ChemEd Digital Library Wikihyperglossary

University Of Arkansas Little Rock, Little Rock AR

Investigators

Abstract

Chemistry (12) This project advances knowledge and practice by demonstrating the applicability of Web 2.0 approaches to chemical education, adding significant value to the Chemical Education Digital Library (ChemEd DL), the NSDL?s chemistry Pathway. JavaScript Automated Search (JAS) and Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) are combined to create a wikihyperglossary (WHG). This tool automates the process by which a user can insert into a digital text document or Web page hyperlinks connecting to glossary definitions that were created or modified by an individual or a community. Hyperlinks can be to textual material such as definitions of words, or they can involve multimedia such as videos showing reactions of the chemical elements or manipulable Jmol structures for molecules. When a user reads a word or phrase in a document that is connected to a glossary term, the information associated with the term can be viewed without leaving the original document. The Web paradigm and its success show the value of making information accessible by mouse click, in text as well as graphics, movie, and audio formats. From students' perspectives, this information needs to also be engaging and personalized. The methods demonstrated by this research enhance the value of the ChemEd DL and can be readily extended to other Pathways and NSDL collections. This project creates a means of adding value to existing information by making learning more convenient and efficient. Teachers are able to quickly and easily enhance text documents to include links to well tested Web resources such as those of the ChemEd DL. Students are able immediately to link documents they are reading with definitions of scientific terms (or add such links to their own work). Members of the public struggling to interpret scientific documents that may be crucial to informed decisions on public policy are much better able to interpret such documents by adding WHG annotation links to information that explains the concepts included in the documents. Those beginning work in new fields of research are able to get up to speed much more rapidly by choosing an appropriate glossary for the new field and annotating research papers that are essential to understanding the field. Those working with new graduate students are able to annotate documents and research papers to provide much more rapid access for neophytes.