Four faculty of the Willamette University Chemistry Department have created a core first semester course that stresses the concepts central to modern chemistry. They will develop a case-study approach for the second semester that examines in detail the material from the first semester by using specific phenomena to illustrate chemical principles. The case-studies will be selected on the basis of student interest and societal relevance. Students in the present Introductory Chemistry course and in the new, innovative one will be surveyed to assess the effectiveness of the new approach. Although this case-study approach will be tailored to meet the needs of students in the Chemistry Program at Willamette University, it can easily be adapted for effective use in introductory chemistry courses elsewhere.
