Calls for reform to instructional labs mean many instructors and departments are facing the daunting task of identifying goals for their introductory lab courses. Fortunately, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) released a set of recommendations for learning goals for the lab to support lab redevelopment. Here we outline the…

BYOL (Bring Your Own Lime), a novel laboratory experiment, is introduced in this paper. Students are encouraged to bring affordable household and grocery store chemicals into the classroom. The Bring Your Own Chemical (BYOC) concept demonstrates to students that food and household products are chemicals too. Citruses are often used to highlight…

The cardiovascular responses to exercise are mediated by several interactive neural mechanisms, including central command, arterial baroreflex, and skeletal muscle mechano- and metaboreflex. In humans, muscle metaboreflex activation can be isolated via postexercise ischemia (PEI), which increases sympathetic nerve activity and partially maintains…

This article argues that we need to make use of our everyday experiences when introducing concepts in chemistry that are often obscure. It uses reaction rates as an example and explores a common misconception related to the explanation of the effect of rising temperature on the rate of slow reactions.

Colleges and universities are learning to provide relevant virtual lab experiences for students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even schools attempting in-person instruction often need to utilize virtual experiences for students absent due to quarantine or illness. Much of biochemistry is amenable to molecular visualization and/or computational…

Models are at the heart of any physics discipline, and in recent decades physics education has shifted heavily toward teaching students how to think using models. Involving students in an investigation of a real phenomenon through measurements and the applications of models is an ideal learning experience for a physics student and is the aim of…

In this paper we assessed how lower body negative pressure (LBNP) can be used to teach students the physiological effects of central hypovolemia in the absence of the LBNP and/or a medical monitor using a "dry lab" activity using LBNP data that have been previously collected. This activity was performed using published LBNP papers, with…

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) created unparalleled challenges to anatomy education. Gross anatomy education has been particularly impacted given the traditional in-person format of didactic instruction and/or laboratory component(s). To assess the changes in gross anatomy lecture and laboratory instruction, assessment, and teaching resources…

There is an increasing need for research chemists and biochemists to have a basic familiarity with computer programming. Adding programming content to already crowded STEM undergraduate curricula, however, can be challenging. When programming content is introduced within the chemistry curriculum, it is most often incorporated into upper division…

Taking advantage of the possibilities for learning outside of school requires us to build on what we know about why it is so hard to sustain and scale up unconventional educational experiences within conventional schools. To illustrate the opportunities and challenges, Thomas Hatch describes a large-scale approach to project-based learning…

Student preparation has been shown to be of appreciable importance to student success in laboratory components of science courses. To promote student engagement prior to each laboratory session, technique and content videos, online assessments, and additional methods aiming to decrease cognitive load have been put into effect. Edpuzzle allows for…

This paper describes and assesses the impact of a new upper-level "scholarly" laboratory model that is part of a four-year scaffolded research skills curriculum at a Carnegie Bachelor's institution. In this scholarly lab model, students gain the "tools" of a discipline in a first-semester laboratory and engage in the scholarly…

In this study, we analyzed data of heart rate and pulse amplitude collected by undergraduate students in a physiology lab course during and after the diving reflex. On average, heart rate was reduced 21% at 15 seconds and 29% at 30 seconds during diving. Pulse amplitude generally decreased but with greater individual variation. There is no…

More than ever, there is an increasing need for digital experimental learning environments in chemistry. The variety of digital learning approaches provided to students range from simple videos showing experiments to highly interactive virtual laboratories. Regardless of which approach is chosen, a digital learning environment should be adapted to…

Designing high school chemistry assessments is a complex and difficult task. Although prior studies about assessment have offered teachers guidelines and standards as support to generate quality assessment items, little is known about how teachers engage these supports or enact their own beliefs into practice while developing assessments.…