Search

In our research, we have developed and conducted a survey to determine the quality of implementation and organisation of ICT from the point of view of university students. The study was conducted in two groups of students, intramural and extramural, to identify a common problem of domestic education. The survey focuses on various aspects: a student view of education programme innovativeness, teachers' participation in the ICT introduction, and the technological support in selected universities. These developments can be useful for universities that faced with the problem of introducing innovation and communication technologies. The recommendations described in the research can be used as a solution to the current problems associated with the organisation of ICT. On the way to solving the problem of using and introducing innovative technologies in higher education, it is very important to reorganize all aspects: completeness of education programmes, technological literacy of teachers and technical support provided by universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to curriculum learning materials is a central need for students who are blind. This research examined the use of Listening-to-Complexity (L2C) based on NetLogo, an agent-based modeling language enabling exploration and construction of models of complex systems. L2C, designed for users who are blind, provides several auditory streams synchronically through sonified feedback. Studied here is a learning curriculum integrating L2C interactions, which covering scientific conceptual knowledge, systems reasoning, and Kinetic Molecular Theory of gas and gas laws in chemistry. The research included ten participants who are blind, using three data collection tools: background questionnaire, pre- and posttest questionnaires, and learning curriculum with the sonified models. Results indicate that the sonified model facilitates access to key challenging scientific concepts, including complex phenomena. Findings indicate gains in learning science content; participants were able to collect and construct scientific knowledge through L2C interactions. There are likely long-term practical benefits in science education for students who are blind, which will facilitate their inclusion in a general K-12 program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help prepare students for the rigors of an online master's degree in technical and professional communication, I created a course-embedded online student orientation (OSO) structured by the community of inquiry theory of online learning. The study researched the effect of the OSO on student satisfaction, student perceptions of online learning, and students' program retention. The OSO was effective in helping students to reflect on their learning and demonstrated students' interest in peer collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• KBR is a Matlab application aimed to construct and simulate kinetic models. • Friendly Graphical User Interface that avoid the need of programming knowledge nor skills. • Parameter estimation according to experimental data can be performed using an intuitive tool. • The results can be easily saved as a spreadsheet of an EXCEL file in ".xlsx" format. The simulation of chemical kinetic models is necessary in order to analyze comprehensive chemical reaction mechanisms and perform the estimation of the kinetic parameters. In many cases, a chemical process can be composed of several series and/or independent reactions that requires a complex set of kinetic equations to be solved. Computer-based tools for the study of kinetics of chemical reaction networks have been used since the last 50 years. However, the educational tools in this field should be friendly for the user and easy to learn and adapt to practical cases, avoiding long frustrating learning curves. Herein, the main objective of this contribution is to present a Matlab® application for the evaluation of Kinetics in Batch Reactors (KBR), which will help students to estimate kinetic parameters of complex chemical reaction models. The KBR application was used in the Final Degree Projects of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering Degrees at Rey Juan Carlos University (Spain). This application provides a friendly Graphical User Interface to formulate any kind of kinetic model for subsequent simulation in order to monitor the evolution of reagents and products along the reaction time. Moreover, the student will be able to estimate kinetic parameters according to available experimental data as well as to apply sensitivity analysis of those parameters for particular cases of chemical reactions in batch systems. Finally, the results can be exported for further analysis as a spreadsheet of an Excel® file (.xlsx). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to explain the strategies used in the "Set‐up" phase of developing computer‐based education on the care and management of incarcerated people who are older and/or dying. Public health nurses have an opportunity to support efforts in educating corrections staff to enhance health care for older and dying inmates. Such endeavors can promote social justice through inmates receiving evidence‐based care that parallels that received by the community at large. "Set‐up" is the first of four phases in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Framework for Going to Full Scale. Our design approach was threefold and included an environmental scan, a modified Delphi survey, and a usability study. An expert advisory board was consulted throughout the Set‐up Phase. Participants for the Delphi Survey had expertise in geriatrics and corrections health care. Usability testing was conducted at two State Correctional