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A Collection of the JCE Digital Library (JCE DLib)

JCE SymMath is a collection of Mathcad®, Mathematica®, Maple®, or MATLAB® documents designed to help students learn mathematically intensive aspects of chemistry. Built upon the foundation established by the Only@JCE Online feature Mathcad in the Chemistry Curriculum, JCE SymMath continues to provide peer-reviewed, exemplar examples of using computer algebra systems in chemistry.

The highest priority for acceptance for publication of submissions to JCE SymMath are given to documents that include significant opportunities for students to interact with the material so that they can practice the skills and develop deep understanding of the chemical concepts featured in the document. Accepted submissions will support independent student learning of the content or in-class demonstration of advanced chemical concepts.

Succinct descriptions (summaries) of JCE SymMath documents published here will appear in the Information, Textbooks, Media, Resources section of the Journal of Chemical Education. Such summaries will contain the title, author information, and the URL of the document and explain the scope, target audience, and its place within the chemistry curriculum.These summaries are abstracted by Chemical Abstracts, providing publication credit to the author.

Prospective JCE SymMath documents and summaries should be sent to the feature editor Theresa Julia Zielinski at tzielins@monmouth.edu. Instructions for authors of a Symbolic Mathematics document for this column can be found here and at the New Traditions (NT) Symbolic Mathematics in the Chemistry Curriculum site. The NT collection of Mathcad documents for physical chemistry contains many good examples that demonstrate the level and scope of materials being solicited for JCE SymMath.
 

Three levels of sophistication of materials are envisioned. In the first will be documents that are heavily annotated with respect to chemistry, mathematics, and computer algebra system techniques. These documents will have the highest degree of functionality with respect to students being able to use them in an independent mode or for lectureless instruction or distance learning. The second level will contain those documents that are modestly annotated and/or are missing one or more document components. The third will contain functional documents that lack annotation. If the need arises, a fourth section containing documents under development will be added. This section will contain working drafts and the names of the authors collaborating to develop the documents. By this means we will be able to use the interactive nature of the WWW to best advantage in developing and enhancing submitted materials.

It is possible that more than one document in the collection will address the same chemistry concept, albeit with a different approach. Having several approaches to the same topic provides a mechanism that will permit instructors to find one that will be a closer match to their instructional strategy and the needs of the local student population. Of particular interest are documents that would support the studies of independent learners of chemistry and their instructors.
 

The JCE SymMath collection grew out of NSF-funded systemic curriculum project, Establishing New Traditions: Revitalizing the Chemistry Curriculum. Following a 1995 meeting at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on "New Directions in Teaching Physical Chemistry", Theresa Zielinski began collecting Mathcad® documents for physical chemistry instruction supported initially by the New Traditions project. More recently Zielinski has teamed with the JCE, editing a column, Mathcad in the Chemistry Curriculum, Only@JCE Online. JCE SymMath builds upon this collection of Mathcad® documents to offer other computer algebra system documents that have also been rigorously peer-reviewed and that include information regarding classroom use and evaluation.