The number of real-world laboratories (RwLs) as research settings to address sustainability problems by using collaborative and experimental approaches has been growing steadily over the past years. RwLs are widely considered promising settings for the production of action-orientated knowledge in order to contribute solving wicked real-world…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] In recent years, physics instructional labs have been under considerable research and development. However, there seems to be no shared understanding of how the assessment of instructional labs should be arranged to best serve students'…

The laboratory is an integral component of engineering education, resulting in a multitude of studies. Generally, the research focus is on the laboratory innovation, rather than learning itself. It is observed that empirical evidence is strongly built around student perceptions of their learning or experience via survey instruments; and in some…

Recent calls for reform have advocated for extensive changes to undergraduate science lab experiences, namely providing more authentic research experiences for students. Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have attempted to eschew the limitations of traditional "cookbook" laboratory exercises and have received…

Today, nearly forty years after writing centers first began to proliferate, it is worthwhile to reflect on the themes that emerge from empirical material surrounding writing center assessments, for reflecting on these themes may help administrators to refine current assessment practices and scholars to redirect their research. The goal of this…

The English Microlab Registry (EMR) was first designed as a database, or research tool, for planners of English microlabs in order to give them access to information about all aspects of microlab management. But EMR also provides descriptive data about what a microlab is and may well provide insight into whether those labs will survive. An…

Reviews studies focusing on practical assessment in science. Areas considered include what students are really doing in laboratories, how practical skills should be assessed, methods used to assess practical science (such as internal/external examinations and continuous assessment), methodological issues, and reasons for the failure of some…

Methods are described for quantifying and formalizing assessment of traumatic brain injury patient families. The advantages and disadvantages of empirical and clinical assessment are outlined, and four family assessment methods are reviewed: self-report, interview, observation, and laboratory. Specific assessment instruments are noted along with…

Discusses the use of computers in college classrooms as presentation systems, as structured laboratories, to modify traditional lectures, and for self-paced instruction. Classroom dynamics are discussed, needed curricular modifications are considered, appropriate evaluation techniques are suggested, and problems are examined, including a lack of…