Institutions. The Delphi Survey consisted of three Qualtrics surveys. Usability testing examined navigability; detected problems; observed time spent solving problems; identified problem severity; and developed recovery strategies. The Set‐up established proof of concept, three prototype modules, and a specifications document to guide future programming. In addition, a Technology Niche Analyses® provided a preliminary commercialization plan (NIH, 2017). The Set‐up phase has been instrumental in exposing the available infrastructure for dissemination of an educational product within corrections and may be a first step in addressing public health concerns on issues in aging. Commercial feasibility of the program and the need for continued research for Developing the Scalable Unit were established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer-based early mathematics education, especially when implemented on a touchscreen device, can help young children learn basic concepts of number and operations in deep and engaging ways. We have developed MathemAntics — antic or playful mathematics — a software system that works on touchscreen tablets, to serve as a key aspect of mathematics instruction for children from age three to the early grades. This paper discusses the need for such software; describes and analyses currently available software; articulates the theoretical and design principles that form the basis of MathemAntics and can serve as the foundation for new software; presents a case study of a child using MathemAntics; and describes potential use of MathemAntics in a classroom setting. We invite readers to explore, investigate and use MathemAntics themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that learners' subjective certainty in the assumed correctness of their false answers to a knowledge test increased after online learning. It is unclear, however, 1) whether this False Certainty Effect (FaCE) results from online learning per se, or 2) whether a FaCE results from people confusing their own knowledge with information available on the internet while searching the internet, and 3) whether any topic-directed activity can result in a FaCE, even if it is not obviously topic related. We conducted two computer-based experiments to answer these questions. In Experiment 1, participants (N = 135) were randomly assigned to either an online-search learning condition, a computer-based content-learning condition with pre-selected learning material, or a computer-based topic-exploration condition with no learning-relevant information. Across all conditions, there was an increase in false certainty after the activity. The FaCE was equally strong in the two learning conditions (online search and content learning) and minimal in the non-learning condition. In Experiment 2 (N = 87), we replicated the FaCE for a learning activity with pre-selected materials but did not find a spill-over effect to an unrelated topic. These results indicate that the FaCE is primarily an unwanted side effect of the knowledge acquisition that arises from brief computer-based learning activities. • Online information search as well as content learning activities increase the certainty that incorrect answers to knowledge tests are correct (false certainty effect). • Exploring a topic containing material irrelevant for a subsequent knowledge test without learning instruction leads to a similar effect but with small effect size. • This false certainty effect does not generalize to another knowledge test incongruent with the learning phase. • Alongside the false certainty effect also certainty that correct answers to knowledge tests are correct increase after learning/exploration activities directed at a target topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visionaries offer strong claims for the educational benefits of computer games, but there is a need to test those claims with rigorous scientific research and ground them in evidence-based theories of how people learn. Three genres of game research are (a) value-added research, which compares the learning outcomes of groups that learn academic material from playing a base version of a game to the outcomes of those playing the same game with one feature added; (b) cognitive consequences research, which compares improvements in cognitive skills of groups that play an off-the-shelf game to the skill improvements of those who engage in a control activity; and (c) media comparison research, which compares the learning outcomes of groups that learn academic material in a game to the outcomes of those who learn with conventional media. Value-added research suggests five promising features to include in educational computer games: modality, personalization, pretraining, coaching, and self-explanation. Cognitive consequences research suggests two promising approaches to cognitive training with computer games: using first-person shooter games to train perceptual attention skills and using spatial puzzle games to train two-dimensional mental rotation skills. Media comparison research suggests three promising areas where games may be more effective than conventional media: science, mathematics, and second-language learning. Future research is needed to pinpoint the cognitive, motivational, affective, and social processes that underlie learning with educational computer games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational techniques have great potential to improve the teaching‐learning. In this work, we used a computational strategy to visualize three‐dimensional (3D) structures of proteins and DNA and help the student to comprehend biochemistry concepts such as protein structure and function, substrate, and inhibitors as well as DNA structural features. The