NSF Award
0126961
An Anasazi Instruments FT-NMR conversion package for the current EM-390 NMR has been purchased and is providing enhanced learning opportunities for students. In Organic Chemistry, students are able to quickly and effectively characterize reaction products by H-1, C-13, and two-dimensional methods. A change in the fundamental pedagogy of this course is also being instituted based upon the adaptation and implementation of a similar program developed at Albion College. Research problems selected by the faculty are segmented into smaller research questions that are being addressed by student teams during three-to-seven week projects. Students are learning to design and carry out their own experiments in response to a research problem, are learning to evaluate resultant data and to draw their own conclusions. Upon completion of the research projects, oral presentations by each research team are critiqued by other members of the class. The FT NMR is also being used in other courses in the curriculum with experiments from both the research and educational literature being adapted and implemented.
