Southeast Community College (SCC) in Lincoln, Nebraska, in partnership with the University of Nebraska, the DuPont Company, 36 community colleges across the country, 7 industry representatives, and an advisory board, is continuing to spearhead efforts to reform the curriculum and materials for community college chemical technology educational programs in the United States. This project, entitled "Assignment: Chemical Technology II", or ACT-II, is continuing the work of the current NSF-supported project (DUE 9553674) awarded to SCC in 1995 ("Assignment: Chemical Technology - I, or ACT-I), in which the curriculum and student materials for the first-year chemistry course in these technology programs is targeted. The ACT-II project targets four major areas: 1) the laboratory program for the first-year chemistry course, 2) the analytical chemistry and organic/biochemistry courses, including laboratories, found in the second year of these programs, 3) multimedia materials to include world wide web supplements and CD-ROM materials, to complete the work already begun for the first-year course and to also address the second-year courses, 4) a distance learning component to assist in the training of incumbent chemistry technician in these topics. The curriculum and materials developed is being guided in part by the Voluntary Industry Skill Standards for the chemical process and bioscience industries, Good Laboratory and Management Practices (GLP and GMP), and safety and occupational health issues.
