Many community college students have weak backgrounds in the sciences and therefore have a difficult time grasping abstract concepts in chemistry. The purpose of this project is to make chemistry less intimidating and more approachable by introducing a medium into the Laboratory that student are familiar with - computers. The hands-on experience of laboratories has traditionally been an invaluable aid in clarifying concepts presented in class. This project will enhance this important aspect of chemistry by allowing experimental data be recorded directly to a computer hard drive via a computer interface to the laboratory instrument. The analysis and subsequent graphing can thus be accomplished quickly by the computer so that students can observe graphically the results of their experiments. Computer simulations further enhance the hands-on experience by allowing student to change the initial reaction conditions and quickly observe the effect of these changes as displayed graphically. This combination of real and virtual laboratories accommodates different learning styles and increases the students' understanding of chemical concepts. This in turn stimulates their imaginations and entices further exploration of chemistry. The project impacts nearly 1,800 students during the two year period of the grant. Improved understanding of chemical concepts should lead to increased student retention and success rates. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a science literate students who can understand the world around them. The results of this project will be disseminated through the electronic media such as LabNet as well as through professional meetings and articles in the literature. *
