We developed a curriculum for an upper-level molecular biology course-based undergraduate research laboratory class funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER grant that focuses on identifying new small proteins in the bacterium, "Escherichia coli." Our CURE class has been continually offered each semester for the last 10 years, with…

The unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to shift to a remote or distance-learning mode. As a result, classes were offered online, and this shift in teaching modality presented great challenges, especially in teaching laboratory courses. While several options are available, we evaluated the use of (i) videos of lab…

This study investigated the perceptions and quality of argumentative and summary writing of the Pre-service Science Teachers (PSTs) who participated in a knowledge generation approach to learning, which is known as the SWH approach, and who had had experience with it across different time periods. A total of 41 PSTs were divided into three groups…

Teaching physical science has been challenging for educators for quite some time, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has even worsened which made the adoption of blended learning in the different cycles of education only a matter of time. This paradigm requires nevertheless a certain command when it comes to using some specific tools…

This study explores the effect of video-based instruction on the safety rules in the chemistry laboratory on student achievement. The sample for the study comprised 61 ninth grade students enrolled in two different classes at a public high school. The students in the class designated as the experimental group (N = 32) were given video-based…

Gonzaga University is a small, private, liberal arts institution that values engaging, humanistic learning environments. During the coronavirus pandemic, the University moved its in-person learning to a distance-learning format, and an extra week of spring break was given to faculty to oversee this transition. This communication focuses on how our…

The author was invited to write this opinion piece following a presentation at the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) conference on Methods in Education Chemistry Research related to translating creative teaching ideas and innovations into chemistry education research outputs. With a keen interest in learning and teaching and a solid training in…

Inquiry-style laboratory courses, in which students engage in open-ended projects rather than a prescribed set of experimental steps ("cookbooks"), are becoming increasingly popular at the undergraduate level. Reformed curricula require reforms in training teachers; in the case of large universities, laboratory instructors are typically…

The use of science kits is a growing trend in India. The kits provide equipments, apparatus and chemicals in the form of a moving laboratory to use in science classes. This research paper highlights the issues and challenges faced by the Government school teachers of Delhi in India while using science kits during teaching-learning process at upper…

Laboratory experimentation in the context of school science is a widely advocated teaching strategy for the simplification of several abstract scientific concepts. Laboratory-based learning activities have proven to enhance learners' conceptual and procedural understandings of micro chemical phenomena, thus boosting achievement in chemistry…

The current study presents an evaluation of the laboratory instructional tasks prepared based on innovative teaching approaches (research-inquiry, problem solving, project, argumentation and web-based interdisciplinary learning approaches) designed to enhance science teachers' biotechnology knowledge, awareness and laboratory experiences. The…

Indonesia and many other developing countries have a vast youth population, yet limited facilities for physics learning. The major purposes of this study are to develop low-cost, technology-enhanced physical and virtual laboratories and to investigate their effects on various learning objectives, including conceptual understanding, inquiry…

This study reports on the implementation of an activity that used argument-driven inquiry methods and its effects on students' learning. "Let's Examine the Serial Circuits" activity on the "Electricity Energy" unit was developed and implemented in a science lesson with the participation of 32 seventh grade students. As a result…

Laboratory courses are often designed using step-by-step protocols which encourage students to conduct experiments without thinking about what they are doing or why they are doing it. Such course design limits the growth of our students as scientists and can make it more difficult for a student to transition to the expectations of a research…

In this design case, we describe our work to develop a gameful learning design for use in an introductory, undergraduate biology laboratory course for science majors. Our design team included three university-based mathematics and science educators and a biologist responsible for the management of curriculum and instruction in the course under…