The increasing use of online virtual laboratories (OVLs) in educational institutions as a recent educational technology application necessitates developing a new educational platform for assisting instructors in using such technology in the teaching process without web programming obstacles. The OVLs are online environments that provide students…

The development and evaluation of a 6-hours laboratory class, based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) and the detection of microbial contaminants, is described. It can be easily scaled up or down, to suit class sizes up to 188 and completed in a shorter time scale. CE uses narrow-bore fused-silica capillaries to separate a complex array of large…

According to national labor market information study, access to talent is the greatest business challenge Canadian biotech companies are facing. We, therefore, developed, implemented, and assessed a pharma industry-inspired, medicinal research laboratory module in an experiential capstone biotechnology laboratory course. This involves developing a…

Near-peer teaching, in which students one or more years removed from a student within the same academic program, is utilized broadly in medical school curricula and increasingly in undergraduate anatomy and physiology courses. While the literature on near-peer teaching suggests that the practice is overwhelmingly positive, it is primarily from…

The purpose of this study was to construct an instructional systems design model for chemistry teaching laboratories at the undergraduate level to accurately depict the current practices of design experts. This required identifying the variables considered during design, prioritizing and ordering these variables, and constructing a model. Experts…

Given the emphasis on community engagement in higher education, academic departments need to become more involved in the community. This paper discusses a number of outreach activities undertaken by the chemistry department at Rhodes University, South Africa. The activities range from service learning to community engagement with teachers and…

The integration of student research into a general chemistry laboratory and an environmental geology course has been evaluated for its effectiveness to improve (i) student attitudes about science and chemistry, (ii) student understanding of the nature of experimental science and the scientific method, and (iii) student perceptions of the…

The development, implementation, and evaluation of a research-based program of laboratory instruction for first-year chemistry students is described. The new approach engages students in interdisciplinary, chemistry-centered research projects during the second semester of their general chemistry course. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

Considers the role of the laboratory in effective chemistry education. Lists hazards and testing programs which place more stress on lecture than laboratory. Cites reasons for the continuation and revitalization of the laboratory. (ML)

Describes the Alabama Science in Motion Program (ASIM) which provides hands-on science laboratories to high school students. Discusses the benefits of the program for host teachers and its impact on students and preservice teachers. (YDS)

A group of five graduate students and a faculty mentor used the cultural popularity of forensics to develop a first-year undergraduate seminar. This course fulfilled two main objectives: First, the graduate student instructors developed professionally through a two-year process of creating, instructing, and revising a course. Second, a variety of…

We report on an outcomes assessment of the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Using follow-up survey data and academic transcripts, we gauge SURE's impact on levels of interest in, preparedness for, and actual pursuit of graduate study and professional careers in the sciences for the…

In a Biology laboratory for the non-science major, a series of programed booklets, 8mm cartridge films, and 35mm slides were used with standard laboratory equipment and materials. By the end of the second semester, 28 programed sequences with linear and branching strategies had been designed and tested. Students completed attitude questionnaires…

Describes two recently completed projects at Utah State University which have provided marked improvement to the preparation of prospective secondary science teachers. The projects focused on cognitive psychology and conceptual change teaching and construction and furnishing of a new secondary science teacher preparation laboratory. (LZ)

After defining education, science, scientific concepts, individualization, and the sequence of science instruction, the individualizing effort (K-6) at the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh is examined in this speech. This effort is described in detail in relation to a science instruction project which…