Customer Reviews

ChemTutor Excalibur

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In the product description and most of the reviews below, this software is presented as an interactive course and the Holy Grail for success in high school or introductory college chemistry. I made the mistake of ordering this software for my high school kids based on the product description and many of the 5-star reviews.

After I received the product from Amazon, I realized I should have paid more attention to a review posted by "marco" on July 4, 2004, who said: "I actually felt like a dupe for buying it". It also raised a question in my mind about the validity of the 5-star reviews, many of which have been posted in quick succession.

As pointed out by the previous review and also by "marco", ChemTutor assumes that you ALREADY know chemistry well. My opinion: ChemTutor is NOT a course, but a collection of multiple choice chemistry test questions with solutions, with the questions presented in random order of difficulty. One can get similar questions/solutions from the usual Chemistry test prep books, and most prep books also cover the basics. "ChemQuiz" might have been a more appropriate title for ChemTutor. I would have returned this product, but with opened software, that's not possible.

Unfortunately, even the ChemTutor software box says "A Complete Interactive Chemistry Course On CD", and has a quote printed on the back which says that with ChemTutor, "I could pretty much throw away my textbook".

This is probably the only instance in a few years of shopping on Amazon, where I felt misled by both the product description and "reviews". For that reason I feel compelled to post this, my first review on Amazon. For the misleading product description, I give this software a rating of 1 star; for the multiple choice questions, I give it 3 stars, resulting in an overall rating of 2 stars.

This program would be a good supplement to a high school chemistry class. The practice tests would provide a helpful review. But as a stand-alone tutor, this program is inadequate.

I wanted something to help me learn chemistry by self-study. With a name like ChemTutor, I was hoping it would teach me chemistry in a coherent, systematic way like a textbook or a class would do. But the so-called tutorial mode is just a bunch of random questions, like a practice test. To learn a subject it takes more than just answering isolated, individual questions, but that is all this software provides. It should be called ChemReview instead of ChemTutor. If you are looking for a standalone program to teach you chemistry by self-study, this is not it.

Also, from a graphical design point of view, the whole thing looks like it was created in the 1980s. There is only over-sized text and basic diagrams. There are no animations, photos, or multimedia of any kind.

I was disappointed with ChemTutor Excalibur.

I have to say that if I were to give this product a rating for information, I would give it 5 stars. But it stops right there. My reasons:

1.) If you haven't taken an introductory course in chemistry or any similar class, this software will surprise you. First, (and this might really shock you) the software does not give you initial lessons or instructions; it will just start asking you questions specific to the topic you picked. It does, however, have an explanation section, which will give you a hint or a briefing on how to solve the problem in front of you. Although sometimes, the explanations are profound or incomplete. It assumes that you know basic chemistry jargon. There are words that you will think you know, but actually have extended or other meanings in chemistry. Second, the concept of the factor-label method or dimensional analysis, which is crucial to solving chemistry math problems, is never taught. Again, the software assumes you know that. Be sure you know it if you're going to buy this software.

2.) There is a bad question organization. No, I take that back, there isn't even a question organization. The questions come up randomly, not in a specific order, which means that sometimes you might get the hardest question in the beggining. This is a big problem if you do not have prior education on the subject. Obviously, you won't be able to do a hard question if you haven't encountered the basic ones, and this will just "oxidize" your patience.

3.) For a software so popular, you wouldn't expect to find low quality images. This seems that the software was done in such a rush--which leads me to another point: there are few noticeable spelling errors, which I think can change the way people spell. Moreover, it gives a bad impression to some users.

But enough of the bad talk, I said I would give it 5 stars for if it were only for information.

ChemTutor® Excalibur is an outstanding, interactive tutorial software package that students can use to learn chemistry without ever opening a textbook. I teach three different levels of chemistry at Westtown School in Pennsylvania, and I use ChemTutor® Excalibur as an integral part of each of the three courses that I teach. In fact, instead of reading their textbooks, I often have my students work with the interactive tutorials in ChemTutor® Excalibur on their own at home, and it definitely helps them to develop a strong understanding of all aspects of general and inorganic chemistry. Both my beginning chemistry students and my advanced students find ChemTutor® Excalibur to be very helpful. The tutorials are excellent and students enjoy working with them much more than reading their textbooks.

And the results have been phenomenal. I started teaching Chemistry in 1978. Since then, my AP students have typically averaged a 4 on the College Board Advanced Placement Exam in Chemistry. They'd get an occasional 5 (the highest score possible) and an occasional 3, but most of my students would score a 4, which is considered to be a pretty good score. But then, in the fall of 2002, our school obtained an unlimited site license for ChemTutor® Excalibur, and my students started using it throughout that academic year. When my Advanced Placement students took the AP Chemistry Exam in May of 2003, all of them scored a 5. In May of 2004, all of my AP students once again earned a 5 on the AP Exam. They had the same teacher and the same textbook as my previous students. I have to believe that the improved performance is due to ChemTutor® Excalibur. My first-year students have also shown significant improvement on the SAT II Subject Test in Chemistry now that they have ChemTutor® Excalibur to help them learn chemistry and to help them prepare for the SAT II.

