This study used a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of argumentative writing on non-science majors' conceptual understanding and the growth of their writing skills over a semester. To assess gain in conceptual knowledge, tests were given before and after the course; students in the writing group gained significantly more than…

As chemistry courses across the country transitioned to remote instruction during the Winter/Spring 2020 term because of the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching teams with undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs) faced unique challenges to maintain active, collaborative, and inclusive class experiences. While technology access and limitations presented…

This paper describes a number of active learning strategies based on implementing the Raspberry Pi as low-cost single-board computing device for carrying out physics laboratory activities. This Microcomputer-Based Laboratory (MBL) Project has been funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and it encompasses the use of high-accuracy yet…

A Unit Operations Laboratory (UOL) is fundamental to undergraduate chemical engineering education. This article discusses a new course structure for the University of Kansas UOL and details for three new experiments covering the fundamentals of vapor-liquid equilibrium, fluid mechanics, and kinetics. Students apply knowledge from these courses as…

The laboratory course is an excellent venue to apply content, practice inquiry, improve critical thinking, practice key clinical skills, and work with data. The use of inquiry-based course projects allows for students to propose open ended questions, form a hypothesis, design an experiment, collect data, analyze data, draw conclusion, and present…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play an essential role in the teaching of introductory chemistry courses at many higher education institutions. On the basis of best practices suggested by the literature, we developed our GTA training course to focus on modeling best practices in the classroom, providing opportunities for incoming GTAs to try…

We developed a comprehensive training module for the undergraduates majoring in chemical education with a simple microfluidic experiment. The students were required to read a scientific reference offered by the instructor, then design and implement a microfluidic experiment for real sample analysis by making some modifications to the method…

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 COVID-19 pandemic public health measures caused a shift to fully online teaching and learning with minimal lead time two-thirds of the way through a 13 week term. Students and instructors pivoted from blended with face-to-face instruction to fully online learning over a weekend. Our team- and project-based chemical engineering design courses…

After Wesleyan University moved all classes online because of the global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the organic chemistry laboratory course adjusted its curriculum to fit the circumstances. A symposium project with several components was introduced, allowing students to develop their scientific writing, presentation, and critical thinking skills…

The switch to distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has required chemistry instructors to quickly adapt and innovate to provide remote instruction as effectively as possible. With minimal advance notice, developing and delivering online lecture materials that are engaging and laboratory activities that approximate a hands-on…

To excel in modern science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers, biology majors need a range of transferable skills, yet competency development is often a relatively underdeveloped facet of the undergraduate curriculum. We have elaborated the "Vision and Change" core competency framework into a resource called the BioSkills…

Chemical reactions far from equilibrium can exhibit oscillatory behavior. Full understanding of this phenomenon is outside of the school curriculum. However, the importance of such processes in life sciences and peculiar spatial and temporal patterns accompanying the reactions can attract the attention of IB Diploma science students. They will…

This study aims to improve the quality of learning in physics learning planning courses through the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PjBL) assisted by E-Learning through Lesson Study activities. This was qualitative research through the stages of Lesson Study activities. Subjects in this study were the 5th-semester students who program 11…

Bilingual practices in university science courses are on the rise because of the internationalization of higher education. However, little is known about bilingual science teaching practices (BTP) of professors and their beliefs about this type of practice. In this exploratory study, a questionnaire was designed, adapted and applied to explore the…