Problem-based learning (PBL) is an acclaimed educational concept for laboratory teaching in chemistry, which significantly affects learner motivation. A central aim of PBL is to overcome educational problems with "cook-book" laboratories. For example, when students receive experimental instructions and apply the instructions similar to…

Student feelings towards the laboratory component of an introductory chemistry unit were evaluated in an action research study, over a three-year period at the University of Western Australia. In 2013 we found that the percentage of students with negative feelings towards the laboratory increased over the duration of a semester. In 2014 we…

Women contend with gender bias in certain science contexts, which suggests they may be likely to adopt prevention-focused modes of regulation aimed at maintaining safety and security in such settings. This study represented an integrated test of regulatory focus theory (RFT; Higgins, 1997, 1998) and the critical mass hypothesis, which assumes that…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are often used as instructors in undergraduate introductory science courses, particularly in laboratory and discussion sections associated with large lectures. These GTAs are often novice teachers with little opportunity to develop their teaching skills through formal professional development. Focused…

Blended learning combines face-to-face class based and online teaching and learning delivery in order to increase flexibility in how, when, and where students study and learn. The development, integration, and promotion of blended learning in frameworks of curriculum design can optimize the opportunities afforded by information and communication…

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been endorsed as a powerful instructional tool in higher education; however, relatively little is known about the long-term effects of participation in these programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the educational enhancements of URE participation from the perspective of practicing…

Many studies have stressed students' lack of understanding of experiments in laboratories. Some researchers suggest that if students design all or parts of entire experiment, as part of an inquiry-based approach, it would overcome certain difficulties. It requires that a procedure be written for experimental design. The aim of this paper is to…

This article discusses the incorporation of biological content into existing calculus courses without significantly changing the courses. This is exemplified by the common laboratory course taken by students in all first semester calculus courses at Benedictine University. Several biologically oriented projects are implemented in this laboratory…

A common cellular alteration, reduced post-burst afterhyperpolarization (AHP) in CA1 neurons, is associated with acquisition of the hippocampus-dependent tasks trace eyeblink conditioning and the Morris water maze. As a similar increase in excitability is correlated with these two learning paradigms, we sought to determine the interactive…

After establishing the assumed legitimacy, in vocational science syllabuses, of practical laboratory work aims relating to the elucidation of theoretical concepts and principles, the author examines the relationship between practical work and the cognitive structure of science theory, particularly in the light of recent skepticism. (Author/CH)

Nanoscience refers to the fundamental study of scientific phenomena, which occur at the nanoscale--nanotechnology to the exploitation of novel properties and functions of materials in the sub-100 nm size range. One of the underlying principles of science is development of models of observed phenomena. In biology, the Hardy-Weinberg principle is a…

Fear extinction is defined as a decline in conditioned fear responses (CRs) following nonreinforced exposure to a feared conditioned stimulus (CS). Behavioral evidence indicates that extinction is a form of inhibitory learning: Extinguished fear responses reappear with the passage of time (spontaneous recovery), a shift of context (renewal), and…

Describes a model using correctional industries to train inmates for successful existence in the labor force after release. (CH)