Contemporary Chemistry is an excellent and extremely extensive resource for teaching chemistry at a variety of levels. I...
Contemporary Chemistry is an excellent and extremely extensive resource for teaching chemistry at a variety of levels. I recommend it most highly. These on-line materials compose a set of comprehensive modules revolving around chemistry topics important to society. The package in its entirety is most appropriate for liberal arts college chemistry courses (for nonscience majors) as well as courses taught in high school. They are also very useful as supplements to higher level courses such as general chemistry, descriptive inorganic, and environmental chemistries. The materials are very comprehensive. Topics include those of general interest, such as the formation of the chemical elements in stars, as well as all important environmental issues and the role of chemistry in energy production.The organization of the materials involves a central (and extensive) set of interactive material, sectioned into chapters, sections and subsections. Each subsection includes a set of web links for each topic, a review of the underlying principles for that topic, a concept summary, and a glossary that can be chapter-specific or complete. Navigation through the material is clear, affording an intended (and necessary) route through the material as well as the ability to move about at will. This allows students to make the best use of the order of topics while being introduced to the material, yet allowing them to quickly find specific topics when reviewing.The authors have done a wonderful job incorporating true interactivity and self-assessment. Throughout each section, animations are used to illustrate points. These are generally interactive, requiring students to manipulate variables and observing the results. Moreover, these interactive simulations are associated with a set of guiding questions that lead the student through their exploration of the concepts being illustrated. Both the interactive and question portions are of high quality. The design of the animations is well thought through in that they clearly illustrate concepts while avoiding distracting glitz. As an example, the start of the chapter on the ozone layer begins with an animation illustrating how radiation of different wavelengths is differently affected when passing through the ozone layer. At most points along the way, students have available a quiz that allow students to test their knowledge on each topic. The quizzes work by having the student answer each question and then review the correct answers. These quizzes are well done and give the student a fair view of their understanding. Bill ViningSUNY College at Oneontaviningwj@oneonta.edu