In September 2020, Irish schools reopened following their emergency closure due to the COVID-19 crisis. Measures were put in place to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus within schools and communities. However, these measures were likely to impact on teachers' capacity to facilitate learning in science, particularly the practical and…

The 'Moss Safari' activity was developed to assist with knowing which organisms to look for when observing a drop of water squeezed from moss for the first time. In this case study, the activity was introduced online to 34 trainee science teachers. This was followed by a post-session questionnaire evaluating their experience of the Moss Safari.…

This paper details methods that were adopted during the transition to an online learning environment for students enrolled in Human Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology courses at a community college designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) in light of shelter-in-place orders established to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, laboratory research was not possible in different educational programs at Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Medical Center due to the taken measures. Therefore, a team of faculty from both institutions developed an alternative transdisciplinary research group project that was fully performed…

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…

The term "Virtual Reality" currently refers to a profound sensory immersion of the user in a synthetically generated virtual environment. It is foreseen that virtual reality will gain a substantial role in the instruction of science. In this literature review, the purpose was to investigate the research on the utilization of virtual…

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…

Traditional practical work for higher education in STEM subjects is under pressure from rising student numbers and a desired increase in active learning. Investing in more buildings and staff is financially challenging, while stretching existing resources affects outcomes, health, and participation. A more pragmatic approach is to embrace a less…

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…

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…

In recent years the delivery of practical laboratories classes has been subjected to debate, with regards to pedagogical efficiency. Our aim was to develop a pre-laboratory online learning resource that enhances the preparedness and performance within laboratory classes. A study was conducted using second year Pharmacy students, in which the class…

Chemists refer to chemical phenomena on different representational levels--macroscopic, symbolic, and submicroscopic--which are directly related and connected to each other. Especially in the laboratory, students have to reason about various mechanistic features at the submicroscopic level and connect them in a meaningful way to make sense of the…