Significant changes are being made in order to improve and modernize the general chemistry course. The most important is the conversion to a laboratory-centered, inquiry-based approach, in which important concepts are being "discovered" by the students in the laboratory before they are discussed in lecture. As a result, students are becoming much more involved in the course, and the relation between experimental results and theory is more apparent. In addition, a new "computers in chemistry" component is being introduced to supplement the lectures and laboratories. The course is being enhanced further by integrating the computers into the laboratory, utilizing computer-interfaced equipment. The use of computers in the laboratory is introducing students to modern methods of data acquisition and analysis while improving the discovery process in a variety of ways, including the following: 1. Experimental data is being gathered more quickly and accurately, and then being pooled and stored for subsequent analysis. 2. Laboratory procedures are being monitored while in progress, and then modified or repeated as needed. 3. Graphing and interpretation of data is being greatly facili- tated, enabling the students to more readily see the patterns and relationships that are so critical to the discovery-based method.
