A simple chemical sensor-related experiment rooted in the synthesis of polymeric materials for use in either an advanced high-school or undergraduate college laboratory is presented. Students are introduced to and combine to the concepts of the chemical sensor, polymer chemistry, spectroscopy, metal chelates, and quantitative analytical methods.

A set of sophisticated and realistic laboratory simulations is created for use in freshman- and sophomore-level chemistry classes and laboratories called 'Virtual ChemLab'. A detailed assessment of student responses is provided and the simulation's pedagogical utility is described using the organic simulation.

In this study, the research problem was: "Is the computer based physics instruction as effective as laboratory intensive physics instruction with regards to academic success on electric circuits 9th grade students?" For this research of experimental quality the design of pre-test and post-test are applied with an experiment and a control…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the new Zambian high school physics syllabus and practical examinations for levels of inquiry and inquiry skills. Several inquiry skills are explicitly emphasized in the introduction, aims, content objectives and assessment sections in the national high school physics syllabus. However, the syllabus is less…

In this study, the research problem was: "Is the computer based physics instruction as effective as laboratory intensive physics instruction with regards to academic success on electric circuits 9th grade students?" For this research of experimental quality the design of pre-test and post-test are applied with an experiment and a control…

The principles, difficulties and challenges in control education are discussed and compared to the similar problems in the teaching of mathematics and systems science in general. The difficulties of today's students to appreciate the classical teaching of engineering disciplines, which are based on rigorous and scientifically sound grounds, are…

Studies of protein function increasingly use multifaceted approaches that span disciplines including recombinant DNA technology, cell biology, and analytical biochemistry. These studies rely on sophisticated equipment and methodologies including confocal fluorescence microscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography that are beyond the…

Although reports of academic cheating are abundant, there are relatively few papers in the literature that focus on cheating in the context of science courses and even fewer that address dishonest practices, such as "cooking" or fudging data, within the classroom laboratory. This paper briefly reviews the existing literature on academic dishonesty…

Chromatography is a process by which mixtures can be separated or substances can be purified. Biological and chemical laboratories use many different types of chromatographic processes. For example, the pharmaceutical industry uses chromatographic techniques to purify drugs, medical labs use them to identify blood components such as cholesterol,…

This paper reports on a simple hands-on laboratory procedure for high school students in studying both radiation damage and DNA repair systems in bacteria. The sensitivity to ultra-violet (UV) radiation of both "Escherichia coli" and "Serratia marcescens" is tested by radiating them for varying time periods. Two growth temperatures are used in…

This report describes a laboratory exercise that was incorporated into a Cell Biology and Molecular Biology advanced course. The exercise was made for a class size with eight students and was designed to reinforce the understanding of basic molecular biology techniques. Students used the techniques of reverse transcription and arginase activity…

A three-week laboratory project involving synthesis and characterization of a layered manganese oxide provides an excellent vehicle for teaching important concepts of inorganic chemistry and instrumental methods related to non-molecular systems. Na-birnessite is an easily prepared manganese oxide with a 7 A interlayer spacing and Na[superscript +]…

This paper describes two uses of the software package TEMATH (Tools for Exploring Mathematics) with calculus students: (1) as a demonstration tool in the classroom to visually explore with students the many mathematical models introduced in a first year calculus course; and (2) as a part of a lab where students use a set of laboratory explorations…

The series of three sets of companion studies reported in this presentation addresses the need for seeking more effective outcomes from science laboratory experiences, which is indicated by conflicting outcomes of earlier reported research related to laboratory instruction at two different academic levels--grades 7-12 and beginning college. Four…

This module, a laboratory supplement on the theory of bending and properties of sections, is part of a first-year, postsecondary structural science technical support course for architectural drafting and design. The first part of this two-part supplement is directed at the instructor and includes the following sections: program objectives; course…