Existing research studying MOOC learner diversity has mainly taken unidimensional approaches, which have led to partial or inconsistent findings. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a multi-dimensional model that helps to identify and build the personas of key learner subgroups in any given MOOC course. By linking learners' behavioral…

This study aimed to explore what kinds of epistemological messages were conveyed through teacher discourse in modeling-based and traditional elementary science classrooms and how teachers framed the two classrooms distinctively through these messages. Data came from two sixth-grade teachers' science classrooms--one characterized as a…

In Physical Education Teacher Education programs, we argue that a focus on fewer models to be taught and learned would provide time for higher competence to be attained by preservice teachers in a curriculum limited in terms of contact hours. During their teacher training, preservice teachers should be given ample opportunities to practice the…

Biochemistry primarily focuses on the non-metal chemical elements carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus in the four groups of building blocks (sugars, lipids, amino acids, and nucleotides) and the corresponding macromolecules. However, at least 10 essential chemical elements of life are metals. This article discusses the…

Background: Sex education for people with intellectual disability is in its infancy in countries where their sexual expression is still considered a taboo. This study aimed at exploring the experiences of professionals involved in providing sex education to people with intellectual disability across a number of services in a Maltese context.…

In this essay, I ask what form of historical consciousness schools should nurture in students. The two criteria I set up in this regard are plausibility--is the account of history plausible--and practicality--does the form of historical consciousness help young people contribute to the betterment of society. The level of my analysis is that of…

Correct responding to questions regarding events that have occurred in the past are important for conversations and safety. Limited research has demonstrated techniques for teaching this skill to children who do not successfully tact past events. The current study demonstrates a probe-fading method for teaching children to correctly tact stimuli…

The use of mass spectrometry (MS) is becoming widespread and rather routine in all levels of industry, government, and academia. Coupled with chromatographic methods, this powerful instrumental technique can be used to elucidate the composition of a complex sample and definitively identify constituents while offering the benefits of high-precision…

We present a simple undergraduate level experiment dealing with the preparation and characterization of a colloidal Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film. The experiment is designed to invoke an interdisciplinary understanding of colloid chemistry and surface science. It will allow the students to develop the concepts of wettability, hydrophobicity, and…

Purpurogallin (PPG), an orange-red crystalline compound from nutgalls and oak bark, is an exemplar of numerous, ubiquitous natural colorants, biosynthesized through oxidative dimerization-decarboxylation of phenolic compounds. It possesses antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Herein, a robust method is presented to allow…

Undergraduate research is an important component of a B.Tech. Biotechnology program. In the present study, a customizable approach designed with open-source bioinformatics tools and databases was introduced to predict siRNAs for ZIKV therapeutics. With minimal prior exposure to bioinformatics, this workflow can be executed with detailed steps as…

Evidence based medicine (EBM) has been synonymous to delivery of quality care for almost thirty years. Since the movement's inception, the assumption has been that decisions based on high quality evidence would translate to better care for patients. Despite EBM's many attractive features and the substantive attention it has received in the…

In this experiment we have first determined the focal length of an equiconvex lens. We have observed that a real image can be formed by the lens on the same side of the source if the source is sufficiently strong. This is due to the reflection from the concave surface of the lens. We have measured these image distances for different object…

Computers and computer algorithms have contributed to important scientific advances by allowing scientists and engineers to create and use sophisticated models to explain and predict phenomena. Yet, of the eight "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") science and engineering practices, computational thinking may be the…

The refractive index (RI) is probably the single most important parameter in optical systems. Chromatic dispersion, on the other hand, indicates how the RI depends on the wavelength and is central in, e.g., optical communication systems. Chromatic dispersion also plays an important role when teaching optics due to the captivating natural…