Monday, September 06, 2004

Virtual ChemLab

Dr. Brian Woodfield at BYU has created a program called Virtual ChemLab. Students across campus (including me) use it in college chemistry courses to model laboratory experiments. It is also used in high school chemistry classes around the country. It is a great way for students to simulate laboratory experience without using dangerous or expensive chemicals, and without taking hours to actually do the experiment in the lab. Teachers can prepare unknowns for students to analyze. The program simulates actual lab procedures and conditions. If students do a reaction that would create an explosion in a real lab, they witness an explosion in the virtual lab. Virtual ChemLab cannot take the place of actual bench chemistry, but it increases opportunites for student learning.

Dr. Woodfield is giving a lecture about the Virtual ChemLab project on Monday, September 13th, at 4:00 pm in W140 of the Benson Building.

No comments: