General information and resources

Conducting Distance Education Effectively (informEd, Australia) A summary of DEd including its benefits and disadvantages, how to conduct correspondence courses, instructional strategies and delivery systems, ommon mistakes and solutions.

Distance Education Clearinghouse website at the University of Wisconsin offers articles, bibliographies, conferences, distance education web links and many additional resources.

Distance-educator.com - This commercial site offers current news and lists of useful links.

BrainTrack's list of online colleges

North American Council for On-line Learning - a non-profit organization promoting expertise in K-12 on-line teaching and learning.

Center for Distributed Learning - California State University

{"Student performance in an online general chemistry course"} - this paper by Ruby Casanova was discussed in a 2001 OCCE.

> {Eight Ways to Get Students More Engaged in Online Conferences} (an article in the Adobe T.H.E. journal by W.R. Klemm of Texas A&M) (Link is to archived version of this 2003 article)

{Electronic Textbooks: A Pilot Study of Student E-Reading Habits} - an article by Eric J. Simon of Fordham College. (Link is to last archived update, 10/2006.)

Models of distance education - a brief summary of the various means of organizing and supporting distance education.

Robert Lyall of Monash University has published several articles on chemistry distance learning: "Learning tool of potplant stand?" (CAL)

{Web Teaching} - this site, hosted by Dartmouth College, is a well-organized collection of articles, case studies, links and resources for designers of Web-based instruction. (Link is to last 2008 archived version of this article)

 

Chemistry distance education courses

Sophia College chemistry courses for college credit

Educator.com offers a variety of college-level lectures in a variety of Chemistry fields: $

Online Chemistry degree offered by Western Governors University - WGU, an accredited online university, is offering a B.A. program in Science Education with a specialization in Chemistry. It is intended to prepare students for licensure as high school teachers. The laboratory component of the program is provided by a self-contained kit for use at home. A detailed program guide is available (PDF file).

CMU on-line Chemistry course - as part of an "Open Learning Initiative", Carnegie Mellon University offers what appears to be a demonstration course on chemical stoichiometry that illustrates several innovative approaches, including a simulation-based Virtual Laboratory. The "open and free" version is available to anyone; an Academic Version is also available that can be used in connection with existing courses.

Saylor Foundation free Chemistry courses - This non-profit organization serves as a zero-cost alternative to those who lack the resources to attend traditional brick-and-mortar institutions and a complement to willing mainstream education providers. The "content" consists of Web pages from other institutions of varying quality, organized by the Foundation into conveniently-accessible "courses" in the main areas of undergraduate chemistry.

Online Chemistry & Lab Courses - Oregon State U. now offers "Ecourses" in General-, Organic-, and Inorganic Chemistry.

ChemistryLand - An ambitious and innovative collection of visually-rich materials for distance education offered through Phoenix College and Sapling Learning. See also Ken Costello's PowerPoint presentation on this topic.

Chemistry: a full course - A set of 303 college-level video lessons which can be watched online or downloaded. The series, published by Thinkwell, costs $198.

Introduction to chemistry - A set of 145 video lessons at the high-school/AP level. Done by J. Bergmann and A. Sams, award-winning teachers whose informality and humor shold capture the attention of even the most recalcitrant students. The lessons are organized into nine series which are priced mostly in the $1 - $10 range. Individual lessons are mostly $2 and can be previewed for free.

On-line Introductory Chemistry This Web-based course by Walter Volland of Bellevue Community College is intended for people who need a laboratory science, are pursuing prenursing or health occupations careers, are required to complete a series of chemistry classes, or need the introductory course for introductory organic chemistry . Experiments are done at home using consumer products.

Chemistry instruction at Merlin's Academy of Alchemy - a not-for-credit introductory course.

Friendly Chemistry Online - a course for home-schoolers and others covering basic Chemistry, consisting of "24 lessons designed to be completed at your own pace. Each lesson consists of a text reading assignment, two to three pages of practice exercises followed by an evaluation to document your progress, all with the guidance of a personal tutorial".

General Chemistry - Oregon State University eCampus offers its first-year sequence entirely online, no campus visits required. Includes virtual chemistry labs, online group discussions, homework, quizzes and exams.

Chemistry E-learning courses offered by Southern Regional Education Board's Electronic Campus - these courses can be commenced at any time of the year, and are open to users anywhere. More info here.

Online course in Polymer Science - this commercial course ($50) is for those who already have a basic knowledge of chemistry. Universal Class also offers on-line courses in many other subjects.

North Dakota Division of Independent Study: High School Chemistry - a two-semester sequence offered online. Employs on-line simulated labs. (To access this site, go here and follow links to High School>Science>Chemistry.)

University of Massachusets - Lowell: {Applied Chemistry for Non-scientists} (2002-2004) - A 3-credit course covering basic chemical principles - atomic structure, bonding and interparticle forces, physical and chemical properties of matter. Applications to current issues (e.g., environmental chemistry, biochemistry, food and drug chemistry.) On-line simulated lab experiments. (≤2004)

Laboratory

LabPaqs: Teaching chemistry laboratories entirely online - "Chemistry LabPaqs, in continuous use since 1994, are unique science lab kits that have redefined the online laboratory experience. These LabPaqs contain comprehensive hands-on laboratory experiments that are academically aligned and mirror those performed on college and university campuses. LabPaqs allow instructors to teach Chemistry courses online, on campus, or in a hybrid format, enhancing the laboratory experience for their students and institutions".  Some related YouTube videos:
Panel discussion (Missouri State U, 1 hr) - LabPaq Introduction (HandsOnLab, 7 min) - LabPaq Safety (11 min)

Virtlab is a "virtual laboratory where students deduce scientific principles by performing laboratory experiments." It employs Flash- and JavaScript-enhanced Web technologies, as well as spreadsheet files. In addition to various simulatins, they claim to offer considerable flexibility in model-building for more curious students to explore.

Learning Chemistry Close to Home is a PowerPoint presentation that describes Ken Costello's use of a portable laboratory set in connection with a community college distance learning course.

{Solving the laboratory dilemma in distance learning general chemistry} - a 2005 article by Jimmy Reeves of U of North Carolina, describing in some detail a home-study lab to accompany a one-semester course for non-majors. (≤2006)

Home Science Tools and kits for science projects.

Basic Sciences Supply for chemistry- a commercial site offering a variety of devices, gifts and resources.

Kitchen Chemistry experiments - mostly K-6 grades

> Science Laboratory Kits for Distance Learning (At Home Science, Inc.) They offer "LabPaq" kits designed for chemistry courses at various levels.

LateNiteLabs offers Reactor, a Web-based laboratory simulation package that allows students to carry out virtual-hands-on experiments, either as pre-lab exercises or as a major part of distance-education courses.