Digital Chemistry Library

The Internet is an ideal vehicle for communicating ideas and information rapidly, conveniently, and cost-effectively. The University of California, Berkeley currently maintains a full featured, media rich Internet web site known as Digital Chem 1A that supplements our freshman general chemistry course. In addition to Berkeley students, our server records show that students from other universities currently use Digital Chem 1A to supplement their campus' general chemistry courses. We have also received inquires from community colleges and high schools as to how they might use the resources we have developed to enhance their course offerings. This proposal requests funding to develop a resource that interested educators may use to teach and learn chemistry. The resource would consist of an independent, self contained, fully online Course based on Digital Chem 1A that can be delivered at another institution or customized to enhance an existing course. We propose to accomplish this in five phases;
(1) Build an independent website delivery platform for the online Course,
(2) Enhance and update the content of Digital Chem 1A to meet American Chemical Society guidelines for a full year of college chemistry,
(3) Improve the functionality of the Digital Chem 1A content delivery and assessment tools,
(4) bring all learning objects contained in the new site into compliance with organizational standards for interoperability and integration, and
(5) advertise the opening of the site by publication and general mailing to potential adopters.