The development of professional skills is essential for biology students to be successful in their future careers. However, current teaching approaches often fail to provide adequate training. The aim of this theory to practice study was to develop an effective methodology for improving the professional skills of biology students through…

Research exploring the advantages and limitations of different laboratory modes on student learning is critical so that engineering instructors can design hybrid/blended laboratories to maximise student learning. However, limited research explores the impact of take-home laboratories on student learning. This article documents the impact that the…

Occupations in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are growing faster than all other fields in the United States. While this is exciting, there is concern that many of these positions will go unfilled, as students in STEM are leaving their educational pursuits at an alarming rate. The following two studies provide an in-depth…

Project-based learning (PBL) research is shown to improve students' higher-order thinking skills. In this article, we describe an adaptation of the PBL model that is suitable for colleges with limited science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research capabilities. Our objective was to design a meaningful research project requiring minimal…

In our previous work, we piloted a specifications grading system in an organic chemistry laboratory course with 37 students. Our current work describes the scale up of that specifications grading system to a course with over 1,000 students. Strategies used for keeping the system manageable and mitigating the time commitment required to do so are…

With the growing attention to the effective use of social network analysis in explaining student learning in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, the authors explore why college students share knowledge and how they achieve their learning in a laboratory class. In particular, the authors investigate how the social…

Practical laboratory sessions are essential for engineering education, demanding efficient use of limited time. In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have introduced Virtual Laboratories (VLs), offering the potential to enhance students' educational experience. Despite their potential, VLs are rarely utilised in civil engineering…

Estimation of soil texture is an essential skill for soil scientists, but a difficult skill to learn. We compared two approaches for teaching soil texture: the traditional flowchart approach and an experimental self-calibration method. Three lab sections of an introductory soil science class were assigned to learn by the flowchart method (n = 60)…

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected teaching processes worldwide, particularly in laboratory-intensive courses. To adapt, online experiments have been implemented globally. In response, educators at the Department of Chemistry, Chulalongkorn University, developed a Lab@Home chemistry experiment for their general chemistry lab course…

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…

Current research suggests that students often fail to focus equally on the three aspects of scientific argumentation (cognitive, epistemic, and social) when they are given an opportunity to engage in argumentation. This study examined student argumentation within a two-semester general chemistry laboratory sequence at East Carolina University to…

To optimize learning experience and improve learning performance, current virtual experimental systems usually assist students with stepwise guidance before operations and feedback after them. However, stepwise and excessive guidance can lead to student overreliance, while late feedback cannot avoid potential errors during experimental learning.…

Understanding ongoing chemical processes in the laboratory requires constant shifting between different representational levels--the macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic levels--and analysis of the various mechanistic features of each of these levels. Thus, the ability to explain observations of chemical phenomena with regard to their…

Embalming fixatives such as formaldehyde and phenol have been associated with occupational health hazards. While anatomists aim at replacing these chemicals, this seems presently unfeasible in particular for formaldehyde. Furthermore, fixation protocols usually require well-equipped facilities with highly experienced staff to achieve good fixation…

Experimental methods for determining 3-D atomic structures, such as crystallography, are rarely taught in the undergraduate curriculum, yet are considered to be the norm for 3-D structure determination in a research setting. Although a fully physical understanding of crystallography takes years of practice, practical applications and basic…