practical classes included tutorials to be done in the computer using structures from Protein Data Bank and a free 3D structure visualization software, Swiss PDB Viewer. The activity was done with 76 students from biology and pharmacy undergraduate courses. Questionnaires were administered to evaluate the knowledge regarding specific biochemistry contents before and after the activity and the opinion of the students. An overall increased percentage of correct answers post‐classes (75.91%) were observed in comparison to pre‐classes (35.53%). All the students indicated that it could contribute to the learning of DNA and protein structure contents; approximately 90% stated that it enables structures visualization or makes the learning and understanding easier. Therefore, the strategy has shown to be effective, allowing the contextualization of biochemistry themes and may complement theoretical classes. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(1):76–84, 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Students who are blind need access to learning materials. This study looks at the learning of science by people who are blind using a curriculum-based textbook compared to their learning using an identical curriculum integrated with the Listening-to-Complexity (L2C), an agent-based model created on NetLogo. The L2C system employs sonified feedback that provides auditory streams synchronically. This study examines acquisition of scientific conceptual knowledge and systems reasoning for the Kinetic Molecular Theory (KMT) of gas and Gas Laws in chemistry. Twenty persons who are blind participated in this research; they were divided into two experimental groups: those using an accessible curriculum-based textbook and those using the same curriculum integrated with L2C agent-based models. Results showed that all research participants gained scientific knowledge; statistically significant differences were found for both experimental research groups between pre-and posttest. Those who learned through the L2C models performed with higher accuracy in the posttest; furthermore, learning using the NetLogo L2C models predicted their success at the posttest. A comparison of learning task accuracy between the two experimental groups showed that the participants who studied using the NetLogo L2C models performed with statistically significant differences in the five learning activities with integrated L2C models, but no differences were found for the learning activities without integrated L2C models. These research results are likely to have a beneficial impact on integrating sonified models in science education as a compensatory aid, allowing hands-on learning experience for students who are blind. Integrating sonified models will support their inclusion in the K–12 academic curriculum on an equal basis. Highlights • Sonified feedback can lead to learning and understanding of scientific phenomena. • L2C is compensating for inability of blind students to perform hands-on exploration. • L2C learners gained higher results compared to the standard curriculum learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemistry undergraduate students are required to master the theory of quantum mechanics as the basic requirement to study the properties of the submicroscopic particle. However, many studies showed the students' difficulties to bring the quantum mechanical concept to the macroscopic world and vise-versa. The use of computer visualization tool will very useful for teaching and learning the quantum concept, especially electron and its related atomic orbitals. This technological report paper demonstrates some of the Android-based applications i.e FuncXY, TriPlot 3D Graphing, and Graphing calculator to effectively, quickly, and accurately convert wave functions into various hydrogen atomic orbital visualizations. By selecting spherical coordinate and entering wave equation, these smartphone graphical devices visualize three-dimensional atomic orbitals. Users are also easy to rotate, zoom and manipulate the object. Finally, these user-friendly plotters are very recommended to assist chemistry educators in teaching quantum mechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Testing can do more than just determine what a student knows; it can aid the learning process, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. There is a growing trend for students to create and share self-assessment questions in their subject, as advocated by the contributing-student pedagogy (CSP). For subjects with large enrolments, this process can be facilitated by educational technology. PeerWise is an example of such technology. It is free, web-based software that allows students to author, share, answer, and provide feedback on multiple-choice quizzes in a collaborative and constructivist fashion. While it is popular, it is unclear to what degree it facilitates student learning. To evaluate its effectiveness, we introduced PeerWise into a second-year psychology subject. We measured the extent to which it increased scores in the final exam. We found that PeerWise did significantly increase exam scores, so was a useful learning aid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific Data Analysis Toolkit (SDAT) is a rigorous, versatile, and user-friendly data analysis add-in application for Microsoft Excel for Windows (PC). SDAT uses the familiar Excel environment to carry out most of the analytical tasks used in data analysis. It has been designed for student use in manipulating and analyzing data encountered in the physical and biological sciences, from first-year courses, to the graduate level, and in research. A particularly useful feature of SDAT is its ability to perform rigorous regression analysis