Virtual experiments offer opportunities for students to engage in the scientific process and observe scientific phenomena. However, virtual experiments are not always effective for learning. The current study examined how two small manipulations might support better learning from virtual experiments and the extent to which this varied across…

Students struggle to regulate their learning during independent study sessions. In this study, we ask whether an online behavioral intervention helped introductory students decrease distraction while studying. The intervention consisted of exam 1 reflection, exam 2 planning, and exam 2 reflection exercises. During planning, students formed a goal,…

Undergraduate STEM lecture courses enroll hundreds who must master declarative, conceptual, and applied learning objectives. To support them, instructors have turned to active learning designs that require students to engage in "self-regulated learning" (SRL). Undergraduates struggle with SRL, and universities provide courses, workshops,…

In this Perspective, we contribute to the "Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education" special issue "Opportunities and Challenges of Online Instruction--Blurring the Lines Between Online and On-Site Teaching and Learning" by introducing a framework to guide instructors in transitioning from on-site to online instruction.…

Online learning is a well-established and growing, yet controversial and widely criticized, component of higher education. In this study, in-person and online versions of an undergraduate introductory biology class were compared to determine whether the online version of the course promoted student performance as well as the in-person course.…

Hundreds of thousands of undergraduates enroll in general education science courses to fulfill university core requirements. However, many of these lecture-based courses fail to foster high-level data literacy skills. This work details the design, implementation, and analysis of a new climate change-based classroom activity for college students…

Evolution is one of the most important concepts in biology, but it is rejected by a substantial percentage of religious students due to a perceived conflict with their religious beliefs. The use of religious cultural competence in evolution education (ReCCEE) has been shown to effectively increase evolution acceptance among religious students…

We joined an initiative to engage faculty and undergraduate students in research by scheduling regular early college-level mathematics research presentations with pre- and post-lecture exercises. While our program featured six talks that were predominantly in the mathematical biosciences, the concept of creating themed topics for presentations can…

This article illustrates the use of Microsoft OneNote as an Electronic Notebook for undergraduate biochemistry lab reports as well as student opinions of this use both before and during the online coursework shift during the pandemic.

Effective, e-learning environments include a diverse range of pedagogical practices and should focus on active-learning and student-centered pedagogy. Therefore, it should not be the delivery medium, but rather the instructional methods that facilitate proper learning. Courses that incorporate effective instructional methods will support better…

This study aimed to compare female and male students' attitudes and achievements within different learning settings determined by e-learning and in-classroom learning modalities, collaborative (CL), and traditional (TL) learning pedagogies and investigated the effect of single-gender (SG) and mixed-gender (MG) grouping in an undergraduate biology…

As a high-impact educational practice, cooperative learning uses a structured group study to promote students' active learning. Currently, it lacks economical yet effective tools to facilitate the interactive nature of structured cooperative learning in regular classrooms. Here, we have established a mobile technology-based cooperative learning…

This dissertation explores the utilization of internet-connected devices to address the accessibility challenges associated with microscopy in the field of biology. Traditional microscopy devices are often costly, limiting their widespread adoption in laboratories. To overcome this barrier, we developed a cost-effective multi-well imaging device…

In this study, prospective teachers' views on Augmented Reality (AR) in biology teaching were examined. The study was designed as a case study. The study participants consisted of 16 prospective teachers who took Instructional Technologies and Material Design in the third grade of the Biology Teaching Department of the Faculty of Education of a…

e-Textbooks and e-learning technologies have become ubiquitous in college and university courses as faculty seek out ways to provide more engaging, flexible and customizable learning opportunities for students. However, the same technologies that support learning can serve as a source of frustration. Research on frustration with technology is…