Catalysis is not only one of the most crucial principles of Green Chemistry but also one of the most used industrial strategies to improve yields and to shift to more environmental-friendly processes. Due to the great importance of catalysis, we propose a laboratory activity related to heterogeneous catalysis courses (upper and undergraduate…

This paper provides seven topics on sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO[subscript 3]) and its ions for readers looking for familiar material phenomena to strengthen students' understanding of the chemical concepts of thermodynamics. The first concept is the ideal gas law, followed by the van't Hoff equation, Gibbs energy, pH change, chemical…

Experimental results are presented on the collision of a superball with two different wood blocks. The results are in reasonable agreement with a simple collision model where kinetic energy is conserved, but better agreement is obtained if a small loss of kinetic energy is assumed, as observed. The physics is slightly more complicated than the…

Problem solving, multiple-choice question-based educational tools have been used for decades in molecular cell biology courses at the University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs, Hungary. A set of these tests was published in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education between 2002 and 2015. Such tests using an experimental approach help students to…

Stable isotopes in natural materials provide a powerful way to study energy flow in many systems and are widely used in fields such as archaeology, ecology, forensics, geochemistry, geology, oceanography, palaeoecology and palaeoclimatology. Based on the manner in which stable isotopes fractionate in natural systems, they allow scientists to…

A digital learning-teaching environment is introduced in which undergraduate students are challenged to connect the basic physical concepts of oscillation, buoyancy and data analysis via an authentic experiment. The damped oscillation of a cylindrical body swimming upright in water is measured via the MEMS acceleration sensor of a wireless MCU…

This study aims to analyse students' extraneous cognitive load (ECL) in cell biology lectures. Participants in the study were 31 students of the Biology Education Department who attended the Cell Biology course from a university in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Cell Biology lectures include fours topics. The data of ECL were measured using…

This paper aims to explore (1) students' chemistry self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive skills during problem solving in chemistry, (2) a potential significant difference of chemistry self-efficacy beliefs and levels of metacognitive skills in accordance with subject fields and, (3) the level of chemistry self-efficacy beliefs as a predictor of…

We designed and tested a 3D motion tracking system which displays acquired and derived data using augmented reality. This setup, based on a virtual reality headset and its controllers, is a relatively low-cost, high-precision, six degrees of freedom, high-speed, multiple-objects tracking device. This apparatus proves to be a very high-quality…

Radiochemistry faces a well-documented training and recruitment crisis. Older radiochemists are retiring, and fewer young people are studying radiochemistry. In turn, this is leading to a shortage in newly qualified radiochemists, as well as a loss of historical knowledge (as know-how is often not passed-on). Here, we analyzed the relevance of the…

My dissertation research has been a quest to understand how to improve metacognition development in undergraduate chemistry education. The first step I took in this investigation was to speak with those with the largest influence on an undergraduate chemistry student's education: the instructors. I interviewed seventeen postsecondary chemistry…

Nearly half of all U.S. students who declare science majors in college do not graduate with science degrees within six years. Improvements in science outcomes are linked with active-learning pedagogies such as Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). However, despite the need for education reform particularly in Alabama,…

Although many undergraduates begin college as STEM majors, attrition rates from the field are high and numerous reports suggest that evidence-based teaching methods are critical for retention. Despite educators' research and near consensus that active learning is more effective than lecture, there are many types of active learning and the…

This study explored perceptions and practices around authentic assessment within a diverse, science-based school at an Australian University. We were motivated to inquire into authentic assessment through a work-readiness lens, with the goal of embedding the assessment of skills that are transferable across a range of STEM roles and graduate roles…

As online courses become increasingly common at the college level, an ongoing concern is how to ensure academic integrity in the online environment. One area that has received particular attention is that of preventing cheating during unproctored online exams. In this study, we examine students' behavior during unproctored exams taken in an online…