In our technology driven world today, it is extremely important to increase the science literacy of our non-science majors. At Stockton University, this goal is attempted to be accomplished through our General Studies courses. This paper describes a lab-based course in the General Studies curriculum, 'The Science of Ice Cream'. At Stockton…

The combined lab and lecture course is designed around the themes of colorants (dyestuffs and pigments) and fibers (natural and human-made) for nonscience majors. Students dye natural and synthetic fibers with natural dyes such as turmeric, raspberries, tea, and cochineal insects as well as synthetic dyes. The students observe the colorfast…

St. Olaf College recently restructured its Summer Bridge Program (SBP) course for incoming low-income (LI) and first-generation (FG) college students from a non-major biology course, "Issues in Biology," to an interdisciplinary "Explorations in Science" course. Two significant changes were made with the intention of giving…

We describe a pair of fully integrated courses designed to teach biology to non-majors in a manner that connects authentically to the liberal arts. The co-taught courses were organized around the question: What does it mean to be human? Students investigated this question in the context of three topics: dis/ability, race, and sex and gender. In…

The meaning of the term energy varies widely in scientific and colloquial discourse. Teasing apart the different connotations of the term can be especially challenging for non-science majors. In this study, undergraduate students taking an interdisciplinary, general science course (n?=?49) were asked to explain the role of energy in five contexts:…

A central goal of nonmajors chemistry courses is to instill within students the sense that chemistry does not occur in a vacuum but rather permeates everyday life. To encourage students to consider chemistry within the broader context of society and public policy, a week-long module in a survey course for nonmajors was designed to connect…

Recognition of the value of a scientifically literate citizenry has driven American science education reform since the 1950s. We have seen some improvement in the comprehension of science facts in the past 10-20 years, but far less improvement in Americans' understanding of the nature of science. College science courses are ideal venues for…

This monograph addresses the current needs for science education at all levels of higher education. It proceeds from assumptions that the national debate for scientific understanding matters. It explores science in society and strategies for curricular integration in honors. The hope is that this monograph will further the discussion of science…

In this paper we describe an interdisciplinary course on dynamics that is appropriate for nonscience majors. This course introduces ideas about mathematical modeling using examples based on pendulums, chemical kinetics, and population dynamics. The unique emphasis for a nonmajors course is on chemical reactions as dynamical systems that do more…

Chemistry is a good entry to many topics in nanotechnology. This paper describes a non-science majors' course in which chemical concepts provide the background to the study of this new field. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

A chemistry teacher describes the elements of the ideal chemistry textbook. The perfect text is focused and helps students draw a coherent whole out of the myriad fragments of information and interpretation. The text would show chemistry as the central science necessary for understanding other sciences and would also root chemistry firmly in the…

Good teaching highlights underlying connections between creation and dissemination of knowledge. Analysis of successful biology departments for underlying themes in improving undergraduate education led to the following conclusions: the best kind of teaching is one-on-one; change must be firmly grounded at the departmental or programmatic level;…

Programs that illustrate the ways in which colleges and universities are helping students understand technological methods and issues are described. Some of the programs approach technological literacy from a humanities vantage point that integrates technology into the coursework, while others employ a strict technological approach that touches…

Describes several activities used to teach students from middle school age to college nonmajors about the nature of matter, atoms, molecules and the periodic table. Strategies integrate such approaches as hands-on activities, visualization, writing, demonstrations, role play, and guided inquiry. For example, the periodic table is viewed as a town…