using both standard and user-defined model functions. This tool, which can accommodate up to seven fitting parameters, provides the standard deviation of regression of the fit, the standard uncertainties of the fitting parameters, and the covariance matrix. It also supports weighted regression analysis. SDAT includes the following functionalities: Descriptive Statistics, Integrate, Differentiate, Smooth, Spline, Plot, and Regression Analysis. The use of the Regression Analysis tool is illustrated with several examples including the unweighted and weighted analysis of the nonlinear and linearized forms an exponential decay and an example of the use of the covariance term in a propagation of errors calculation. Other example topics are chemical and enzyme kinetics, vapor pressure, and quantum chemistry computational results. SDAT is provided as associated content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scale-invariant way to analyze two-dimensional experimental and theoretical data with statistical errors in both the independent and dependent variables is revisited by using what we call the triangular linear regression method. This is compared to the standard least-squares fit approach by applying it to typical simple sets of example data from the actual chemical literature. A new add-in for Microsoft Excel, LinEstXY, and ready-to-use formulas for the scale-invariant method are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A classical nonlinear system, the "Brusselator", was used to illustrate the modeling and simulation of oscillating chemical systems using stability analysis techniques with modern software tools such as Comsol Multiphysics, Matlab, and Excel. A systematic approach is proposed in order to establish a regime of parametric conditions that lead to oscillations in chemical systems. A Matlab script that symbolically finds the equilibrium points of the system, and the Jacobian of the assembly matrix at equilibrium was written. The Matlab script also calculates the trace, determinant and discriminant of the Jacobian and finds the critical points for which the trace and determinant are zero. An emphasis on finding the bifurcation points is made in the simulations and on the conditions for the onset of limit cycles, which are of most interest in biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A computational chemistry exercise for the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory is described. In this exercise, students use the molecular dynamics package Amber to generate trajectories of bulk liquid water for 4 different water models (TIP3P, OPC, SPC/E, and TIP4Pew). Students then process the trajectory to calculate structural (radial distribution functions) and dynamic (diffusion coefficients) properties of water that they compare to experimental values and to the other models. On the basis of these comparisons, students are also able to draw conclusions regarding the relative efficacy of these water models at modeling properties of real water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report provides information about an interactive computer game named Say My Name that allows high school and undergraduate students to review individually nomenclature of organic compounds in an engaging and fun way by answering up to 600 questions distributed in three difficulty levels. Responses from students and teachers who have played the game have been quite positive. An assessment of students' knowledge gains was also performed; the results reveal that students who used the game as a complementary didactic tool in their studies had higher numbers of correct answers than did students who studied using conventional learning methods. Say My Name can be played in Portuguese, Spanish, and English online (free of charge) via a Web browser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reported project-based laboratory unit introduces upper-division undergraduate students to the basics of computer-aided drug discovery as a part of a computational chemistry laboratory course. The students learn to perform model binding of organic molecules (ligands) to the DNA minor groove with computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) tools. The purpose of this laboratory unit is to dock diminazene and its derivatives to DNA, to estimate their binding energies, and to elucidate details of DNA- ligand intermolecular interactions. The computational procedure also helps to screen binding capabilities of DNA ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of the Reaction Monte Carlo (RxMC) algorithm to standard textbook problems in chemical reaction equilibria is discussed. The RxMC method is a molecular simulation algorithm for studying the equilibrium properties of reactive systems, and therefore provides the opportunity to develop computer-based "experiments" for the analysis of a wide range of chemical reactions. As the conditions of the reaction can be precisely controlled in these simulations, students can rather easily perform "virtual experiments", and then compare the resulting compositions, extents of reaction, etc. with the predictions obtained using the relations of macroscopic thermodynamics. Students can also use these "experiments" to directly test the guidelines suggested by Le Châtelier's principle, and even study situations in which exceptions to these guidelines are known to occur. These computer-based analyses can therefore be used as the basis of various useful and instructive homework assignments, or group projects, which can also touch upon important topics in molecular thermodynamics. Simulations can be performed on ideal gases (i.e., noninteracting particles), and depending upon the level of the student audience, the simulation