This experiment describes the synthesis of gentisyl quinone isovalerate, or blattellaquinone, a sex pheromone of the German cockroach that was isolated and identified in 2005. The synthesis is appropriate for the second semester of a second-year organic chemistry laboratory course. It can be completed in two, three-hour laboratory periods and uses…

Undergraduate biology students receive little training in natural history or in organismal biology. Natural history allows students to visualize mechanisms of evolution and identify common themes in the structure and function of organisms. By emphasizing natural history in all aspects of biology instruction, we might become closer to achieving the…

Writing has special importance in anthropology. Writing fieldnotes is a central methodology for documenting and analyzing culture, and written personal reflections upon this process are viewed as providing insight into how knowledge is produced by a "situated" researcher. That said, there is little discussion in the discipline about the…

As part of the final year of their undergraduate degree programmes, some chemistry students at the University of Bristol spend time in local primary or secondary schools working on chemistry or chemical education problems. All partners gain from this programme. The students develop many of the transferable skills required by employers in all…

I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabrics of their life. (Tolstoy, 1894)…

A multiplex allele-specific PCR analysis was developed to identify six "common" genotypes: AA, AO, BB, BO, OO, and AB. This project included a pre-laboratory exercise that provided active learning experiences and developed critical thinking skills. This laboratory resulted in many successful analyses, which were verified by student knowledge of…

With the increasing number of older people in the world and their interest in education, universities play an important role in providing effective learning methodologies. This paper presents a new instructional methodology implementing inquiry-based learning (IBL) in two courses focused on alternative energies in the Program for Older People at…

The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate. With this set of lessons, middle school Earth systems science teachers can help their students build an understanding of how large bodies of water can serve as a heat source or sink at different times and how proximity to water moderates climate along the coast. The activity's combination of…

This article reports the development and refinement of science and mathematics integrated activities for middle school students. The expectations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics that students develop an understanding of mathematics and an ability to apply it gave birth to these activities. The expectations of the National…

How could a rock formed by volcanic activity get to this shoreline, surrounded by sedimentary rocks? That was the question a group of third-grade students asked--and answered--during an inquiry-based summer camp. Over a two week timeframe, the students practiced basic inquiry skills such as observing; measuring; describing and drawing; sharing…

Geographic education is more effective when students actively participate by developing hypotheses, designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and discussing results. We describe an innovative pedagogical approach, in which students learn physical geography concepts by analyzing environmental data collected in contrasting environments…

This study investigated the influence of a short explicit-reflective Nature of Science Course (NOSC) on access students' ideas about the Nature of Science (NOS). Eighty five students registered for a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa went through a seven week course that deliberately sought to develop…

Instructional designers can embrace leadership skills to shape the culture in educational entities toward a "living" institute (Senge, 2000, p. 54). Assessment and measurability set the direction toward the design of plan, implementation and strategy to organization. Paradigm shifts must take place in education.

The ACT is a national college admissions examination. ACT, Inc. provides an annual summary of student performance at the end of each academic year. Results from the 2010 annual summary are described in this brief report.

This study aims to establish a viable structural model of prospective science teachers' nature of science (NOS) views, which could be used as an analytical tool for understanding the complex relationships between prospective teachers' conceptions of NOS and factors possibly affecting their conceptions. In order to construct such a model, likely…