Teaching chemistry laboratory skills in industrial contexts

A CD-ROM, C3T, Contextual Laboratory Curriculum for Chemistry and Technology, that includes background information, reagent preparation instructions, experiment procedures, safety information, discussion of data treatment, tips for interpreting results, and checklists correlating the American Chemical Society Voluntary Industry Standards (VIS) to the learning outcomes expected of students completing the exercises was tested at Athens Technical College. For purposes of clarity, the material on the CD-ROM was divided into six modules: data, aqueous systems, polymers, petroleum, metals and pharmaceuticals. As a result, this study produced a compilation of 40 laboratory experiments presented within the contexts of five major industries. The combined set of experiments comprises a laboratory curriculum for two-year programs for chemical technicians. While the project was initially aimed at two-year college programs, all of the experiments are suitable for inclusion in a university undergraduate curriculum and some of the experiments have been used in high school chemistry courses.