Materials science can be taught by applying organic light-emitting electrochemical thin-film devices and in this method students were allowed to make a light-emitting device by spin coating a thin film containing ruthenium (II) complex ions onto a glass slide. Through this laboratory method students are provided with the opportunity to learn about…

The feasibility of using current software, such as PC-Duo, PCAnywhere or LabVIEW, in training students in instrumental analysis from a remote location is investigated. Findings show that creation of online features is crucial to the use and learning by students and the development of a suitable Web site, which provides an easy-to-use interface to…

Photography can be a useful tool for teaching biology at both the macroscopic and the microscopic levels of organization. While more complex, taking photographs of microscopic specimens is a procedure that can be performed with all students. In this article, the authors outline a general approach that can be followed to develop a specific protocol…

An experimental exercise on analytical proficiency studies in collaborative trials is proposed. This practical provides students in advanced undergraduate courses in chemistry, pharmacy, and biochemistry, with the opportunity to improve their quality assurance skills. It involves an environmental analysis, determining the concentration of a…

Green chemistry is the utilization of a set of principles that reduces or eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture and application of chemical products. Some of the philosophical questions and practical decisions that have guided the greening of the organic chemistry laboratory at Hendrix College in…

The potassium salt is an easy product to synthesize in an introductory course on inorganic chemistry and the students are required to prepare this product in order to improve their laboratory skills and as an introduction to the synthesis of coordination compounds. The complex potassium tris (oxalato) ferrate (III) is used to illustrate the…

A novel method to investigate the pollen diets of hoverflies is described. The method dispenses with the need for dissection skills or the use of hazardous chemicals thus making it particularly useful for school, college or undergraduate projects and for amateurs. It utilises the properties of the indigestible pollen coat, or exine, which enables…

The following laboratory exercise was designed to aid student understanding of the differences between subjective and objective measurements. Students assess the color and texture of different varieties of potato chip (crisps) by means of an intensity rating scale and a rank test and objectively with a colorimeter and texture analyzer. For data…

Recrystallization of benzoic acid is an excellent way to remove insoluble impurities. In a traditional organic laboratory experiment, insoluble impurities are removed through the recrystallization of benzoic acid utilizing water as the recrystallization solvent. It was our goal to develop a peer-led, problem-solving organic laboratory exercise…

A three-hour laboratory experiment, designed for an advanced undergraduate course in instrumental analysis that illustrates the application of the gradient chamber flow-injection titration (GCFIT) method with spectrophotometric detection to determine acidity constants is presented. The procedure involves the use of an acid-base indicator to obtain…

The purpose of this study is to determine pre-service teachers' attitudes toward use of Vee diagrams in general physics laboratory. The sample of the study consists of 29 (16 girls and 13 boys) freshmen students enrolling to elementary school science education program at one of the universities in Turkey. To gather the data of the study…

The main goal of this study was to investigate whether the use of an individualized approach through microscale chemistry experiments in secondary schools can increase students' understanding of chemistry concepts, improve attitude towards chemistry practical work and motivation. Two comparable groups of Form Four students (16 years old)…

The Internet provides an opportunity for students to access laboratories from outside the campus. This paper presents a Web-based remote access real-time laboratory using SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) control. The control of an induction motor is used as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of this remote laboratory,…

The prevailing tendency in modern university reforms is towards "how people learn," following a learner-centered approach in which the learner is the main actor of the teaching-learning process. As a consequence, one of the key indicators of the teaching-learning process is the measurement of learner satisfaction within the classroom.…

Many have argued that interactive 3D virtual environments have great educational potential due to their ability to engage learners in the exploration, construction and manipulation of virtual objects, structures and metaphorical representations of ideas. Although learning benefits have been demonstrated in research settings, and substantial usage…