chemistry practice. The Virtual Laboratory is a simulation-based learning environment for aqueous chemistry. It allows students to select from hundreds of standard reagents and manipulate them in a manner that resembles that of a real lab.

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