It is a convenient method for allowing 24 hour access to the instructor for the students which should lead to a better learning environment. Computers have become such an integral part of everyday life that knowledge in this area is deemed almost as important as reading skills. The use of computers for students who are creating written reports is a valuable method for learning rudimentary skills and could be integrated into any program along with the ideas mentioned above. The proper use of computers in the academic setting is irreplaceable in preparing students for careers both in the sciences and outside of the sciences. Solving in a Group Setting Often a lecture course is just that, a lecture course.
Students attend class, take notes, do problems.
Although the lecture course is a necessary part of any classroom setting, it does not promote interaction among the students, and it does not facilitate use of available literature sources by the students. Without this ability, it will be very difficult for the student to function well outside of a classroom situation. These problems could range from solving a multistep synthesis to designing a laboratory setup for a certain type of reaction sequence. These problems could be tailored to the students level of education, growing in complexity as the student matures educationally. The method of posing problems as a group project could be used in a laboratory setting as well as the classroom environment.