Physical Chemistry On Line: Interinstitutional Collaboration at a Distance

The Physical Chemistry On Line (PCOL) consortium has developed eight online modules for use in the physical chemistry curriculum. These modules engage faculty and students from geographically dispersed institutions in activities that are short in duration (about 4 to 6 weeks), focus on context-rich scenarios, and use email, discussion boards, and the World Wide Web for communication and information distribution. The modules are designed to enhance physical chemistry learning experiences through collaboration among participating students and faculty on projects with a unifying theme.