Marlana Blackburn DUE 9455394 College of St Catherine FY1995 $ 60,012 Saint Paul, MN 551051750 Course and Curriculum Chemistry Title: Improving Student Instrumentation Skills With Pre- and Post- lab Computer Simulations Proper use of instruments is integral to the physical and life sciences, yet many students never become confident or even comfortable operators because of limits on laboratory time and instrument availability. To introduce principles and procedures before laboratory exercises and to reinforce key experimental ideas after laboratories, a series of interactive computer simulations of laboratory devices and accompanying text materials will be developed. These simulations allow students to explore instrument concepts at their own pace, alone or in groups. Using an icon-based simulation engine/environment which embodies a block diagram approach, realistic and sophisticated simulations (with on-line help, text and graphical output, and animation) can be created much more rapidly than those written in higher-level languages and can be easily tailored to specific courses and audiences. The exercises promote logical thinking, active learning, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.
