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…

Education research provides a range of curricular reform options that can lead to improved student course outcomes. These options can appear easy to implement with the hope of immediate increases in student learning. In 2006 the Ithaca College Physics Department went down this path by moving all of their 100-level courses out of lecture halls and…

The partnership between science and the environment in service-learning projects helps students to make greater connections to the world around them. Service learning provides many benefits to students, faculty, and communities within the context of a college course. However, to prevent frustration, it is important for faculty members to make a…

The Mayo Innovation Scholars Program introduces undergraduates to technology transfer in biomedical sciences by having teams of students from multiple disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, economics, and business) analyze inventions in development at the Mayo Clinic. Over 6 months, teams consult with inventors, intellectual property experts, and…

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…

In this article, the authors describe how they use a strategic planning tool known as SWOT as a framework for case analysis, using it to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a public works project intended to enhance regional economic development in Tempe, Arizona. Students consider the project in light of a variety of…

Describes efforts by Central Washington State College to take courses and programs to the community thus negating the student on-campus residence requirement. Illustrates the effect of this effort by listing the enrollment figures for some science courses taught off campus. (GS)

Presents three science programs developed as special topics courses at one of the two-year regional campuses of the Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Valley. The authors outline these programs in biology, physics and chemistry to illustrate their plasticity for program development and experimentation. (HM)

Outlines the objectives of the National Science Foundation's Science Faculty Professional Development (SFPD), its history, and speculates about its future. (Author/SK)

The ELMO (Embedded Learning Modules) curriculum reform project has designed science curricula for specific nonscience students that fulfill core requirements and demonstrate how science can be engaging and relevant. ELMO students experience science through active learning and group activities that encourage them to make connections between science…

Summarizes the educational objectives and strategies of the Chemical Technician Curriculum Project (Chem TeC), which has the primary objective of preparing a set of texts specifically for training chemical technicians. (PR)

Describes a natural science program that offers twenty-five or more different topics each semester. Presents examples of the topics available and outlines the advantages of this approach. (GS)

Describes an environmental health science technology curriculum designed to provide technicians in the areas of air, water and wastewater analyses, treatment plant operators, public health enforcement officers, and pollution inspectors. (GS)