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…

Describes a nonlecture group technique for teaching physics. Test results are compared with classes using the lecture technique. Concludes that a smorgasbord of methods will probably give the student the best educational opportunity to achieve. (Author/PR)

A college chemistry course for nonchemistry majors that uses analysis of food as a starting point for the study of elementary chemistry is described and discussed. (DT)

Inadequacies of the traditional curriculum involving laboratory exercises are reviewed; general features of an integrated laboratory program are described. (DT)

Features of a course designed to increase student understanding of the work and the role of industrial chemists are described. (DT)

This study was designed to determine if an adapted version of Physical Science for Nonscience Students (PSNS), a physical science course used for nonscience majors in college, significantly contributes to an understanding of the scientific enterprise, positive attitudes toward science and scientists, and knowledge of solid matter and the…

Presented is an analysis of Pringle's Paradox as an effective vehicle for developing insight into special relativity. (HM)

This article includes the results of a survey on the use of computers in chemistry education in British polytechnics, and a discussion of this use in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere. The author advocates that chemistry students learn to use, but not necessarily program, computers. (SD)

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the breakdown of Newtonian classical physics and the new concepts of modern physics have changed the treatment of elementary physics in undergraduate college textbooks and to evaluate implications of the change. Forty-three textbooks published between 1910 and 1966 were examined and placed…

A pedagogical approach to gauge invariance is presented which is based on the analogy between gauge transformations and relativity. (Author/SL)

Discusses the desirability of offering introductory college chemistry courses in lecture-laboratory sections and in audio-tutorial sections. (SL)

Describes a "guided design" instructional method utilized to introduce introductory physics students to decision-making processes and the role such processes play in physics. Guided design involves students in making decisions one step at a time in the solution of an open-ended problem, and is applicable to other disciplines. (SL)

Attempts to delineate certain basic principles and applications of bioinorganic chemistry to oxidation-reduction reactions. Examines why zinc(II) is so uniquely suited to enzymated reactions of the acid-base type. Suggests the answer may be in the natural abundance and the basic physicochemical properties of zinc(II). (MVL)

This second report from the Analytical Chemistry Subcommittee presents ideas for using real-life samples for student analysis and for introducing the topic of developing procedures for analysis. (DT)