With the advancement in technological tools available in classrooms, interactive learning is gaining increased popularity among educators and students. The goal of the work developed in our group is to promote the use of technology-based methods in teaching, by developing an integrated set of interactive resources that would be used in lecture. We have developed interactive computer animations and tools that provide a more visual and interactive platform for learning about invisible phenomena in chemistry and performing experiments in virtual laboratories. These tools were used in the general chemistry series of the Chemistry Department at Cal Poly. Among the tools that were successfully employed in the general chemistry series are a 3D simulation that illustrates the idea of crystal formation and the formation of the three basic cubic unit cells, an animation of the photoelectric effect experiment, and an animation of the double slit experiment. The project is a collaborative, interdisciplinary work between the Chemistry Department and the Computer Science Department at Cal Poly, and the developed tools were used in chemistry and in computer science courses.

Development of interactive visualizations for use in chemistry courses

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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