Diffusion has often been taught in science courses as one of the primary ways by which molecules travel, particularly within organisms. For years, classroom teachers have used the same common demonstrations to illustrate this concept (e.g., placing drops of food coloring in a beaker of water). Most of the time, the main contributor to the motion…

This paper describes the construction of a simple inexpensive scanner which can be used in conjunction with a data logger to produce intensity plots of diffraction and interference patterns. Making use of the drive mechanism from an old inkjet-printer is the central feature. (Contains 7 figures.)

The aim of this study was to investigate how the contextual vocabulary exploration processes of English as a Foreign Language learners can be facilitated in a mobile-supported situated learning environment. A Science and Technology Museum populated with interactive science experiments was chosen as the situated learning context. A mobile…

Prismatic refraction is a classic topic in science education. To investigate how undergraduate students think about prismatic dispersion, and to see how they change their thinking when observing dispersed images, five teaching experiments were done and analysed according to the Model of Educational Reconstruction. For projection through a prism,…

The concept of wave-particle duality in quantum theory is difficult to grasp because it attributes particle-like properties to classical waves and wave-like properties to classical particles. There seems to be an inconsistency involved with the notion that particle-like or wave-like attributes depend on how you look at an entity. The concept comes…

Students who are blind or visually impaired (BVI), like all students, need to conduct scientific investigations that involve measurements and reading experimental procedures. Best instructional practices for BVI students include touch and hearing experiences. Related strategies and tools include electronic textbooks, assistive technologies such as…

The main aim of our research was to determine whether the teacher is one of the factors influencing students' perception of biology as a school subject. The study also aimed to identify the influence of certain other factors in this regard, specifically: students' gender and place of residence, the number of biology teachers who have taught the…

Analytical method transfer (AMT) and dissolution testing are important topics required in industry that should be taught in analytical chemistry courses. Undergraduate students in senior level analytical chemistry laboratory courses at Kennesaw State University (KSU) and St. John Fisher College (SJFC) participated in development, validation, and…

Homologous recombination, a central concept in biology, is defined as the exchange of DNA strands between two similar or identical nucleotide sequences. Unfortunately, undergraduate students majoring in biotechnology often experience difficulties in understanding the molecular basis of homologous recombination. In this study, we developed and…

Triadic dialogue, the Initiation, Response, Evaluation sequence typical of teacher /student interactions in classrooms, has long been identified as a barrier to students' access to learning, including science learning. A large body of research on the subject has over the years led to projects and policies aimed at increasing opportunities for…

Remote robotics laboratories have been successfully used for engineering education. However, few of them use mobile robots to to teach computer science. This article describes a mobile robot Control and Programming Environment (CPE) and its pedagogical applications. The system comprises a remote laboratory for robotics, an online programming tool,…

We developed an experiment to help students understand basic regulation of postabsorptive and postprandial glucose metabolism and the availability of energy sources for physical activity in the fed and fasted state. Within a practical session, teams of two or three students (1 subject and 1 or 2 investigators) performed one of three different…

Researchers are trying to develop assessments for inquiry practices to elicit students' deep science learning, but few studies have examined the relationship between students' "doing," i.e. "performance assessment," and "writing," i.e. "open responses," during inquiry. Inquiry practices include generating…

The purpose of the present article is to describe three simple practical experiments that aim to observe and discuss the anatomic and physiological functions and differences between arteries and veins as well as the alterations observed in skin blood flow in different situations. For this activity, students were divided in small groups. In each…

This paper describes a laboratory exercise that provides students enrolled in introductory nanotechnology courses with an opportunity to synthesize polymer structures with micro- and nanoscale dimensions. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) films deposited on corrugated PDMS stamps using student-built spin coaters were transferred to clean, dry substrates…