This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an inquiry-based laboratory for sophomore-level organic chemistry into a mostly cookbook, existing laboratory curriculum. For the laboratory, students were required to generate their own procedures and use their own recorded data from prior laboratory assignments to identify an…

Purpose: Hands-on training in tissue engineering is often associated with specialized labs and expensive equipment, such as CO[subscript 2] incubators. To minimize the use of costly commercial incubators and provide a more vivid engineering experience in a biology lab, we present a hands-on project that introduces medium to large groups of…

The laboratory plays a crucial role in science education. However, teacher education for pre-service teachers' design performance in the laboratory is still challenging. This study paved the way for redesigning traditional laboratory teaching into a student-centered approach: inquiry-based design thinking (IBDT). To investigate the impact of the…

Background: Given the increased emphasis on active learning in psychology, it is important to use data to enhance these experiences. In learning courses, both live animals and virtual training laboratories have been found to enhance learning, but less research has examined student preferences. Generally, live rats are preferred, but students may…

An effective, practical approach for incorporating molecular biology tools to biology and biochemistry students is described. For 6 weeks, students are exposed to bacterial transformation, plasmid DNA purification and analysis, parasite transfection, ectopic expression of fluorescent proteins, fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry analysis.…

It has been shown that active learning strategies are effective in teaching complex STEM concepts. In this study, we developed and implemented a laboratory experiment for teaching the concepts of Boolean logic gates, molecular beacon probes, molecular computing, DNA logic gates, microRNA, and molecular diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, which…

Rock and mineral labs are fundamental in traditional introductory geology courses. Successful implementation of these lab activities provides students opportunities to apply content knowledge. Inquiry-based instruction may be one way to increase student success. Prior examination of published STEM labs indicates that geology labs, particularly…

Contribution: An innovative teaching experience carried out at the University of Trento using team-based learning (TBL) in a large computer networks class. The impact of TBL on the students' learning and satisfaction was investigated. Background: Active learning pedagogies, including TBL, play an important role in enhancing higher-order cognitive…

Laboratory work in chemistry has been extensively researched in the last decade but the gap between research and practice is still broad. This "Perspective" shares 10 guiding principles relating to university laboratory education, drawing on research over the last decade. Written with an audience of practitioners in mind, the…

Project-Enhanced learning is an excellent way to facilitate student-centered learning along with traditional lecture-based learning. In this Class and Home problem, an example of Project-Enhanced learning is provided that can be used in the Mass and Energy Balances (MEB) course. The students solve this problem as part of a group while receiving…

Laboratory learning in the life sciences is historically centered around following recipe-like instructions to complete activities with defined outcomes. The American Association for the Advancement of Science's "Vision and Change" report has called for a change in science teaching. The report emphasizes the importance of providing…

Intrinsic motivation plays a unique mediating role in student academic performance. An inquiry-based learning (IBL) physics practical is studied in terms of effects on secondary school students' intrinsic motivation towards performing science practicals. After performing IBL experiments on ionizing radiation, 38 secondary school physics students…

We redesigned our undergraduate laboratories to create a structured sequence that continuously improves the learning experience of students. We utilized a PBL and PjBL approach in which students are progressively introduced to ill-structured open-ended problems, the development of projects, and the creation of research products. We dynamically…

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is expected to create a greater sense of presence that might improve students' laboratory learning experiences. However, little research has verified the influence of presence on students' perceptions toward immersive laboratory learning. The current study, which is based on the expectation confirmation model,…

Many students find introductory general chemistry courses difficult because they feel alienated by traditional approaches to teaching and learning. This can become particularly problematic in laboratory sessions where students simply follow processes and procedures that students can view as being mundane and lacking creativity. Contextualised…