The mineral identification lab is typically the entry level college student's initial hands-on introduction to minerals. Our research focused on identifying alternative mineralogy conceptions that students bring to an introductory geology course and investigating the origins and nature of these conceptions. We identified a number of alternative…

Normal phase thin layer chromatography is a widely taught technique in undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory courses. To understand how the technique works, students must have a strong conceptual understanding of polarity and intermolecular forces. Unfortunately, many students have misconceptions regarding how polarity and intermolecular…

The NMR spectrometer is a commonly used spectroscopic instrument that records resonance frequencies of nuclei present in molecular systems. While the NMR frequencies fall within the radio frequency regime for a given molecular system, they are presented in terms of chemical shifts in the audio frequency regime, thereby having the versatility to be…

This article is about a famous physics course taken by thousands of students at Amherst College in the 1950s, designed and taught by its distinguished instructor, Arnold B. Arons. There are very few of us left who have taken the course. The youngest one would be, as the course was discontinued in 1968, about 72 years old!

This review summarizes the corpus of literature discussing the science identity of college students from various racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this review is to understand what experiences afford or impede the development of college students' science identity and what strategies are effective for strengthening their…

Background/purpose: Students' emotional condition plays a crucial role in forming enjoyable learning in geography. One way to modify students' emotions is through field trips to sites with diverse geographical aspects. This study aims to identify potential wetland field trip locations for geography learning in higher education and assess students'…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have grown in popularity, particularly within introductory biology courses, to provide more students with authentic research experiences. CUREs have been shown to have many of the same positive effects as conventional research experiences; however, most assessments of CUREs lack an…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) enhance student retention in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), particularly among students who belong to historically excluded communities. Yet the mechanisms by which CUREs contribute to student integration and persistence are poorly understood. Utilizing the tripartite…

Asking questions in front of a large classroom of one's peers is so intimidating that a majority of students will not participate in class in this way, hence missing out on a crucial part of the educational experience. A very easy option that has been implemented in our large enrollment classrooms, with a great effect, is outlined herein: an…

Scientific literacy is a person's ability to think and behave scientifically, apply scientific knowledge, and make decisions in solving problems in everyday life. Biology students are expected to be able to develop scientific literacy. One of them is in the material of plant metabolism. Understanding the concept of plant metabolism will help…

Electrochemical characterization techniques are essential for studying and developing advanced materials across various fields, from corrosion science to energy storage, photovoltaics, and bioelectrochemistry. However, these techniques are often under-represented in educational curricula. This practical guide with a hands-on laboratory experiment…

Structure-function relationships are a core concept in many STEM disciplines. Most biology curricula introduce students to macromolecules, their building blocks, and other small molecules that play key roles in biological processes. However, the shapes, interactions, and functions of these molecules are often discussed using schematic diagrams,…

University courses are often interconnected; however, the connections between these courses remain unclear to many students. This is particularly important in the field of forensic science since each stage of the investigation, from the crime scene to the courtroom, has significant implications on the outcome of a case and the individuals…

The objective of this paper is to establish comparisons between the Linear Algebra (LA) approach practiced in Engineering courses offered by Chilean and Brazilian Higher Education Institutions and, for that, teachers from both countries were interviewed. From a methodological point of view, the research consists of two case studies. For the…

A multicomponent reaction was adapted and successfully applied in the major organic course, which involves synthesizing and characterizing a 1,3-benzoxazine derived from paracetamol extracted from tablets of the worldwide well-known medicine Tylenol. Using paracetamol as a reagent is a motivational strategy in undergraduate laboratories to meet…