Biomedical engineering (BME) is a multidisciplinary, constantly advancing field; as such, undergraduate programs in BME must continually adapt. Elective courses provide opportunities for students to select topic areas relevant to their interests or future careers. Specifically, laboratory courses allow experiential learning in specialized topics…

The scope of this preliminary study revolves around investigating the effectiveness of experiential learning in upper-year science laboratory courses in a post-pandemic era. In this study we have explored two key questions: 1. Can experiential learning facilitate independent inquiry in an upper-year undergraduate laboratory in a post-pandemic era?…

Hands-on learning is a staple in high school science education, as it provides students with a fast-learning curve and a great degree of field competency. However, due to the safety risks associated with high school students in university chemistry laboratory settings, high school students rarely engage in authentic hands-on chemical learning. To…

Students often enter chemistry laboratory courses with a well-documented disconnect between their experiences outside the classroom and the procedures, concepts, and techniques that occur in our courses. Strong base, weak acid titration experiments are present in general chemistry laboratories but also relate to foods our students are familiar…

Affect and emotions matter to science learning. They also matter because they are integral to science identity formation and sense of belonging. This study aims to foreground the epistemic and affective character of laboratory work in higher science education by conceptualizing it as epistemic practice, in which students activate their body and…

The switch to online learning required a creative solution to allow for the experiential learning outcomes of the program to be satisfied when access to physical spaces and equipment was restricted. This paper describes a collaborative process between technical and support staff as well as research and teaching faculty that led to the creation of…

According to national labor market information study, access to talent is the greatest business challenge Canadian biotech companies are facing. We, therefore, developed, implemented, and assessed a pharma industry-inspired, medicinal research laboratory module in an experiential capstone biotechnology laboratory course. This involves developing a…

In this paper we designed a STEM outreach program with a modular tissue engineering education tool (we refer to as "modular cyclic-stretch device") to engage high school students in STEM hands-on activities. Using simple machines such as gears and rotating cams, students were able to build a custom device to apply cyclic stretch to…

We developed an introductory chemical engineering design laboratory course coupling traditional, hands-on, and virtual learning techniques. The course is centered on a set of interactive, online simulations mimicking laboratory experimentation, which the students complete for homework prior to completing a corresponding hands-on experiment as a…

This study explored practices that Canadian soil scientists use to educate postsecondary students, K-12 students, and the general public. The most commonly used type of educational activities described by survey respondents, regardless of the settings and the type of target audience, were field-based hands-on activities. The other two commonly…

Zeolite Y has an iconic crystal structure, but more importantly, the hydrogen modification zeolite H-Y is the classic example of a solid acid which is used extensively as a catalyst in the oil industry. This metastable compound cannot be synthesized directly, which creates an opportunity to discuss various preparative strategies with the students,…

This study examined laboratory experiments and traditional lecturing as an introductory teaching method in physics. In this participatory action research study, a qualitative and quantitative method were used to examine the level of achievement and the levels of engagement of high school students in introductory physics. The qualitative data was…

A hands-on educational module was created to illustrate the scope of chemical engineering. Students are taught fundamental concepts that they integrate in a laboratory experience designing and fabricating a 'plant-on-a-chip' microfluidic device capable of continuous processing of reactive flows. Students gain insight into chemical engineering…

A Wolff-Kishner reaction that does not require hydrazine has been developed. The reaction sequence has two steps: formation of a carbomethoxyhydrazone from methyl hydrazinocarboxylate and acetophenone, then decomposition of this intermediate by treatment with potassium hydroxide in triethylene glycol. Purification is by filtration through a plug…

Lab activities have been innovated and progressed to fulfill the purpose that students need to experience physics concepts through hands-on and minds-on interactions. However, student-centered and conceptual activities in physics labs are challenged with time and material constraints that degrades the merits of the learning environment. This study…