Active learning is the new standard for teaching in higher education. As more faculty seek to expand their teaching practices by including active-learning activities that promote higher levels of learning, many are doing so in small doses by temporarily postponing traditional lectures in favor of group activities. While there is evidence…

This article provides two additional mnemonics that can serve to help undergraduate students recall how to apply the rules of writing net ionic equations. These mnemonics were incorporated into dozens of lecture and laboratory class content, which includes hundreds of undergraduate (health professions and physical science major) students. As a…

Movies have long been used for teaching in undergraduate science courses. However, embedding movie references (EMR) in science videos is a new trend. This study explored how EMR in YouTube science videos might affect the nature of comments and the process of learning science. Using constructivist grounded theory, we compared comments on two…

After a grueling grading campaign, a chemist asked a writing and rhetoric specialist for help improving formal reports in the introductory organic chemistry lab. Together, we realized that the very best student reports employ many persuasive moves in the combined results and discussion subsection, whereas weaker papers omit the persuasive…

As introductory college science courses transition from large, passive lectures to more student-centered active learning environments, additional instructional support may be needed. Peer Learning Assistants (PLAs) can aid course transformations by helping facilitate active learning and peer engagement among students in the classroom. Pedagogical…

Students come into the classroom with a variety of background knowledge. Therefore, it is imperative that educators are able to help all students, regardless of their familiarity with the content. Since it can be challenging for some large enrollment classes to schedule recitation classes after lectures due to logistical constraints, this study…

There are multiple ways to put science into a case. This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month's issue discusses different ways of presenting science in case studies.

With calls to reassess higher education teaching methods, active learning practices have quickly become a popular alternative to traditional lectures, especially in STEM courses that traditionally rely heavily on large-lecture formats. In this regard, active learning environments stand to better prepare students for life after college; however,…

In this article, the authors describe how classroom observations were used to characterize differences in instructional practices among undergraduate science courses. Student and faculty behaviors and dialogues were quantified using the Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP) in introductory science courses across multiple disciplines…

This paper describes an alternative approach to teaching and learning practices in an undergraduate physics laboratory. The instructor plans and implements the 5E instructional model into the laboratory instruction. The article includes an example of the 5E lesson for the laboratory component of a physics course, which has separate lecture and…

English language learners are increasingly entering classrooms using student-centered instruction that places a greater emphasis on spoken language. While active learning is beneficial for a range of student outcomes, these practices force language learners to carry a heavy cognitive load in a complex and challenging environment. This experiment…

This article reports the findings of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) model intervention study in an introductory biology course at a Puerto Rican private university. PLTL introduces to the traditional class format an additional workshop session in which students interact in small groups to solve challenging exercises under the guidance of a peer…

Mayo Clinic annually trains over 1,000 predoctoral students and postdoctoral research fellows in medicine and biomedical sciences. However, training opportunities are limited for those interested in teaching and mentoring undergraduates. Predoctoral students sought to provide practical, trainee-led, pedagogical learning opportunities. A survey…

In this study, we analyzed the literature on teaching or learning on a topic in Earth science, environmental science, or climate change between 1995 and 2017. We investigated the length of the intervention, intervention setting and instructional level, instructional purpose, pedagogical framing and pedagogical methods (including what materials and…

Understanding of evolution is foundational to be a scientifically literate citizen because it allows analysis of socioscientific issues, such as biodiversity conservation, biotechnology applications, and human-induced climate change. Unfortunately, students who weakly understand evolution fail to understand its importance in everyday life and…