There has been renewed discussion of the scientific method, with many voices arguing that it presents a very limited or even wholly incorrect image of the way science is really done. At the same time, the idea of a scientific method is pervasive. This article identifies the scientific method as a simple model for the process of scientific inquiry.…

Describes a chemistry curriculum for college freshmen that uses laboratory study of the chemical composition of meals eaten by students as the central activity from which theoretical and practical learning are derived. Presents a meal analysis flow diagram and a table of concepts included in the program. (GS)

Determined student opinion of the investigative laboratory by surveying both students who had completed an introductory biology course using this format and another group of more advanced students who had taken other courses since this one. Results show that a majority of students feel the format improved their problem-solving skills. (JN)

Biology teachers at Ithaca College have developed a course in experimental methodology and instrumentation that teaches beginning biology students the need for accuracy and precision in measurement. This course is described. (JN)

Describes an experimental biochemistry course designed to teach basic biochemical techniques using an unstudied enzyme as the experimental material. Explains the schedule of experiments designed for the course and lists the sources used. (GS)

Describes a lysozyme assay for use in the biology classroom to teach enzymology. Provides background information, materials and methods, sources of lysozyme, and evaluation of the assay. (DS)

Describes a laboratory activity which can be done with equipment normally available for introductory college courses. It measures the ratio of the radioactivity per unit mass of a unicellular alga to the radioactivity per unit mass of the medium in which it grows. (HM)

Presented is a description of a technical laboratory-oriented science course dealing with the science of enology or wine-making. Experiments and the distillation apparatus are described. (SA)

Describes student-designed laboratories that promote higher-level thinking skills through scientific reasoning, analysis, and evaluation. Discusses development of course objectives, course format and pedagogical assessment, examples of laboratories designed by students, and student response to the laboratory. Contains 13 references. (JRH)

Uses a university campus as the focus for a study of the entire watershed. Presents a context for incorporating pedagogical elements, interdisciplinary teaching, research experience, and active, collaborative strategies into a useful framework for undergraduate science education. (Author/KHR)

Examines the psychology of learning and its application to work in the laboratory. States that the working memory capacity of students is limited; therefore the amount of information they can process needs to be controlled and "recipe following" in the laboratory is perfectly reasonable. (RT)

Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are hired to assume some of the teaching duties in large general chemistry programs. They serve as liaisons between students enrolled in the course and the professor in charge. Being assigned to teach immediately on arrival at graduate school may be overwhelming to novice graduate students. When sending them into…

Describes the use of bio-medically significant materials to teach a self-pacing chemistry laboratory course to nursing majors. Indicates that the student can learn from the course to determine values of body fluid constituents, about their variations among healthy populations, and about difficulties inherent in making such measurements. (CC)

Discusses the offering of day-long sessions entitled "Science and Society" to high school students at Kansas State Teachers College with the purpose of increasing public understanding of science. Included is a brief description of laboratory experiments carried out in the sessions. (CC)

Describes the laboratory portion of a biology course which has been changed to incorporate a self-paced concept allowing students to attend the laboratory at their own convenience. (EB)