I have more questions than answers; fortunately in this month's issue of the Journal there are many URLs that can help educators make decisions about using the Internet. At least one URL is listed in the Literature Cited section of almost every article in this month's Journal. There are a few exceptions, although not many. Using the Web to access appropriate references is becoming very popular. A good example is the Web-based JCE Index online¹--a very user-friendly search engine that allows you to access articles from current and past issues by entering an author's name, a title, or a keyword.

How can the Internet be used to help students? According to the report by Magner et al. (1), the tools available to us can be used to enhance basic skills, teach students to explore, and aid them in more advanced studies. In an NSF Highlights report, Bateman et al. (2) discuss how various Web-based molecular display programs can be used to help students visualize complex structure-function relationships. Another advantage to "virtual" problem solving is that computers allow us the ability to create extreme conditions (those not easily reproduced in the laboratory) (3), which can then test our students' abilities to extrapolate to what may be in our future. Hicks (4) describes many WWW sites for biochemistry teachers. Of course, don't forget that copies of laboratory handouts and sample data sets are available from JCE Online.² Look for the "W" throughout the Journal. It tells you that there is additional, supplemental, Web-based material associated with each article that displays it. Material of special interest to high school teachers is collected in JCE HS CLIC,³ one of our featured items this month. Whether the Internet is used to disseminate entire online courses or to supplement or complement existing courses is really up to the instructor. There are excellent tools, software programs and applications, and a whole host of information-seeking devices.

The Internet can now disseminate full courses to a broad range of students located in areas near and far from the server. Several colleges and universities are developing Web-based courses for teachers and students. Some of these courses have direct applicability for classroom teachers, such as the excellent graduate-level, teacher-friendly NSF-sponsored courses offered by the University of Nebraska Lincoln.⁴ ACS has a Virtual Campus⁵ that offers courses in "Laboratory Safety" and "Chemistry for the Non-chemists". ACS also has professional development opportunities for mid-career chemists in industry and academia. Other universities are developing courses to help prepare chemical technologists.⁶ In another article by Amburgey-Peters (5) a Web site for Project Kaleidoscope is stated to be "an excellent resource for planning new facilities and renovations of existing facilities".

Now the question is, since there is a plethora of choices, how do we evaluate which ones are appropriate for furthering our education and which ones are appropriate of our students? Sorry, that's your call!

Notes

1. See JCE Index (accessed Mar 2002). (A complete set of keywords is only available for articles published recently; always use a title search in addition to a keyword search.)
2. See JCE Online (accessed Mar 2002).
3. See JCE HS CLIC (accessed Mar 2002).
4. For more information contact David Brooks, or visit WWW-based Graduate Post-certification Teacher Training in Chemistry (accessed Mar 2002).
5. More information on ACS Virtual Campus (accessed Mar 2002).
6. There are six ACS approved programs in the nation (accessed Mar 2002).

Literature Cited

1. Magner, J. T.; Chadwick, J. E.; Chickering, J.; Collins, C.; Su, T.; Villarba, M. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 544.
2. Bateman, R. C.; Booth, D.; Sirochman, R.; Richardson, J.; Richardson, D. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 551.
3. Lamberti, V. E.; Rosdick, L. D.; Jessup, E. R.; Schauble, C. J. C. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 601.
4. Hicks, B. W. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 536.
5. Amburgey-Peters, J. C. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 607.