Putting chemistry in context with web simulations

‘One day you notice that your water tastes funny,’ begins the exercise. Before I know it I have been selected for an internship at a water analysis company. I’m joining senior chemists to design an experiment testing the concentration of ammonium nitrate in a local river.

I’m testing out one of the scenarios on the website of ChemVLab+, a project that has developed a series of interactive learning exercises. These all focus on the ‘two most difficult topics in introductory chemistry’: stoichiometry and thermodynamics.

Josh Howgego reviews ChemVLab+ and discusses why providing a contextual background to learning could give a more accurate assessment of students' knowledge.