Introduction to organic chemistry

Abstract

I am a teacher who has not felt totally committed to the use of computer-based materials in the teaching of chemistry. However, in reviewing Stanley Smith's seven disks on "Organic Chemistry," 1 became aware of the compelling power of the medium. This program may represent the best in computer software at the present time. Stanley Smith is an old master of a very new art and there are many instances of his mastery here. Nonetheless, in reviewing such a program one must judge its comparative merits with respect to other long-established methods of teaching: the classroom, the laboratory, and the textbook. One must evaluate what the computer, with its instant response, vivid graphics, and infinite patience, can do supremely well as opposed to what a competent instructor can provide in flexibility and responsiveness.

Quality control: Another step in the maturation of computer use

“…As in the case of introductory courses excellent tutorials are available from COMPress (27), but again we can do more than CAI. Instrument emulators, in which the computer is programmed to become a scientific instrument, can provide excellent pre-lab training.…”