Different molecular representations are usually used to depict the three-dimensional (3D) structure of organic compounds. Mastering the skill of interconverting one form into another is essential for students to ensure success in organic chemistry. The traditional and recently developed methods for completing such interconversions that rely on 3D…

The global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated restrictions on indoor gatherings posed considerable challenges to the delivery of courses that traditionally have relied on hands-on learning in their laboratory components. Here, our experiences converting a senior instrumental analysis course to remote online learning in the…

This paper examines and builds on an earlier contribution to this journal focusing on private supplementary tutoring -- widely known as shadow education -- in Francophone West and Central Africa. Drawing on wider literature about research methods in this domain, it examines the basis for the numerical estimates presented in the original article…

A novel approach is described using primary literature manuscripts for the final examination of an upper level undergraduate course in virology. This innovative technique was applied as an alternative to a core comprehensive final examination. A recent primary literature paper in virology was assigned several weeks before the end of the semester.…

The effect of the flipped classroom model (FCM) on high school students' science motivation and achievement in an urban public school was examined using a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design. Over 4 weeks, sixty students engaged in the FCM and 62 students engaged in the traditional classroom model. Motivation was measured using the Science…

A psychological framework for different types of items commonly used with mixed-format exams is proposed. A choice model based on signal detection theory (SDT) is used for multiple-choice (MC) items, whereas an item response theory (IRT) model is used for open-ended (OE) items. The SDT and IRT models are shown to share a common conceptualization…

This paper reviews overall student performance as well as the performance of student subgroups on the assessment system developed in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 (MERA), the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Comparing students in Massachusetts to students in the rest of the United States or against…

A large body of literature has established the benefits of undergraduate research experiences via the traditional apprenticeship model. More recently, several studies have shown that many of these benefits can be recapitulated in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) that are more scalable and easier for students to participate…

Understanding science concepts and phenomena is important for an increasingly complex global society. For students with disabilities, there continue to be huge achievement disparities in science achievement when compared to their peers without disabilities. This includes students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study examines and…

The material of a standard second-year undergraduate organic chemistry class has been reorganized and reframed to emphasize the mechanistic connections between reactions and to clarify the language with which organic reaction mechanisms are discussed. Assessment of the results of this reorganization shows that student test scores do not decline in…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) models provide a framework for understanding the observed variance of student performance in geoscience learning contexts. Instructors can potentially use a SRL framework to support students in self-identifying the specific approaches to learning they use when engaging in geoscience learning situations (coursework,…

Recently Burkholder "et al." argued that class normalized gains over the entire population of courses is approximated by a Cauchy distribution, not by a normal distribution, and therefore should not be used to compare different classes because means and standard deviations cannot be calculated. They argued that multiple linear regression…

We add to a growing literature suggesting that demographic grade gaps should be attributed to biases embedded in the courses themselves. Changes in the structure of two different introductory physics classes were made while leaving the topics covered and the level of coverage unchanged. First, a class where conceptual issues were studied before…

In 2020 and 2021, schooling, like many other aspects of life, has been heavily affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. During periods of school closure, education systems and schools have often been quick to organise remote support for home-based learning. But several observers have questioned the effectiveness of these schooling surrogates,…

Responsive coaching at engage2learn is an innovative, and with this and previous reports--an evidence-based solution. This 2021-2022 study compellingly validates the efficacy of the engage2learn program through an exploration of NWEA MAP® Growth™ and STAAR test scores for Math and Science, Grades 6-8. LXD Research, an independent research firm,…