Many questions have been answered by this project but many still remain.  A Big one is,   "Will this approach work across the chemistry curriculum?" Bigger yet is, "Can a data-driven approach work in other disciplines, even those outside of the natural sciences?"  The immediate question, however, deals with whether a realistic curriculum for an entire introductory course can be constructed to mirror the data-driven paradigm.

One of the most interesting results to come from our pilot project is that different instructors using the data-driven approach can present the same concept in quite different formats.  Instructor preference and style is not curtailed at all by using the DDA.  And, the input from different personalities really strengthens the presentation.  This is normal for any effort in teaching and underscores the importance of collaboration among different instructors in formulating a curriculum.  Nothing new in this insight.

Several colleagues have encouraged us to develop specific projects, primarily for the laboratory, that emphasize the data-driven approach.  We are doing just that and want to explore using the CBL (Calculator Based Laboratory of Vernier Software) to allow students to more actively collect the data that they analyze.  We will post the results of these projects on this site as they become available.

We would welcome your comments and inquires concerning our proposed institute or the general ideas behind the data-driven approach.  You can find our addresses under the contact information at this site.