Condensed courses are commonly used across academia as a means for students to catch up or get ahead of their curriculum. Instructors may be hesitant to teach such courses due to concerns about limited knowledge retention and reduced academic rigor. We sought to determine if there are any differences in changes of student attitudes before and…

Students come into the classroom with a variety of background knowledge. Therefore, it is imperative that educators are able to help all students, regardless of their familiarity with the content. Since it can be challenging for some large enrollment classes to schedule recitation classes after lectures due to logistical constraints, this study…

In this study, we analyzed the literature on teaching or learning on a topic in Earth science, environmental science, or climate change between 1995 and 2017. We investigated the length of the intervention, intervention setting and instructional level, instructional purpose, pedagogical framing and pedagogical methods (including what materials and…

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. In this article, the author describes how she uses current biology-related news articles to introduce a course and its relevance, to actively engage students at the beginning of the semester, and…

First-year experience courses, although common on university campuses, are conducted in a variety of formats. This article outlines strategies and activities used at a large urban commuter campus in a first-year experience sequence run by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics for the College of Science. The course, designed for freshmen…

The Draw-a-Scientist Test (DAST) is a tool to assess stereotypical imagery of scientists. This paper describes the use of the DAST as both a model for inquiry and as a method of assessing the affective domain. The DAST was administered in a science education methods course for undergraduate students of elementary education, a methods course for…

Inquiry-based instruction is widely promoted to increase both students' conceptual understanding and their engagement in course content. What this means for day-to-day practices in the classroom is more elusive. Instructors adopting inquiry-based curricula often are unaware of the typical instructional challenges they may face. In particular,…

Research has suggested that a service-learning component can add a powerful dimension to learning course content in a variety of science disciplines, in addition to assisting students in seeing connections between their studies and the world outside the classroom. This article describes a tropical ecology course designed for science preservice…

A systematic assessment of media-based coverage of geoscience topics relative to those found in textbooks is presented here. The specific question addressed is to what extent fully indexed media and print news sources can provide a useful model for course development. Whereas the improvement of students' scientific literacy cannot be achieved…

Many science educators are proponents of cooperative learning, but struggle to find equitable and effective ways to build groups. In this article, the author describes her method for forming heterogeneous cooperative learning groups that is not only impartial, but also requires students to begin learning science on the first day of class.…

Strategically introducing students to a controversial science case--before they read it, watch it, or listen to it--motivates them to learn from it and paves the way for successful discussion and debate. A strategic introduction also provides an opportunity for the instructor to demonstrate scientific reasoning and share guidelines for the…

Classroom debates used to be familiar exercises to students schooled in past generations. In this article, the authors describe the technique called "intimate debate". To cooperative learning specialists, the technique is known as "structured debate" or "constructive debate". It is a powerful method for dealing with case topics that involve…

The authors teach upper-level science courses in cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry at a public, four-year "community university" that serves a demographically diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students. In this article, they describe some of the issues they have found to be particularly significant at their "community…

By using pseudoscientific examples to show what science is not, instructors can generate a healthy skepticism in students while making them understand how science applies to their daily lives. A course incorporating such pseudoscientific examples (including extra-sensory perception -- ESP) is described. (JN)

Explores some of the problems that may be encountered by an institution when trying to design science courses for delivery at a distance. Describes solutions to these problems that have been adopted by Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada. (DDR)