University courses are often interconnected; however, the connections between these courses remain unclear to many students. This is particularly important in the field of forensic science since each stage of the investigation, from the crime scene to the courtroom, has significant implications on the outcome of a case and the individuals…

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated changes in educational strategy, including modification of assessments. Students in the Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program at Duke University School of Medicine are required to take a course entitled "Organ Systems" (OS), which includes organ histology. In pre-pandemic circumstances, cumulative…

This paper reports on a study aiming at examining whether online argumentation enhance the teacher candidates' scientific habits of mind (SHOM). The study was carried out as a pre-experimental design including pre and post-test. Scientific Habits of Mind scale, interviews and written arguments were used as data collection tools. Google Classroom,…

Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) should be taught according to the scientific practices, avoiding cumulative and memory knowledge construction, but favoring scientific thinking. A way to achieve this goal is to apply activities involving scientific news, which construct knowledge through significant learning and the development of critical thinking.…

Peer-led team learning is a socially mediated pedagogy where trained peer leaders, students who have completed a course, return to lead students in groups within a targeted course. The effect of peer-led team learning to improve student success in chemistry has been extensively documented but it is unclear if it is just as effective at…

Functional feeding guild classification of aquatic insects is partly based on mouthpart morphology, but the link between mouthpart morphology and ecological feeding roles is often missed by students in the classroom. We implemented a Jigsaw activity in a freshwater biology course to help students connect morphology and ecology. Paired students…

Interactive digital technologies are playing an increasingly important part in education for enhancing collaborative learning processes and improving engagement. Social annotation (SA) tools and collaborative platforms are an innovative way to involve students to give and take feedback, annotate, and brainstorm on complex topics in science,…

Increasing student engagement with the social practices of science (i.e., communication, collaboration, and critique) is a goal throughout K-16 science education and provides an opportunity for science educators to leverage student discourse to optimize learning. Yet how instructors can encourage forms of discourse which predict increased…

Historically, undergraduate anatomy and physiology (A&P) has been a challenging course for incorporating conceptual learning techniques due to large class sizes and an emphasis on content and terminology. The project utilized the Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) strategy to create short activities based on real-world scenarios that incorporated…

This study investigates if collaboration and the level of heterogeneity between collaborating partners' problem-solving scripts can influence the extent to which pre-service teachers engage in evidence-based reasoning when analyzing and solving pedagogical problem cases. We operationalized evidence-based reasoning through its content and process…

Scientific competencies, as defined in the German competency framework, describe the ability to think independently and act scientifically which is a central component of medical education. This report describes integration of scientific competencies into anatomical teaching. Based on findings seen in two consecutive years of dissection courses,…

In undergraduate science education, emphasis is often placed on teaching subject matter rather than science process skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving). Although important to scientific training, these skills are often not taught because they are challenging to teach. We therefore present a case-scenario activity that aims to…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are being increasingly implemented to broaden the opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in authentic research across STEM disciplines including chemistry. The present review synthesizes the literature on chemistry CUREs, encompassing 68 articles published between 2016 and 2022…

Experimental courses for undergraduate students majoring in biochemistry or related subjects often do not provide students with systematic and research-based experiences. To help students develop abilities related to laboratory techniques, data analysis, and systematic thought in biology, we performed an exploratory program that employs…

Beyond students' ability to manipulate variables and solve problems, chemistry instructors are also interested in students developing a deeper conceptual understanding of chemistry, that is, engaging in the process of sensemaking. The concept of sensemaking transcends problem-solving and focuses on students recognizing a gap in knowledge and…