In reading some of the reviews of ChemTutor® Excalibur on Amazon.com, I noticed a couple of reviewers who have obviously based their review on an earlier edition of ChemTutor®. The Standard Edition of ChemTutor® came out in the 1990s (when computer hardware had limited capabilities compared to today's computers) and was intended to be used as a supplement to any good chemistry textbook. Prior to 2002, I used the Standard Edition in my classroom to help students review for tests and especially term exams; however, the Standard Edition was not intended to be used as a standalone tutorial for chemistry. Students definitely had to learn the material from me or from the textbook first before working with the Standard Edition of ChemTutor®. Due to the limited hard drive space that computers had in the mid 1990s, the Standard Edition did not have the LEARN screens or the EXPLANATION screens that the Excalibur Edition has, which are what make ChemTutor® Excalibur so helpful for struggling chemistry students. The unlucky individuals who wrote those reviews apparently bought used software (not a good idea) from someone who sold them the older Standard Edition instead of the Excalibur Edition.


Kurt M. Wicks
Science Faculty
Westtown School
Westtown, PA

ChemTutor Excalibur can help any student raise his or her grades or simply learn chemistry well. The LEARN and EXPLANATION buttons are a great feature that never leave you confused or stuck on a problem. The explanations are thorough and break down the principles into easily comprehensible pieces. This is a great practice and learning tool.

ChemTutor Excalibur is an interactive software package offering practice tests and providing immediate feedback and tutorials. Students have the choice of taking a tutorial or practice test in one of 20 chemistry topics, or of taking a practice exam including any combination of the 20 topics. Students can request tutorials covering the concepts necessary to answer questions or explanations showing worked-out solutions to questions. Each time students take a practice exam, a new set of questions is randomly selected. A periodic table and other reference tables are built into the program. The following 20 topics are included in the software package:

Atom, Molecules, and Ions
Nomenclature
Chemical Reactions and Equations
Mole Calculations
Stoichiometry
Atomic Theory
Periodic Trends
The Elements
Bonding and Molecular Geometry
Gases
Interparticle Forces and Phase Change
Solution Chemistry
Thermodynamics
Reaction Kinetics
Chemical Equilibria
Acid/Base Chemistry
Oxidation and Reduction Reactions
Electrochemistry
Nuclear Chemistry
Organic Chemistry

ChemTutor Excalibur is an excellent drill and practice system for any chemistry exam, including the AP Chemistry Exam. The feedback presents clear and accurate explanations, and the questions cover a wide range of difficulty levels.


Rhonda Alexander
Chemistry Teacher (AP & PreAP)
Robert E. Lee High School
Tyler, TX

I am an international student. When I first came to the U.S. I had a hard time to understand all the materials in English. I pretty much knew all materials in my language, but english terms and different organization of text book made me more complicated to study chemistry. However, Chemistry tutor excalibur solved all the problems. It explains all the materials with easy and brilliant explanation with useful problems.

I was totally disappointed with this product...I purchased this for my high school aged son and I when I started going through it myself, I actually felt like a dupe for buying it in the first place. First off, this program it not tutorial by any means and it assumes a fair amount of chemistry background. The haphazard presentation of subject matter is more like a trivia game then a serious approach to learning chemistry. I'm not letting my son touch this software - my opinion only - but I could easily imagine a beginner picking this software up and becoming so intimidated by chemistry as to develop a mental block about it.

I am a student of Chemistry AP course in high school. I took regular chemistry course during summer two years ago. Honestly, I forgot everything I learned. My memory's not so good. I was very worried when my teacher said we have a first big test coming up. Then, several of my friends recommended me ChemTutor Excalibur. They said it's great, so I tried it, and it was amazing! It explained many confusing stuffs in a very easy way, and "learn" and "explain" sections helped me more than my text book. Everything is organized very well. It was a great opportunity to experience many types of probolems. Also, great solution and explanation for every problem! I felt like I became a master of Chemistry! Indeed, I got 107 and 102 out of 100 in my two big tests that I took this year. I was very happy about that.
It is also very interesting to study with computer! It's not boring~!
I strongly recommend all of you to get this great helper!!!
ps: since it has very concise explanation, it's also very helpful for the international students!

In our experience, ChemTutor Excalibur has been an extrememly helpful tool in explaining the complex processes, formulas, and ideas at the nucleus of chemistry. It allows students to thoroughly master concepts such as molecular bonding, intermolecular forces, thermodynamics, organic chemistry and much more. First, students are able to become familiar with and practice the material they learn in class with the "tutorial mode" feature. Before exams, the "test simulation mode" feature allows students to quiz themselves on any range of material. Within both the tutorial and test simulation modes, students can choose to access information specific to each question explaining the steps to solving each problem. After completing each of these modes, students can view a summary/assessment of their performance that shows the number of questions answered correctly, the specific questions answered incorrectly, and a percentage grade. This allows students to understand the areas in which they need to improve. ChemTutor especially helps students who learn visually and may not fully comprehend material discussed in class. A "Learn" feature clearly spells out concepts that may be only briefly talked about in class. We would definitely recommend ChemTutor Excalibur to any high school or even college student taking a first-year chemistry course.