Changing College and High School Chemistry Curriculum to a Discovery Mode is designed to impact college and K-12 education by revising teaching methods, bringing modern laboratory methods, advanced Chemical concepts, discovery based instruction, and community service learning (CSL) projects to freshman and sophomore science and non-science students at Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) and chemistry students at Flathead High School (FHS) in rural northwest Montana. In 1994 we purchased microscale laboratory equipment and added CSL to the curriculum. The next phase introduces Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), the requested equipment. FTIR expands our courses qualitatively and quantitatively, supporting the small sample sizes obtained with microscale techniques and instrumentation based quantitative analysis. It allows kinetics studies, provides high throughput for large classes, and more effectively interests our students in science and in teaching science, exposing them to current research and analysis methods used in the workplace. Use of modern instrumentation to develop and enforce concepts and theories integrates lecture and laboratory components and adds discovery based instruction. The spectral analysis software to be installed at both schools supports undergraduate research projects and joint discovery projects/tutoring and mentioning projects with FHS. The student synthetic project using FTIR, is added in organic courses. Non science students in chemistry and environmental science courses learn the role of instrumentation in the process of scientific discovery. A Criminalistics course will be added to support FVCC's Criminal Justice program and local law enforcement officers, utilizing FTIR to analyze drugs paint chips and explosives. Project results will be disseminated to college and high school chemistry and CSL educators locally and nationally via publications, presentations, and electronic delivery The project will be evaluated by student reflection, academic s uccess, and enrollments.
