An investigation was carried out into laboratory practical skills development and students' specific challenges in transition from laboratory chemistry at Chinese High School (HS) to a fully English style university laboratory course. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study of its type investigating practical laboratory skills for a…

In this paper we designed a STEM outreach program with a modular tissue engineering education tool (we refer to as "modular cyclic-stretch device") to engage high school students in STEM hands-on activities. Using simple machines such as gears and rotating cams, students were able to build a custom device to apply cyclic stretch to…

This work explores the interface between 3D-printing, material sciences, and microfluidics with electrochemical detection in an undergraduate laboratory. This work includes a module for the characterization and electrochemical analysis of microelectrodes that spans 4 weeks (3 h per week). Laboratory exercises include the fabrication of a…

The Hofmeister series is a recurring trend that ranks ions' abilities to influence various aqueous processes in solution. Herein, a set of project-based experiments was developed for students in an upper-level physical chemistry laboratory to investigate the specific ion effects on the thermodynamics of caffeine partitioning between aqueous and…

A discovery-based undergraduate organic chemistry lab experiment has been developed in which students establish the diastereoselectivity of hydride reduction of the a-chiral ketone (±)-benzoin isopropyl ether to erythro and threo diastereomeric alcohols by two different reducing agents. Students achieve this goal by working collaboratively and…

The COVID-19 pandemic presented numerous challenges for all levels of the education system. In March 2020, virtually all colleges and universities in the United States moved all instruction to an online environment as a result of the pandemic. While this posed challenges for all faculty, it posed a particular challenge for those faculty members…

One significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for educators in forensic science was adapting what is traditionally a very applied field to a virtual learning environment. Because of this, science classes with a practical laboratory component had to implement significant adjustments to ensure that student learning objectives were still met,…

Remote learning has advanced from the theoretical to the practical sciences with the advent of virtual labs. Although virtual labs allow students to conduct their experiments remotely, it is a challenge to evaluate student progress and collaboration using learning analytics. So far, a study that systematically synthesizes the status of research on…

As a fundamental subject of medical education, human anatomy plays a critical role in the development of medical science. However, because of multiple factors including cultural conservativism and limited social understanding, China is facing a particularly severe shortage of bodies donated for anatomy education. Zhengzhou University (ZZU) has…

Against the background of multifaceted societal challenges, the question of adequate future-oriented conceptualisations of education arises. Multiple stakeholders have raised demands for change and expectations of innovation in education are high. The topic turns out to be diffuse, bulky, and complex: What is innovative education? How can it be…

This study adds to the growing body of research on laboratory work. The study involves four pairs of students in a university introductory calorimetry lab of which two pairs, the IR-pairs (infrared camerapairs), were given access to infrared cameras to use however they liked during their course lab work. Two other pairs, the T-pairs…

Engaging students actively in assessment, using a range of formative activities, consistently over sustained periods is a common recommendation in the assessment for learning literature. Despite this, practice still lags behind. Our case study aims to bridge the widening gap between theory and practice by illustrating the application of recent…

Anatomy is increasingly taught using computer-assisted learning tools, including electronic interactive anatomy dissection tables. Anatomage was he first virtual anatomy dissection table introduced in Russian medical universities and gained popularity among lecturers and students. The Pirogov interactive anatomy table was recently released, but…

Background: Physics textbooks are a learning resource for students to acquire knowledge and information. The findings of previous studies on physics textbooks analysis have mostly focused on representations of gender, the nature of science, and scientific literacy. This study, therefore, extends the critical content analysis of physics textbooks…

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how Living Labs of Van Hall Larenstein UAS perform as sustainability-oriented, transdisciplinary learning environments. It shows how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) can be used as a compass and debates the sustainability impact of applied research. Design/methodology/approach: A case study approach…