CHIMACTIV: An Open-Access Website for Student-Centered Learning in Analytical Chemistry

The CHIMACTIV website (http://chimactiv.agroparistech.fr) offers open educational resources related to analytical chemistry. It addresses a frequently encountered pedagogical issue: How can we encourage students to be more involved in learning during their courses (and especially during lab work) as well as provide a deeper teacher-learner interaction during these sessions? With 30 digital bilingual (English/French) sections divided into 5 topics (safety in a chemistry lab, basics of manipulation, food analysis, drug analysis, and familiarity with experimental methodologies), CHIMACTIV offers a great variety of media (scientific content, short videos, interactive diagrams, pictures, games, quizzes, and exercises) which are responsive to all formats of the digital medium (computer, tablet, smartphone). Depending on their educational objectives and their students' curricula, teachers can guide students toward the appropriate resources to strengthen their backgrounds, build new scientific understanding, or analyze data. These digital resources may be consulted before, during, or after class and/or lab sessions, and they are ideal for students aiming to self-train, for trainees in research laboratories, as well as for professionals working in a sector related to chemical analysis.