Presents an inexpensive activity to stimulate student interest in biotechnology that was developed in partnership with a biotechnology company. Focuses on the use of DNA by a commercial laboratory; describing the analysis procedure; important uses of DNA technology in modern society; and ethical, social, and legal issues related to biotechnology.…

Presents a quantitative laboratory experiment to aid students in understanding how to account for a loss of species biodiversity due to habitat fragmentation. (ASK)

Describes an activity that reduces the biosphere to a water-filled jar to simulate the relationship between cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and energy. Allows students in high school biology and related courses to explore quantitatively cellular respiration and photosynthesis in almost any laboratory setting. (ASK)

Presents a statement of "professional concerns," to echo Jeanne Simpson's exploration of beginning a writing center. Presents the story of the author's first year as one way of reading the factors that both constrain and enable educators to reach levels of professional status that ensure security and stability, both for educators personally and…

Discusses teaching lab science as a telecourse, particularly with the screening process used to identify and counsel students who are best suited to this learning modality. Concludes that some students are not suited to distance learning because they are not mature enough to schedule their own study time so they do not like to work independently.…

Describes a directed research project that examines the territorial and aggressive behavior of crickets. Presents behavioral ecology laboratory experiments in which students test the hypothesis that crickets with established territories are more likely to win confrontations that intruding crickets. (Contains 11 references.) (ASK)

Describes a method for teaching biology that includes more investigative exercises that foster an environment for cooperative learning in introductory laboratories that focus on vertebrates. Fosters collaborative learning by facilitating interaction between students as they become experts on their representative vertebrate structures. (SAH)

Reviews communication pedagogical practices in Canada, showing that graduate-level instruction focuses on mass communication, and that undergraduate courses in speech communication are typically cross-listed with other disciplines. Describes the strong undergraduate program at University College of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, with its unique base…

Explains the advantages and disadvantages of verification experiments in classrooms from the secondary school science teacher's point of view and discusses the reasons for difficulties and resistance in replacing verification experiments with inquiry experiments. (Contains 19 references.) (YDS)

Presents three biology activities involving insects that demonstrate basic ecological principles related to the forensic sciences. (Contains 15 references.) (YDS)

A survey of 1,562 clinical laboratory scientists ranked critical thinking behaviors used in practice. Important behaviors were cognitive, behavioral, affective, and situated/contextual. Findings support a view of critical thinking as a metaprocess that spans learning domains. (Contains 17 references.) (SK)

Presents a correlation study of student satisfaction with Writing Center services based on the number of visits students made to the Center during two different semesters. Tells a story of how the writing center staff learned to stop fearing numbers and love the interpretation of them. Finds no statistically significant correlation between number…

Investigates the effects of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) format on student's achievement, thinking abilities and motivation. Focuses on distribution equilibrium and assesses student understanding by studying metacognitive and practical factors. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/YDS)

Presents a story of a footrace between different groups of people that can be used to teach about chemical separation by chromatography. (WRM)