Describes the "Disease of the Week" report, an approach designed to integrate writing into a large freshman introductory biology class. Enables students to develop scientific writing skills and gain an appreciation of the role of scientific concepts in their lives. (JRH)

A teacher describes the procedures used by students to mount skeletons of small animals. Equipped with ziplock bags and papain, students can make the cumbersome task of mounting more time efficient and easy. (ZWH)

A major contributor to our understanding of the adaptation of all organisms to the physical environment is physiological ecology. Described here is an inexpensive, reliable and simple experiment to aid in helping students to understand better the acclimation process. (ZWH)

Two professors assert that it is not enough to simply tell students that all living organisms are mutually dependent. Describes an activity that allows students to become members of a food web and results in a greater understanding of and appreciation for the interdependencies of living things. Ideas for extension are provided. (ZWH)

Investigated the relationships among gender, prior academic performance, beliefs, and student attitudes toward biology laboratory experiences of (n=294) 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. Gender, prior academic experience, and beliefs were significant predictors of attitudes. (24 references) (Author/MKR)

Discusses the use of hypermedia in education and describes the Interactive Learning and Biology project that was developed at the University of Southampton (England) to teach undergraduate cell biology. Topics addressed include authoring tools for hypermedia; a study of undergraduates learning cell motility; student attitudes; and navigation…

Describes hands-on activities with fungi that may provoke the curiosity of early adolescents and increase their enjoyment and understanding of a vast, important portion of botany. Some of the activities may be conducted during the winter months when most fieldwork ceases. (PR)

Investigates differences in perceived inservice needs of veteran and nonveteran biology teachers as recommended by the National Research Council. Veteran and nonveteran teachers chose differing subjects for which mastery courses should be taught. Nonveteran teachers perceived a greater need for science teaching-methods courses. (LZ)

Describes how one instructor developed a biology questionnaire designed to get students interacting and thinking about biology course content on the first day of class. Discusses why student interest is captured, how the questions are made, and how the questionnaire results are used in class. Contains a 15-question true/false questionnaire. (LZ)

Describes the use of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) in senior biology classes (n=489) and students' perceptions of their interpersonal relationships with their teachers in the classroom environment and its association with student outcomes. Reports that student attitude scores were higher in classrooms in which students perceived…

Reports a study examining the effects of cooperative learning and self-instructional packets--"Group Educational Modules" (GEM)--on the achievement of biology students. Significant differences in achievement (as compared to control groups) were found for students using GEM materials and students in cooperative learning situations. (PR)

Reports a study investigating the utility of 52 items, selected from a readily available item pool developed for instructional purposes, when the items are used to measure critical thinking abilities of biology students. The items had reasonably good internal consistency reliability and good concurrent validity. (PR)

The area of adult learning disabilities is reviewed from a neurobiological and neuropsychological perspective. The paper covers possible pathophysiologic bases in dyslexia, neurobehavioral disorders that may coexist with learning disorders, neuropsychological assessment methods, treatment in the context of brain plasticity and recovery of…

Describes a college course that provides a challenging learning experience in science based upon famous experiments and observations dating from the time of Aristotle to the present day. Presents information concerning (1) the course organization, structure, laboratory development, and expectations; (2) course content by quarter; (3) evaluation of…

Describes the author's methods to establish what students enrolled in an introductory biology course for nonmajors know about biology prior to instruction. The project also compared preinstructional knowledge to postinstructional knowledge. Beginning students knew the least about plant transport/chemical control and cellular metabolism. Students…