An interdisciplinary group of faculty members from Tufts University developed an undergraduate civic science course designed to help students better understand and interpret the broad, sociocultural impacts of science. The course teaches principles of civic science and was designed around four facets of learning. These facets lay groundwork for…

Retaining college-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students remains a priority in higher education. A variety of methods have been shown to increase retention, including mentorship, tutoring, course enhancements, community building, and engagement in high-impact practices such as undergraduate research. In 2011, an…

Investigates the effectiveness of guided inquiry laboratories for the first semester general chemistry course for science majors at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. The focus is on three skills: data interpretation, hypothesis formation and the experimental testing of hypotheses. (HM)

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 how the National Science Foundation awarded 59 grants to two- and four-year colleges in the first Comprehensive Assistance to Undergraduate Science Education Program (CAUSE) in 1976. The description of the program and how it responds to changing patterns in higher education are considered. (HM)

Focuses on the response of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the congressional authorization committees to the NSF sponsored precollege science programs. The article also summarizes and analyzes some of the results of the survey conducted by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), North Carolina. (HM)

Describes a Hebrew University program for academically disadvantaged students, focusing on a workshop component which emphasizes learning skills and study strategies. An evaluation of the workshop indicates that it leads to improved achievement in several academic fields (including the natural sciences). (DH)

Describes a project designed to develop 50 tutorial lessons for students having difficulty with specific types of physics problems. Because the intent was to tutor problem solving rather than teach physics concepts, lessons were designed for use after classroom instruction had occurred. Includes project goals, development, implementation, results,…

Describes a two-semester laboratory program designed to motivate students. The program consists of computer-oriented modules and discovery approach laboratory exercises. Students complete similar computer/laboratory material during the first semester but elect one of three tracks during the second semester (computer, every-day life, and…

Reviews the development of locally produced instructional television to supplement curriculum, emphasizing that programs must be designed to illustrate/augment a particular course's material. Describes required equipment, setup, preproduction planning, taping (sample script available), and provides results of student evaluation of instruction and…