I have a conundrum, running out of class dates to do the following...

Cover a little more on the basics of coordination chemistry (1 class day)

Give an exam (while my 50 minute class period will get chopped up due to an awards day cermony preceding it)

Give the ACS 2 semester exam

Oh, and my MWF loses both this Friday and next Monday to Easter holiday...

Any suggestions on a good take-home assessment object that can sub in for an exam?

Thanks!

I am interested in teaching crystal field theory and/or ligand field theory in a sort of inquiry-based, student-led manner in an upcoming class.  Just wondering if anybody has any thoughts or links to resources that could be handy in putting this together. 

(Full disclosure:  in re-working my syllabus a bit for this semester, I thought it would be a "good idea" to dedicate a lab period to learning CFT and LFT--now that the lab is approaching, I'm scrambling to figure out a useful way to fill 3 hours!) 

All thoughts are much appreciated.  Thanks!

--Jeremiah

Check out the latest Inorganic Chemistry Forums, a great resource for the classroom:

Metals in Medicine and Health

Guest Editors: Debbie Crans and Tom Meade

http://pubs.acs.org/toc/inocaj/52/21

Imaging and Sensing

Guest Editors: Chris Chang and Ken Raymond

http://pubs.acs.org/toc/inocaj/53/4

Dear inorganic faculty,

We are seeking BMB accreditation for our biochem major. I was asked to provide "core concepts and learning objectives" for inorganic. Those of you who know me know that I speak this language, but I'm still daunted by trying to map my course goals onto BMB's objectives.

Has anyone else done this? Can I copy you?

Thanks,

Joanne

Last week, I found out that the a music professor at my institution loves the periodic table as much as an inorganic chemist and has put together two songs about the periodic table (before Livermorium and Flerovium were named).

I'm looking for some last minute help. My inorganic class is larger than the room where I normally teach in so I've been moved to a larger room with no periodic table! 

Do you teach nuclear chemistry in your inorganic course?  We offer a 1-semester junior-level inorganic class.  We touch on nuclear chemistry at the end of General Chemistry II, but really do not go much in depth.  Therefore, I have always felt some obligation to cover a bit more in inorganic (basically a slightly expanded version of what is found in Miessler & Tarr).  That said, I could really use that day back, so convince me I don't need to cover it.  :)  

Our department is considering re-formatting general chemistry to use an atoms first approach.  We have seen how students struggle with stoichiometry / dimensional analysis, and we are wondering if starting off the first semester with atomic structure and bonding concepts would help students settle in more before they hit the more math-y topics. 

Does anyone have any experience to share?  Favorite textbooks?  Advice?  We are not likely to make the leap unless we're better informed.  (I have found one recent J. Chem. Ed. article on the topic.)

Hi All,

Our Graduate Women in Science Chapter is starting to brainstorm for our spring Girl Scout Workshop.  I was wondering if anyone has any good chemistry related activities that they have used for this sort of thing.  Any ideas would be welcome and greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Angela Jovanovic-Bischof