"Modules" are computer-based instructional units organized around a question about a particular phenomenon that (a) students are expected to have some prior understanding of, and (b) can provide a context for introducing and understanding scientific concepts. For example, one module developed through the ChemLinks Coalition and the Modular Chemistry Consortium (MC²) is based upon a device nearly indispensable to college students--the compact disc player--and asks whether, by getting blue light from a solid, one could design a better CD player. As the module description explains,

This module challenges students to think about a materials design question, how to get light out of a solid, during two to three weeks of their chemistry course. Light-emitting solids are essential for many high-technology materials and products, including compact disc (CD) players. Students make use of the periodic table to propose color-specific emitting solids based on knowledge of periodic properties, bonding, electronic transitions, solid structures and the properties of light. (from MC²)

Thus, the "blue light" module, as it's known, provides a different way of teaching periodicity and bonding as well as forms of scientific reasoning: recognizing trends, making logical inferences and deductions, and interpreting graphs.

Similarly, a module that uses automobile air bags to study gas laws asks, "Can fast, gas-forming reactions save lives?" The following description of the "air bag" module explains the areas of chemistry and practical skills students will be expected to learn:

The development of airbag systems for automobiles will be used as a case study for introducing a variety of chemicals and chemical formulas, how to determine mass/mole relationships, and how to carry out gas law computations. Other concepts such as heats of reaction and kinetics will be introduced, but only to the extent necessary to understand their importance in airbag design. Problem solving, assessment of relative risks, and trade-offs in the design of airbag systems will be explored. (from MC²)

However, using modules is more than just providing good, concrete examples (like CD players and air bags) to explain chemical concepts. Rather, modular instruction involves significant changes in both curriculum (the content and organization of the course) and pedagogy (the course's teaching- and learning-related activities).

Traditionally, the introductory chemistry curriculum has consisted of breaking chemistry content knowledge into relatively discrete topics, such as stoichiometry, ^a periodicity, ^b gas laws, kinetics, and so forth. The curriculum consists of leading students from topic to topic, chapter to chapter.^c However, because modules teach chemistry through understanding and solving real-world problems, such as global warming or ensuring a safe water supply, a module-based curriculum is not a march through the standard chemistry topics. Instead, an introductory course may include 3-5 modules, each of which "typically spans 3-4 weeks of class time and utilizes a single real-world topic as a vehicle for teaching a coherent set of chemistry concepts" (Gutwill-Wise, 2001). So, rather than learning stoichiometry and mole equations when they come to those chapters in the conventional curriculum, students learn about those important concepts and skills through Session 6 of the global warming module, titled "What Are Your Personal Contributions to Greenhouse Gas Emissions? Moles and Stoichiometry." The goals for this section are described here:

You will use laboratory investigations and stoichiometric calculations to determine whether you personally are a significant source of greenhouse gases. You will examine your daily activities to estimate which have the greatest impacts on greenhouse gas levels. For instance, are you responsible for more carbon dioxide emissions if you drive to Boston or fly? Balancing equations, mole calculations, stoichiometry, unit conversions, experimental design, and order of magnitude are skills that will be developed during this session. (Anthony, Brauch, & Longley, 1998).

Thus, not only do students learn the skills and concepts associated with calculating mole equations, but students also learn or use other important skills such as scientific reasoning, problem solving and troubleshooting experiments, marshaling evidence to support a claim, and effective communication (oral, written) of methods and findings. Modules lend themselves to fostering the kinds of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are expected of scientific literacy that is characteristic of the kind of liberal arts education UST wishes to offer its students.

Using modules necessitates not only curricular changes but changes in conventional teaching methods. Traditionally, introductory chemistry courses are taught in a lecture-lab format; students listen and take notes during the instructor's lecture, then participate in a smaller laboratory experience that allows students to practice using equipment while conducting what are essentially verification laboratories. However, to encourage the kind of intellectual engagement that characterizes modular-based classes, instructors must do more than lecture. Thus, instructors use teaching methods that foster what is called active learning--which requires more than just listening (e.g., writing, discussing, questioning), but also engaging in higher-order cognitive activities such as synthesis and evaluation.^d

A second major pedagogical feature of modular classrooms is cooperative learning, which is defined by Roger T. Johnson and David W. Johnson as "a relationship in a group of students that requires positive interdependence (a sense of sink-or-swim together), individual accountability (each of us has to contribute and learn), interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution), face-to-face promotive interaction, and processing (reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better).^e

A third feature of modules is inquiry-based laboratory projects. Rather than doing traditional verification labs (that is, following the steps of an experiment in order to achieve a predetermined outcome), students work in teams to solve a problem and are expected to use a combination of problem-solving skills, subject-matter knowledge, and technical lab skills in a way that resembles actual scientific research.^f

From 1995 until 2001, Dr. Betsy Longley was an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of St. Thomas. After arriving at UST with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry^g from the University of Pittsburgh, Betsy attempted to use modules to improve how the majors in her Chem111 class learned chemistry.

Modules provided Betsy with the means to link her classroom with the "real world," so to speak. Whether it was using a computer program to adjust the chemical composition of an air bag to ensure it inflates safely or using an "IR tutor" to demonstrate how molecular bonds bend or stretch when absorbing infrared radiation, Betsy relied on different types of technology to construct and deliver her modules; instructional multimedia allowed her "to do or see something that is otherwise impossible, dangerous, expensive, or too time-consuming" (Anthony, Mernitz, et al., 1998). And, according to Betsy, her students found that technology enabled them to do two things much better: visualizing otherwise abstract concepts, and manipulating chemical phenomena and relationships. And from the institution's point of view, another important outcome of Betsy's students' using modules was that they were becoming more adept at using technology to solve problems and present their findings.

Betsy's motivation for introducing this kind of technology into her classroom stemmed from her concerns about traditional chemistry education for non-majors, which are discussed below. Betsy used a simple formula to drive her efforts: greater student engagement equals greater student learning. Thus, because she believed she could help students learn chemistry better if it is somehow connected to their personal experience, she used modules to "real them in"--that is, using real-life examples like automobile air bags, global warming, compact-disc players, and dietary fats to reel students in, drawing them into a deeper understanding and appreciation for chemistry.