MCH Multimedia's Introductory Chemistry could easily be used as a complete high school or introductory college level course. This educational science software functions almost like an interactive version of a well-designed textbook. So much so that it seems natural to talk about each topic as a chapter. While this is an introductory course, the material is challenging. Even though the application doesn't require any prior background in chemistry, it is definitely designed for more advanced high school students or beginning college students.
Educational science software should allow for a variety of learning styles. While Introductory Chemistry is largely text based, it does use a variety of teaching tools that would not be possible in a traditional textbook. The screen is small, and the chunks of text and instruction displayed are very manageable. Students can easily focus on one piece of information before moving on to the next.
Most pages have audio instruction, but not all. This audio instruction is not just a voice reading the text; it is an explanation of the topic in different words. This will be helpful for auditory learners, and visual learners may choose to turn off the sound. Our only concern with the audio instruction was the lack of anything indicating that audio was available. It would be nice to see a graphic alerting users to expect audio on a given page. More than once our reviewers were startled by the audio when moving from a non-audio page to an audio page.
This application uses animation to help students visualize complex concepts. For example, one simple animation shows a visual of a chemical reaction. The program also makes excellent use of charts and graphs to illustrate ideas that are not obvious or concrete.
Most of the sections include post-learning quizzes. There is also a chapter of practice problems. You can choose to practice with hints or have the program set up a timed test. This is especially helpful for students studying for the AP Chemistry or other tests.
Other tools include access to a basic calculator and online resources at MCH Multimedia's website, such as a periodic table, math principles and equations, and tables of handy information related to chemistry. The software also has a notebook feature. While it can be useful to have an integrated note-taking tool within educational science software, the virtual notebook is not as functional as traditional notebook or word processor. Text cannot be formatted; and once a note is entered, it can't be edited. Some students may find taking notes with a pen and paper a better fit.
One of our favorite tools is the Find feature—basically a searchable index. This tool pops up a search box that allows students to search for pages that contain a word or phrase and then navigate from the search box to those pages.
MCH Mulitmedia's Introductory Chemistry is designed to give in-depth instruction. It covers a wide variety of topics that would be included in a typical high school or college introductory course.
Topics covered in MCH Multimedia's Introductory Chemistry course:
- Matter, atoms and ions
- Chemical compounds
- Chemical stoichiometry
- Chemical reactions
- Ideal gases
- Gas kinetics
- Solids
- Solutions
- Equilibrium
- Acids and bases
- Electrochemistry
- Energy and entropy
- Chemical kinetics
- Electromagnetic theory
- Quantum mechanics
- Bonding
- Main group elements
- Transition elements
- Organic chemistry
- Organic compounds
- Biochemistry
- Nuclear chemistry
- Practice problems
Installation is fairly simple. You can purchase a physical disc or choose an internet download. We chose the download and found that installation was pretty straightforward. We did have a small issue in Vista, but a quick email to the company solved the problem. Once you've installed the program, you'll need activation codes from MCH Multimedia to activate it.
Using this educational science software is also relatively straightforward. It can be a little challenging finding your way around at first, but once you get the hang of how the information is organized, navigation is pretty simple. A navigation bar on the right of the screen shows you where you are in each chapter. Depending on the section you click on, you'll see different subheadings for each section. There is also a toolbar on the far right of the screen from which you can always access the main menu, chapter headings, your notebook and the table of contents. The table of contents keeps track of where you've been by marking the sections you've already visited with a check mark. From the toolbar you can also access the Find tool and the quiz questions for the chapter. The last button on the toolbar will mute the audio.
The in-program help menu directs you back to MCH Multimedia's website. There you'll find a physical address and an email address to contact for technical support. In our email communication with MCH Multimedia, we found them to be helpful and responsive to our questions.
MCH Multimedia's Introductory Chemistry is comprehensive and useful. The content caters to a variety of learning styles and makes good use of tools such as text, audio, charts, graphs and animation. The additional tools and the depth of topics make this a great choice for students who want a stand-alone, in-depth science course.
