Estimation of soil texture is an essential skill for soil scientists, but a difficult skill to learn. We compared two approaches for teaching soil texture: the traditional flowchart approach and an experimental self-calibration method. Three lab sections of an introductory soil science class were assigned to learn by the flowchart method (n = 60)…

A multioutcome, guided inquiry-based liquid--liquid extraction (LLE) experiment has been designed for introductory organic chemistry. Multiple outcomes were established by identifying a series of red and blue dyes that are (1) soluble in organic solvent, (2) soluble in aqueous solution, or (3) soluble in either the organic or aqueous layers by…

This study explored students' perceptions of instructional practices of international teaching assistants (ITAs) who did and did not participate in additional professional development through a Teaching Methods course. The study also sought to understand the components of the Teaching Methods course that supported ITAs in inquiry-based chemistry…

Inquiry-based pedagogies have a strong presence in proof-based undergraduate mathematics courses, but can be difficult to implement in courses that are large, procedural, or highly computational. An introductory course in statistics would thus seem an unlikely candidate for an inquiry-based approach, as these courses typically steer well clear of…

The Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) laboratory approach is a teaching and learning tool which combines writing, inquiry, collaboration and reflection, and provides scaffolding for the development of critical thinking skills. In this study, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) was used to measure the critical thinking skills of…

An instrumentation-based laboratory curriculum combining traditional unknown analyses with student-designed projects has been developed for an introductory analytical chemistry course. In the first half of the course, students develop laboratory skills and instrumental proficiency by rotating through six different instruments performing…

Peer educators can be a powerful addition to classroom learning environments. Traditionally, the university science teaching model relies on graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to provide instruction in laboratory class sessions, but there is increasing evidence that undergraduate TAs (UTAs) can fill an equivalent role. A comparison of student…

Mineralogy is a core topic for tertiary geoscience programs worldwide. We report on the use of laboratory group work as an effective and integral part of a new introductory mineralogy curriculum at the University of British Columbia. The new laboratory curriculum was developed by incorporating student feedback with evidence-based pedagogies. These…

We describe a new approach to teaching introductory biology. Our introductory experience for undergraduates is a laboratory course that is entirely inquiry and discovery based. We introduce our students to fundamental concepts in biology in the framework of three multi-week laboratory modules, each of which is an open-ended investigation of a…

Describes an experiment using the method of magnitude estimation to scale odorant intensities when the subject is in a nonadapted state, in an adapted state, and in a cross-adapted state. (Author/KC)

Despite rising enrollments, college biology education has until recently lagged behind other science disciplines in reforming undergraduate instruction. However, new approaches are emerging, including introductory classes that focus more on concepts, laboratory assignments that are increasingly sophisticated, and more in-depth curricula for…

Discusses the use of a teaching fellows program (undergraduates teaching undergraduates) in a psychology laboratory class. Examines the goals, outcomes, curriculum, and implementation of the laboratory class and how these were impacted through the use of teaching fellows. Includes a table showing curriculum, content area, laboratory activities,…

The introductory instructional technology course at Iowa State University is a survey course covering various technologies. In this case, the instructor chose to create a situated learning environment using low-technology everyday surroundings to teach the fundamentals of photographic and video production, linking the photography, audio, and video…