The HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) publication, "External quality arrangements for Scotland's colleges, September 2008," specifies that HMIE will produce a number of subject aspect reports over the four years 2008-2012. These reports complement in a subject-specific context the generic evaluations of learning and teaching in HMIE's…

Students need to reflect on the practice of science to fully understand the nature of science (NOS), which is an important component of scientific literacy. In this paper, the authors describe how to implement an explicit and reflective pedagogy in college science laboratories and share examples from their implementation in a multiple-section…

Activities and results of a conference on laboratory instruction in chemistry are discussed. Brief descriptions of eight novel programs are provided. (DT)

Describes the operating characteristics and cost of chart recorders available in Great Britain. (SL)

Presented is an assessment of the restructuring of a college freshman physics course. Details of the organization of the lab activities, grouping of the students, and strengths and weaknesses of the arrangements are discussed. (DS)

College physics students' understanding of the process of science, as measured by the Science Process Inventory, was better for students in a traditional, structured laboratory than in an inquiry laboratory that covered the same experiments. (MLH)

Examines the relationship between student learning styles, preference for different teaching approaches, and student outcomes in general chemistry courses at Coastal Carolina University. Finds a negative correlation between learning styles for individual students, especially between visual and kinesthetic styles. Concludes that diversity in…

Describes a seven piece modular optical hit which can be utilized to demonstrate different optical instruments and a method for observing interference fringes from the surface of a mirror. (SL)

Increasing the flexibility of a well equipped laboratory by eliminating rigid scheduling gives students a choice of experiment and allows them to do experiments in depth. Student motivation, interest, and learning were increased. (DF)

Students enrolled in the introductory physics laboratory at New Mexico State University participated in this study. A stated set of objectives, developed by Dr. John M. Fowler of the Commission on College Physics, was used in the laboratory. This study attempted to measure student achievement based on the use of these objectives as opposed to the…

Reviews the use of a programmable hand-held calculator for evaluating a student's performance on a quantitative laboratory experiment. (SL)

Describes physics laboratory equipment including: circuit improvements for an electronic counter-timer, a commercial counter-timer-frequency meter, and a device for demonstrating resonating air columns. (SL)

Presents a method of teaching advanced physics laboratories which simulates research conditions and requires students to make researchlike decisions. (SL)

Describes the inception, use, and evaluation of a demonstration laboratory designed to enable first-year university students to observe physical phenomena that they did not observe in the secondary school. (Author/SL)