Lab components of undergraduate science courses typically have students complete highly directed cookbook-like laboratory activities. These experiences rarely engage students in a meaningful manner and do not accurately convey what the work of science entails. With funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), we have created more…

Many studies illustrate the positive influences of undergraduate research experiences on student learning, attitudes, and retention in the sciences. At our institution, over 90% of the biology majors surveyed reported a desire to participate in undergraduate research, but only 3% per year have the opportunity to work in a traditional…

Education research provides a range of curricular reform options that can lead to improved student course outcomes. These options can appear easy to implement with the hope of immediate increases in student learning. In 2006 the Ithaca College Physics Department went down this path by moving all of their 100-level courses out of lecture halls and…

Describes an introductory college biology course in which the student's rate of progress, goals and instructional procedures are individualized. (PEB)

Describes a curriculum in Environmental Sciences adopted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Includes lists of lower-level courses for the first two years, required courses, and recommended electives. Discusses cooperative education/on-the-job training component, implementation, and evaluation. (Author/JN)

Briefly describes a physics course for nonmajors which focuses on light and color. (PEB)

Summarizes the educational objectives and strategies of the Chemical Technician Curriculum Project (Chem TeC), which has the primary objective of preparing a set of texts specifically for training chemical technicians. (PR)

Describes a natural science program that offers twenty-five or more different topics each semester. Presents examples of the topics available and outlines the advantages of this approach. (GS)

This article highlights the structure of a college horticulture course designed for students with nonscience majors. With an underlying emphasis that science is the manifestation of a basic human need to explain, the course outline illustrates the primary goal of developing and maintaining students' motivation for learning contemporary scientific…

Presents three science programs developed as special topics courses at one of the two-year regional campuses of the Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Valley. The authors outline these programs in biology, physics and chemistry to illustrate their plasticity for program development and experimentation. (HM)

As a newly appointed joint hire in the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Natural Sciences and the College of Education, Department of Middle/Secondary Education, my charge was to bridge the communication gap between these two departments and colleges. To meet this challenge, I developed four collaborative projects between the Natural…

Describes some initial efforts being made to provide students in the allied health sciences with both inter-pathway mobility and upward mobility in their education and careers. Presents problems with the present system, three approaches to dealing with those problems, and developments in the area of core curricula. (GS)

Reports the development of an investigative college program in physical science designed for elementary teachers. (PEB)

Discussed are three aspects of the development of computer-aided learning materials: (1) reconstructing a beginning college physics course to be more efficient and flexible; (2) exploring simulations and learning sequences not usually accessible to students; (3) dissemination of project ideas to administrators and faculty elsewhere. (CS)