algorithms can be modified to describe reactions in nonideal systems, in which the intermolecular potential energies between the molecules need to be considered. Thus, concepts from molecular thermodynamics can also be incorporated into the analyses of chemical reaction equilibria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instructional videos have been prepared using Adobe Captivate software to create animated tutorials to capture instrument and molecular modeling software simulations and to allow for increased independent hands-on instrument use by students and faster training for instructors and teaching assistants. The videos are available on YouTube and can be viewed prior to or synchronously as students are acquiring an IR spectrum, processing an ¹ NMR spectrum, or performing specific calculations using GaussView. Student surveys indicate preference for the animated tutorials over conventional paper instructions and general favorability of the videos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an interactive discovery-based approach to studying the properties of real gases using simple, yet realistic, molecular dynamics software. Use of this approach opens up a variety of opportunities for students to interact with the behaviors and underlying theories of real gases. Students can visualize gas behavior under a variety of conditions; they can implement kinetic theory expressions as computer code to compute macroscopic quantities from microscopic/kinematic behaviors of the simulated gases, and they can explore strategies to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate deviations from ideal gas behavior. A simple and fully functional molecular dynamics program written in the C programming language that has been tested on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms accompanies this article; detailed suggestions are provided for implementing this exercise with or without programming activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literacy requires reading comprehension, and fostering reading skills is an essential prerequisite to and a synergistic enabler of the development of writing skills. Reading comprehension in the chemical sciences not only consists of the understanding of text but also includes the reading and processing of data tables, schemes, and graphs. Thus, education in scientific writing in chemistry cannot focus on writing alone, but such efforts must aim both at the development of higher level skills in reading and writing; moreover, the reading instruction ought to occur concurrently with or precede the writing exercise. In this context, a computer laboratory experiment is described which develops students' ability to read spectra. The computer laboratory experiment cultivates students' Excel skills with the specific objective of teaching them how individual transitions overlap in spectra. Qualitative decomposition and an automated Solver extension method are discussed. Qualitative decomposition is best suited to develop students' understanding of overlapping transitions and spectra and to advance their conceptual knowledge. Learning to use Solver is a valuable additional skill, but the automated process is no substitute for the learning experience provided by the qualitative decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interactive classroom demonstration that enhances students' knowledge of steady-state and Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics is described. The instructor uses a free version of professional-quality KinTek Explorer simulation software and student input to construct dynamic versions of three static hallmark images commonly used to introduce enzyme kinetic concepts. The software, with its ability to change experimental conditions and immediately observe the effects on the kinetics of a system, allows students to be more aware of the experimental conditions that must exist for the assumptions of steady-state and Michaelis-Menten kinetics to be valid. Students report an increased understanding of the interplay between hallmark concentration versus time and rate versus concentration images. After the demonstration, students are prepared for data generation and analysis in a lab experiment focused on the steady-state. Additionally, they can begin independent simulation exercises using the software and are ready for discussions on pre-steady-state kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First order processes are of paramount importance for chemical kinetics. In a well-established demonstration experiment, the flow of water out of a vertical glass tube through a capillary simulates a chemical first order process. Here, a digital version of this experiment for lecture hall demonstrations is presented. To this end, water flowing out of the capillary is collected in a beaker which stands on an electronic scale interfaced with a computer. The computer generates a plot of the data in real time which is projected during the lecture. Hereby, with proper explanations, a very intuitive grasp of the essence of first order processes is obtained: The rate (represented by the water flow) is proportional to the concentration of the reactant (height of the water column). With a modified setup, consecutive first order kinetics as well as the concept of a rate-limiting step are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we describe the implementation a hybrid general chemistry teaching laboratory curriculum that replaces a portion of a course's traditional "wet lab" experiences with online virtual lab modules. These modules intentionally utilize representations on all three levels of the chemistry triplet -- macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic. The