Undergraduate biology curricula are being modified to model and teach the activities of scientists better. The assignment described here, one that investigates protein structure and function, was designed for use in a sophomore-level cell physiology course at Earlham College. Students work in small groups to read and present in poster format on…

A study of 1,261 doctoral students in chemistry, civil engineering, microbiology, and sociology investigated student experiences with research, employment, and personal misconduct in academic departments, including the effects of departmental structure, department climate, and academic discipline. No disciplinary differences were found, but…

The Université des Lycéens (University of High-School Students) was set up in France in order to make scientific knowledge more relevant to students and to combat a growing lack of interest in science among students. The scheme involves a series of lectures to students by scientists, each followed by a debate. The organisers hope that putting…

To undertake rigorous research in biology and ecology, students must be able to pose testable hypotheses, design decisive studies, and analyse results using suitable statistics. Yet, few biology students excel in topics involving statistics and most attempt to evade optional courses in research methods. Over the last few years, we have developed…

In recent years, the science teaching community and curriculum developers have emphasised the importance of teaching inquiry and teaching science as inquiry. One way of developing learners' skills for planning and carrying out scientific research is by allowing them to perform independent research, guided by a teacher. It was recently discovered…

This research paper describes the use of computer mediated conferencing (CMC) to support the teaching of biology to undergraduates. The use of this pedagogical innovation was a first-time experience for both the instructor and his students. The objectives of this project were to increase students' active participation, to facilitate collaborative…

A study investigated the effects of graduate department structure, department climate, and mentoring experiences on 1,363 doctoral students' subscription to traditional norms of science and to alternative counternorms in 4 disciplines: chemistry, civil engineering, microbiology, and sociology. Substantial ambivalence about traditional norms was…

This proceedings of the 1997 Annual International Conference of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science (AETS) includes a copy of the conference program and 43 papers and presentation summaries from the meeting, placed in order by conference session. Among the topics of the papers include are: reading-to-learn and writing-to-learn…