A primary goal of university instruction is the students' demonstration of improved, highly developed critical thinking (CT) skills. However, how do faculty encourage CT and its potential concomitant increase in student workload without negatively impacting student perceptions of the course? In this investigation, an advanced biology course is…

Students need to reflect on the practice of science to fully understand the nature of science (NOS), which is an important component of scientific literacy. In this paper, the authors describe how to implement an explicit and reflective pedagogy in college science laboratories and share examples from their implementation in a multiple-section…

The kinetic parameters for the conversion of alpha-D-glucose to beta-D-glucose were measured using a blood glucometer. The reaction order, rate constant, and Arrhenius activation energy are reported for the noncatalyzed reaction and turnover number and Michaelis constant are reported for the reaction catalyzed by porcine kidney mutarotase. The…

This study explores through a naturalistic inquiry the tensions between a science professor's two enacted identities. More specifically, this study looks at how a biology professor's identity-in-practice shifts and evolves over time through collaborations with a science education professor. These shifts were marked by an emphasis on teaching,…

The HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) publication, "External quality arrangements for Scotland's colleges, September 2008," specifies that HMIE will produce a number of subject aspect reports over the four years 2008-2012. These reports complement in a subject-specific context the generic evaluations of learning and teaching in HMIE's…

Academics who specialise in improving the teaching of "hard" sciences like chemistry, biology, maths and physics are increasing in number and influence at Australian universities. Those in academia who have channelled their energies into teaching are delighted with this development. It means that many committed tertiary teachers can now look…

Describes the audio-tutorial program in Botany at Purdue University. Advantages include adaptability to individual stduent needs, integration of laboratory activities and information giving, aid flexibility in use of media and means of presentation. (EB)

It was reported that the length of time using carrel slide-audio programs significantly influenced course grades and that students with ACT scores below 22 gained most from the slide-audio programs. (CP)

Describes the development of an autonomous computer-Assisted-Instruction general physics course for liberal-arts students at Florida State University. The course utilizes an IBM 1500 Instructional System to guide the student through a self-paced program of textbook reading assignments and homework problems, audiotaped lectures, PSSC movies, and…