Students first learn the basics of WebMO by building and optimizing 2 small molecules. They then calculate and visualize the molecular orbitals of two diatomic molecules (N₂ and BF) and observe how going from a homonuclear to heteronuclear molecule changes the shape of different molecular orbitals. 

As written this activity uses the WebMO demo server so no computational chemistry software/licences are required.

We have developed a set of icebreaker activities that could be used at any course level, either in an online video chat or in a classroom. These are based on the popular Mad Libs game in which some words are left out of a story and players are asked to provide words to fill in the blanks without knowing much about the story. We've provided an introduction to the game, definition of typical parts of speech that are requested (ie, adverb, noun, adjective, etc), and three starter activities.

In 2019, the journal Inorganic Chemistry updated it's scope (https://pubs.acs.org/page/inocaj/about.html).  This updated scope inspired me to update my first day of class activity for Inorganic (which was typically a version of the excellent first-day LOs from VIPEr).  

I asked students to read the journal scope (web link or hard copy provided) and answer a few questions in small groups:

I developed this short class component in response to reading Saundra Yancy McGuire’s book, “Teach Students How to Learn.”  One chapter focuses on the importance of mindset, a concept developed by Carole Dweck. Students with a growth mindset believe that they can learn how to learn challenging material, while students with fixed mindsets believe that ability is innate and unchangeable.