During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, both schools and universities faced significant challenges in moving teaching from an in-situ setting to a remote one, this included laboratory experiments. This paper presents an experiment developed to use a phone's in built pressure sensor, common to most smart phones. By using this sensor…

Undergraduate students may possess underdeveloped knowledge about water systems, particularly groundwater. The use of models and modeling have been employed in undergraduate classrooms to support students' learning about water. However, effective modeling requires spatial thinking skills, which undergraduate students may also need to develop.…

There is an emphasis on survival-based selection in biology education that can allow students to neglect other important evolutionary components, such as sexual selection, reproduction, and inheritance. Student understanding of the role of reproduction in evolution is as important as student understanding of the role of survival. Limiting…

A primary aim of science education is to teach students how to interpret and engage with scientific information. To do so effectively requires an adequate understanding of the nature of science (NOS)--in other words, what science is and how it works. There is a long history of evidence to suggest that many undergraduate students struggle to…

This research shows that improved scientific reasoning and application of concepts occurred when creating and viewing student-crafted digital storytelling projects. By utilizing digital storytelling projects to showcase course competencies in an undergraduate biology course, students were able to apply subject matter outside the classroom. In this…

Many ferns learning in higher education were organized conventionally and relied only on textbooks. Moreover, it is not in accordance with the characteristics or learning styles of Generation Z (Gen Z). This research aims to produce Pteridophyte Smart Cards (PSC) as a learning media by integrating cards containing real images of ferns with QR Code…

In 2022, a subset of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Curriculum & Instruction Committee administered the third offering of the HAPS lab survey. This survey included a three-part framework of (1) demographics, (2) lab activities and learning outcomes, and, (3) the impact of a global pandemic on instruction. Here we report on…

As data science and instrumentation become key practices in common careers ranging from medicine to agriscience, chemistry as a core introductory course must introduce such topics to students early and at an accessible level. Advanced data acquisition and data science generally require expensive precision instrumentation and massive computation,…

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was implemented as a laboratory experiment by the undergraduate students majoring in chemical education using graphene (GR)/TiO[subscript 2] as a catalyst. These chemistry preservice teachers synthesized a GR/TiO[subscript 2] composite and used it to degrade wastewater containing methylene blue under…

An integrated inorganic chemistry laboratory experience focusing on heterogeneous electrocatalysis with nickel (Ni)- and cobalt (Co)-based electrocatalysts is designed for upper-division, major-level chemistry students. In this laboratory, students will be guided through the fabrication of an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass working electrode,…

The reduction of nitroarenes to anilines is a key transformation with real-life context, central to the preparation of many important fine chemicals. The importance of this transformation has led to its inclusion in not only university organic chemistry courses but also preuniversity, especially in Europe. A variety of reagent combinations have…

The [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction of olefins is an effective, atom-economical approach to produce cyclobutane compounds in organic synthetic chemistry, and they usually exhibit high regioselectivity and stereoselectivity. Here we devised a solid-state [2 + 2] photocycloaddition experiment that introduces senior undergraduate students with…

Millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water; thus, cost-efficient water treatment systems are vital. Chemists, environmentalists, technicians, and engineers will be the professionals making breakthroughs in this industry. This laboratory experiment aims to introduce undergraduate students to the removal of pollutants from water…

This laboratory exercise integrates chemistry and biology concepts to give third/fourth-year undergraduate students an opportunity to apply knowledge from different subject areas to address a real-world biomedical issue such as pathogen inhibition using composite materials. It involves the preparation of a bacteria-derived cellulosic biopolymer…

The activity presented here is about an approximate or order-of-magnitude approach to information technology on the nano level, dealing in particular with the genetic code. Based on "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom", the famous and visionary paper by Richard Feynman, the activity provides insight into a core concept of nanoscience…