1.  ChemCases are pedagogical concept maps available for internet/web browser dissemination.
2.  Each concept receives separate treatment in its own case capsule.
3.  As you proceed through the case in class or as an assignment, the concepts show increased cognitive demand.
4. The symbolism linking microscopic and macroscopic concepts is emphasized.
5.   Each ChemCase ends with an evaluative group asignment.
6.  Students use web links, email, and streaming audio/video in early stages of case, then are required to enter whiteboard/chat functions during evaluative phase.

Classroom Experience:
at Kennesaw State University
1. Dr. Matt Hermes

• We used a web-based ChemCases curriculum supplements at Kennesaw State University in the spring of 1999 for a second semester general chemistry we called ChemCourses.com. 
• We covered chemistry broadly, including organic, nuclear and descriptive chemistry of the groups.
• We emphasized five cases in classroom discussion. 
• We found the time by eliminating quantitative problem solving review in the classroom.
• Without preparation the students achieved the same average score (23/50) on the standard quantitative ACS exam as students taking standard course at Kennesaw State.
• Students scored 33/60 on ASC conceptual exam.  This nationl mean score is 33/60.

• 67% of students rated the course as "excellent", 33% rated the course as "very good", and 0% considered it "good, fair, or poor".

• Student comments included:

  • "Innovative, more applicable to most general chem students.".

    " ... real-life applications to help you realize the importance of the chemical principles we are learning."

    " The case studies brought insight into the world around me.  I will no longer look at the properties of my surroundings the same."

    "Real-life examples ... more attentive and interested."

    "I really 'got it'. The concepts made me do well in the standard exam. I am going to continue my science major rather than changing it as I had planned."

    "Concept maps and real-life situations led to better understanding of the information."

  Instructor comments included:

  • "Many of the students did 'get it'. They left with the ability to apply and analyze much of the material.  The cases worked well to focus on solution properties, kinetics, intermolecular forces, organic, nuclear and electrochemistry.  The cases as prepared so far were of limited use in equilibrium and acid-base and thermodynamics learning."

    "The most surprising finding for the instructor was that the individual case capsules -- the individual single page discussions within the cases -- provide a ready reference resource for instruction. These capsules function as illustrative examples throughout the instruction.

2. Dr. Robert Morris/Spring 2000

Prof. Robert Morris introduced the Gatorade module in his class of 94 General Chemistry students. He reports the thematic nature of the unit was helpful but that use of the single unit was insufficient to test ChemCases.com. He surveyed his students, asking them if the Gatorade unit was useful to them. They split exactly evenly; 47 students answering yes, 47 answering no.

3. Dr. Robert Nelson/Dr. Brian Koehler/ Ga. Southern University, Spring 2000

Prof. Jim LoBue organized introduction of the Gatorade case into two General Chemistry classes at Ga. Southern University.

Prof. LoBue writes, "I wish I that I could describe our experience with the Gatorade Chem Case as an unqualified success, but I can't. I think the best I can say is that theChemCase does not get in the way of learning; students do no worse. I think though that the implementation of the Chem Cases was not ideal. The learning style promoted by the Chem Case philosophy is so different from the learning style otherwise employed in these classes that we cannot get a truly good measure of Chem cases as an effective alternateive unless it is used exclusively in a given course. In this way students would get used to a given style that would be consistently used throughout the semester."

Both Prof. Nelson and Koehler liked the ChemCases.com concept; Prof Koehler suggests a more rigorous apporach to the quantitative aspects in the work.

Standard ACS and Conceptual Exam rsults in the Koehler and Nelson classes at Ga. Southern along with a control class taught by Prof. Nelson are:

These results indicate no impact of the single case on measured student performance.

Please note the conceptual score of the students at Kennesaw State who had five ChemCases.com units introduced (33/60) appears to be significantly higher.

Chemcases in the Classroom