implementation of this curriculum allowed an opportunity to evaluate this new course structure. First, student performance was assessed based on pre- and post-assessments. Second, dialogue from students working through the traditional and module versions of one lab was analyzed for how each format encouraged students to engage with the chemistry triplet. Data suggest both formats led to positive learning gains, but the differences between formats were not statistically significant. However, there was a significant difference in student engagement with the chemistry triplet, with module students showing a higher overall amount of triplet-related dialogue and more continuous dialogue segments connecting multiple levels of the triplet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Yet Another extended Huckel Molecular Orbital Package" (YAeHMOP) has been merged with theAvogadro open-source molecular editor and visualizer. It is now possible to perform YAeHMOP calculations directly from the Avogadro graphical user interface for materials that are periodic in one, two, or three dimensions, and to visualize band structures, total and projected density of states, and crystal orbital overlap/ Hamilton populations (COOPs/COHPs). Calculations on graphite, silicon, sodium, and a one-dimensional hydrogen chain are provided to illustrate the functionality. Similar exercises have been carried out in an upper-level undergraduate quantum theory course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

pH determination is an essential experiment in many chemistry laboratories. It requires a potentiometric instrument with extremely low input bias current to accurately measure the voltage between a pH sensing electrode and a reference electrode. In this technology report, we propose an open-source potentiometric instrument for pH determination experiments with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The hardware is built on a solderless breadboard and mainly composed of an Arduino Nano microcontroller, a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter, two electronic buffer amplifiers, a temperature sensor, and a Bluetooth module with a total cost around $50 (US dollars, including a portable power supply ~$10). The software is written in Arduino Sketch and the cross-platform Python language, both of which the students can access and modify freely. The instrument was demonstrated with a traditional glass electrode and a custom palladium/palladium oxide pH sensing electrode, and compared with a commercial pH meter. Results showed that both the accuracy and precision of the developed instrument are adequate for teaching purposes. Understanding the workings of electronics of the pH meter can inform the students of the mechanism of pH determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of spectroscopic data to solve chemical structures requires practical skills and drills. In this context, we have developed ULg Spectra, a computer-based tool designed to improve the ability of learners to perform complex reasoning. The identification of organic chemical compounds involves gathering and interpreting complementary information from mass, infrared, Raman, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. Here, special attention is paid to one-dimensional [1]H and [13]C NMR spectra and to two-dimensional NMR spectra because these techniques particularly require extensive interactive data manipulation. ULg Spectra offers tutorial-drill materials, including spectra that are "authentic" in the sense that they contain solvent and impurity traces rather than being "idealized" spectra often found in textbook examples. A public version is accessible online free of charge. The exam results for two groups of students, one having used ULg Spectra for extra home-based training and the other not, were compared. Statistical data demonstrated higher performance for the "trained" students compared with the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of electronic response pads or "clickers" is a popular way to engage students and create an active-learning environment, especially within large chemistry courses. We examined students' perceptions of how the clicker affected their learning, participation, and engagement in the classroom, as well as their overall experience within a first-semester general chemistry course at a liberal arts institution. Overall, students perceived that clickers provided a significant enhancement to their learning, with women valuing the technology to a greater extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A physical organic chemistry experiment is described for second-year college students. Students performed nucleophilic aromatic substitution (NAS) reactions on 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (TPPF20) using three different nucleophiles. Substitution occurs preferentially at the 4-position (para) because it is thermodynamically favored, and the 2- and 6- (ortho) positions are kinetically disfavored because of steric interactions with the porphyrin ring. The activation energy depends heavily on the nucleophile. Open-source software (ImageJ from NIH) was used to quantify relative intensities of spots on a TLC plate obtained from different times and varying temperatures. These data were used to generate Arrhenius plots allowing students to determine relative activation energies for three different primary nucleophiles. The experiment was developed by 5 undergraduates and evaluated by 40 organic chemistry II students and 8 students in a physical chemistry laboratory. Students gained a deeper understanding of the relationships between the NAS mechanism, Arrhenius plots, and activation energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]