Traditional general chemistry laboratories are highly structured and used to verify concepts that are covered in the textbook or lecture. This practice is very different from a scientific investigation and is often referred to as “cookbook”. This project aims to transform the traditional emphasis in general chemistry laboratory experiments from individual or paired “cookbook” exercises to an innovative approach. We also aim to further enhance student achievement by fostering problem-solving skills while incorporating the use of cybermedia in the form of PhET interactive labs and Excel program. Incorporating the use of internet-based technologies into chemistry laboratory improves students’ problem-solving skills as well as adding relevance and interest to students’ mastery of the content in the chemistry curriculum. Our method of data collection is a Likert-type and open-ended questionnaire, that was distributed at the end of each of the newly integrated labs into the General Chemistry I curriculum in an anonymous fashion. The collected data enabled us to examine the impact of implementing Excel, PhET interactive labs, and problem-solving session in General Chemistry I laboratory at The City College of New York. Overall, these experiments had a positive impact on the students’ attitudes towards chemistry, contributed to the learning experience, increased their involvement in the topics, and complemented the traditional tabs.

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