In an effort to further develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, a guided-inquiry-based, multioutcome organic chemistry synthesis and characterization experiment was developed. Students were provided with the protocol for a time-saving microwave-assisted acetanilide synthesis reaction from acetic anhydride and an unknown primary aryl…

To best prepare students for the real-world research environment, key skills, including experimental design, data analysis, communication of results, and critical thinking, should be key components of undergraduate science courses. Furthermore, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on in-person teaching has resulted in a need to develop courses that…

Optimization of experimental conditions in chromatography is recognized as a wear-and-tear process involving hundreds of experiments in order to maximize the number of separated compounds for each sample. The critical thinking skills and practices entailed cannot be achieved with students in a conventional lecture class. This report provides a…

Translational medicine (TM) is an interdisciplinary branch of biomedicine that bridges the gap from bench-to-bedside to improve global health. Fundamental TM skills include interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving (4Cs). TM is currently limited in undergraduate biomedical education programs,…

Many studies have reported various interventions to increase critical thinking, but very few studies have examined the impact of learning in classrooms and laboratories. This study aimed to find a learning pattern (practice to theory or theory to practice) in improving students' critical thinking skills (CTs). Pre and posttest nonequivalent group…

Instructional labs are fundamental to an undergraduate physics curriculum, but their possible learning goals are vast with limited evidence to support any particular goal. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of labs with different goals and structures on students' critical thinking skills and views about experimentation, using an extensive…

A green chemistry experiment is presented for teaching an undergraduate quantitative analysis/analytical chemistry laboratory class through the use of black tea leaf extract for the determination of iron in supplement tablets. Dried tea leaf is a safe, low cost, and widely available source of natural extract that can be used in place of more toxic…

Teaching introductory anatomy and physiology (A&P) requires a careful balance of conveying core content while at the same time fostering a deep interest in the subject matter. This is especially true in the laboratory where students are expected to not only master experimental procedures but also connect what they learn in the laboratory to…

The general assembly meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015 adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at achieving a better and more sustainable world by 2030. Incorporating sustainable values through a series of pedagogical strategies into university curricula to help…

This study aimed to examine the effect of four types of assessment on overall student success in an online college-level climate change course. Quizzes, midterms, lab assignments, and a capstone project as well as knowledge check questions were used to assess different aspects of student learning, consistent with Bloom's taxonomy hierarchy.…

To enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills, a project-based learning (PBL) approach for "Instrumental Techniques" courses in undergraduate physical chemistry was specifically developed for a pharmacy bachelor degree program. The starting point of this PBL was an open-ended question that is close to the student scientist's…

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of problem-based scenario method with experiments on the biology self-efficacy and critical thinking tendency of the prospective science teachers. In the study, pre-test and post-test experimental design without any control group was used. The participants of the research were 108…

In undergraduate research settings, students are likely to encounter anomalous data, that is, data that do not meet their expectations. Most of the research that directly or indirectly captures the role of anomalous data in research settings uses post-hoc reflective interviews or surveys. These data collection approaches focus on recall of past…

The recent lockdown of laboratories in the COVID-19 era has negatively impacted many lab-based courses for undergraduate students; however, research project classes have been hardest hit. Unlike the lab-based lecture courses, where many of the lab instructors have resorted to virtual experiments and videos to substitute for actual lab experiments,…

The blue bottle experiment is a popular chemical demonstration because of its simplicity and visual appeal. Most papers on the topic focus on a new formulation or a new presentation, but only a few discuss pedagogical application for a full lab session. This article describes the use of this experiment in the first session of undergraduate…