This study examines the effect of nature journaling on engagement patterns among non-traditional adult learners enrolled in an elementary science methods course. The research aims to bridge a gap in the existing literature by investigating the effectiveness of nature journaling in enhancing learning experiences for this specific demographic.…

Many institutions are preparing graduate students and postdoctorals (future faculty) for effective teaching in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Interestingly, little is known about beneficial features of teaching-development (TD) programs for future faculty after they transition into professoriate roles, and…

As strong proponents of problem-based learning (PBL), the authors designed and taught an interdisciplinary, team-taught PBL course on Writing Science for the Public at a midsize northeastern state university. This approach led to emphasizing collaboration and experiential learning and resulted in media-rich student projects.

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education is a national instructional priority. As part of Southeastern Louisiana University's STEM Outreach Initiative, funded by a Shell Oil Company Foundation grant to raise interest in STEM-related activities, teacher candidates were given the opportunity to leave their classroom to…

As our understanding of complex environmental issues increases, institutions of higher education are evolving to develop new learning models that emphasize synthesis across disciplines, concepts, data, and methodologies. To this end, we argue for the implementation of environmental science education at the intersection of systems theory and…

Undergraduate engineering education in the United States is in need of reform that addresses the recruitment and retention of a diverse population of students. Change Chem is a curriculum reform model that has been created to address this issue for freshman students. This article reports on a mixed method efficacy study of Change Chem, which uses…

Today's undergraduates are highly engaged in a variety of social media outlets. Given their comfort with technology, we wondered if we could use this phenomenon to teach science-related material. We asked students to use freeware to make a short video with text, images, and music as a way to explain scientific concepts that are traditionally…

To supplement the summer reading of National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) members, the NSTA Committee on Research in Science Education suggested a list of science education research articles that were published in the journals of NSTA's affiliates in 2012. These articles covered a variety of topics that include learning about…

The author and colleagues have designed an Exploration Center to supplement lecture-oriented teaching in large introductory physics courses. At the center, students perform hands-on homework problems derived from lecture demonstrations. The style of exploration problems is conceptual and open ended. Methods are discussed for integrating…

Explains an astronomy course with an alternative teaching method that has students investigate their own understanding of astronomy. Describes the value of journal use and its integration into science courses. Lists major components for the integration of journal writing into the course content and discusses student strategies for journal keeping.…

Describes the philosophical orientation and methodology employed in a laboratory chemistry program at Princeton University. Discusses the program's approach and use of challenging experiments, teaching assistants, and mastery teaching. (ML)

Describes successes achieved in the use of active video techniques and discusses their potential contributions to science education on a national scale. (PR)

Provides insights for college-level teachers beginning their tasks of directing student research. (PR)

Explains methods for teaching geology in an enjoyable way through a multidisciplinary, multimodal approach which highlights applications and relevance in an integrated manner. States that it does not endanger formal course content. (RT)

An Introduction to Research course was modified to better teach the process of scientific inquiry to students who were not engaged in research projects. Students completed several tasks involved in research projects, including making presentations in a journal club format, writing mock grant proposals, and working as teams to evaluate grant…