Triboluminescence is a fascinating phenomenon that can engage students' interest in chemistry. However, safe, cost-effective, and accessible laboratory experiments featuring highly triboluminescent substances are limited. To bridge this gap, we present a simple, rapid, semimicro test tube preparation of the visually engaging manganese complex…

Current research suggests that students often fail to focus equally on the three aspects of scientific argumentation (cognitive, epistemic, and social) when they are given an opportunity to engage in argumentation. This study examined student argumentation within a two-semester general chemistry laboratory sequence at East Carolina University to…

This article explores results from a 3-year model of laboratory instruction, Project Synapse, that synthesized biology, chemistry, and communication curricula for firstyear science majors at a STEMfocused university. Laboratory biology-chemistry integration was featured at natural intersections where disciplines used similar tools, such as…

Students who experience research as undergraduates tend to remain in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Since course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are often expensive to implement, we developed a relatively inexpensive first-semester research course for majors entitled "Freshman Research in…

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…

Few laboratory exercises exist that introduce undergraduate students to both the concepts and instrumentation used in rotational spectroscopy. Because of this gap in undergraduate laboratory training, a teaching laboratory for the pure rotational spectroscopy of benzonitrile has been developed and reported. Owing to benzonitrile's recent discovery…

A new project-based laboratory (PJBL) was developed for general chemistry students to tackle the steps involved in chemical water quality analysis using an accessible, real-world hydrologic system (the lakes of the Lower Grand Coulee, Washington). This PJBL was developed in a joint general chemistry and environmental geology course by a…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are increasingly popular, but less often implemented in core laboratory courses due to the strict learning objectives necessary for follow-on courses. A curricular core intermediate-level experimental biosciences laboratory course was implemented, which paired competency-based assignments…

Acid-base titration laboratories are perennially offered to general chemistry students in preparation for summative assessments of their hands-on and quantitative skills in the field. Here, we present a guided inquiry-based activity focused on total titratable acidity (TTA) as alternative to standard "cookbook" titration laboratory work.…

The Spring 2020 semester students were faced with the challenge of adjusting how they learned in the middle of the semester, as the situation changed from instructors holding group office hours and study sessions for the upcoming midterm exams to faculty and students scrambling to gather their belongings before the impending lockdown. Immediately…

The role of the school science laboratory, once taken for granted as verification of taught theory using prescribed ('cookbook' to critics) practical activities, has become less clear since the emergence of the 'inquiry' paradigm in which the school laboratory would appear to become a make-believe science research laboratory. But a school science…

Since the sudden emergence of COVID-19 global pandemic, all educational institutions have looked to move resources and delivery online. Some institutions had already embraced delivering instruction in this way; however, broader adaptation to this teaching style is new to many educators. While the teaching of theoretical concepts is more easily…

Based on quantitative survey data collected from an inquiry-based general chemistry laboratory course, the current study used marginal models to evaluate changes in students' teamwork and problem-solving skills, attitudes to teamwork, and willingness to explore new issues before and after the course. The results suggest that introductory-level…

Technique-centered biochemistry or molecular biology undergraduate laboratory curricula do not offer significant opportunities for thoughtful, in-depth exploration of the science to foster investigative learning. To demonstrate inclusion of inquiry-driven laboratory experiments into the undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology curricula, a…

Chemistry laboratory experiences provide students the opportunity to engage all three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive and affective. However, they are often stressful environments where students are expected to quickly learn new laboratory techniques, and collect data in a short amount of time. In principle, providing additional…