A Distance-Education Chemistry Course for Nonmajors

A course for nonchemistry majors has been developed at Florida Atlantic University using a distance-education format. Chemistry in Modern Life surveys the chemistry relevant to environmental and consumer issues. The class lectures are on videotape, providing the maximum flexibility in scheduling options. In order to enhance instructor-student contact, a web-page and electronic communication are used to handle questions and class assignments. Student performance is primarily evaluated using thematic research assignments. In addition, take-home lab projects are included to provide practical exposure to experimental methods. The objective of the assigned work is for each student to observe how chemical issues affect their local community and to evaluate individual contributions to environmental problems and personal exposure to chemicals.