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…

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…

Quantitative reasoning is a key intellectual skill, applicable across disciplines and best taught in the context of authentic, relevant problems. Here, I describe and assess a laboratory exercise that has students calculate their "carbon footprint" and evaluate the impacts of various behavior choices on that footprint. Students gather…

Dual-enrollment (DE) science courses offer a way to strengthen the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics pipeline between high school and college. These courses offer high school students the opportunity to experience college science in a more supported environment, allowing them to adjust to the different academic and social demands…

Describes a semistructured approach to the laboratory situation in organic chemistry. (Author/PEB)

Presents a program designed to provide nonscience majors with some insights into the experimental nature of physical science via visits to research laboratories. (PEB)

Describes a laboratory method of determining the formula for metal oxide, provides brief descriptions of two new courses at Kansas State Teachers College, and reports on meetings identifying critical needs in science education. (AL)

There has been renewed discussion of the scientific method, with many voices arguing that it presents a very limited or even wholly incorrect image of the way science is really done. At the same time, the idea of a scientific method is pervasive. This article identifies the scientific method as a simple model for the process of scientific inquiry.…

Describes a chemistry curriculum for college freshmen that uses laboratory study of the chemical composition of meals eaten by students as the central activity from which theoretical and practical learning are derived. Presents a meal analysis flow diagram and a table of concepts included in the program. (GS)

Describes a laboratory-based, individual-progression, introductory physical science course designed for elementary education majors and for meeting general education requirements. The course is designed to examine how we know and why we believe" and to convey some sense of the nature, successes, and limitations of scientific thought." (AL)

Described is an application of educational technology that serves 700 students enrolled in 7 biology courses. Audiovisual and computer-assisted instruction are included. The integration of interactive audio with computer software is highlighted. (CW)

Described is a program for two-week, tuition-free courses offered twice a year dealing radiation and radioactivity. Laboratory exercises, tours, schedules, enrollment and accreditation, and staffing are discussed. (CW)