Clear, detailed instructional procedures have an important role to play in laboratory teaching to not only produce consistent results but also ensure safe practices. Student success in using these procedures can be strengthened through the use of video resources. However, not all video content will have the same impact. Videos must have sufficient…

Scientific writing is a rewarding, challenging, and necessary part of research. Building skills in scientific writing is critical in graduate student training and provides the foundation for scientific communication at all professional levels. Despite the importance of writing in research, this skill remains a barrier to success for many students.…

This article describes the implementation of a student-generated open educational resource project into a majors' organic chemistry laboratory. This scaffolded semester-long project was organized into six phases and designed to promote the goals of teaching students about both green chemistry and real-life applications of the reactions covered in…

Students in introductory college science courses often have a simplified understanding of the scientific method. To introduce students to the complexity of the scientific process and the value of empirical observations, I implemented a semester-long assignment that required introductory-level college science students to build and calibrate weather…

We evaluated student perceptions of an inquiry-based, karaoke video exercise in six university classes ranging from first year to graduate level. Students created a 3-4 minute karaoke video on a topic relevant to class. Student responses to the project based on questionnaires and triangulation interviews were strongly positive. Students did not…

This study took place in a biotechnology laboratory course series that provided students with authentic research experiences. We documented student identities after the experience and explored how these identities related to future career aspirations.

Between 2007 and 2010, three types of semester research projects were assigned in BIO 140 Humans and Their Environment, a nonmajors introductory course at Salve Regina University. Specific environmental impact-type assessments were used to foster scientific inquiry and achieve higher scientific literacy. Quantitative and qualitative measurements…

An interdisciplinary and context-driven course focused on global water issues was developed and taught at the college level. Students designed a semester-long research project, collected and analyzed data, and ultimately presented their results and conclusions to the larger community. As a result of the course, students' science literacy improved…

Helping students take ownership of their learning is often a challenge in a large lecture course. In this article, the authors describe a nature of science-oriented group project in a chemistry course in which students gave presentations in concurrent conference sessions as well as its impact on student learning as evidenced through multiple data…

Research-like experiences range from relatively "canned" labs that are highly controlled by the instructor (such as those described in Lord and Orkwiszewski 2006) to more individually designed projects (e.g., Switzer and Shriner 2000; Wyatt 2005). This article describes a laboratory approach that allows for many of the benefits of independent or…

Inquiry-based learning was used to enhance an undergraduate molecular biology course at Georgia Southern University, a primarily undergraduate institution in rural southeast Georgia. The goal was to use a long-term, in-class project to accelerate higher-order thinking, thereby enabling students to problem solve and apply their knowledge to novel…

The use of Beilstein ("Handbuch der Organischen Chemie") in the early stages of a second-year, one semester course in organic chemistry is described. Student literature projects, evaluation, use of ancillary literature, and a sample search are included. (JN)

As an alternative to traditional science projects, students in introductory organic and inorganic chemistry were given the opportunity to produce an "audiovisual" term paper. Rationale for the project, responses from student self-evaluation questionnaires, and comments on implementing the project (including cost and time factors) are…

Citing problems with a traditional introductory chemistry laboratory program, discusses a two-semester, project-oriented laboratory program using traditional experiments. A series of slide/tape programs discussing/illustrating potentially difficult concepts and techniques is used to facilitate instruction. Includes list of topics covered in the…

Describes a course offered to elementary education majors that attempts to combine chemistry theory with practice teaching and strives to instill positive attitudes toward the value of science in elementary schools. Course topics, student presentations, classroom teaching experience, discussion/observations about the experiences, and final paper…