An activity is presented in which the thermodynamics of simultaneous, consecutive equilibria are explored. The activity is appropriate for second-year high school or AP chemistry. Students discover that a reactant-favored (entropy-diminishing or endergonic) reaction can be caused to happen if it is coupled with a product-favored reaction of…

This laboratory experiment utilizes the characteristic aromas of some functional groups to exploit the sense of smell as a discriminating tool in an organic qualitative analysis scheme. Students differentiate a variety of compounds by their aromas and based on their olfactory classification identify an unknown functional group. Students then…

Experiments that assign intact groups (usually schools) to treatment conditions are increasingly common in educational research. The design of group randomized experiments requires knowledge of the intraclass correlation structure to compute statistical power and to determine the sample sizes required to achieve adequate power. The intraclass…

The three step synthesis is presented to allow the functionalization of an aromatic amine by forming new C-C and C-N bonds via an intramolecular C-H activation under mild conditions. The reactions are stoichiometric and allow the students to isolate the different organometallic intermediates.

Perceived stress activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, resulting in the release of glucocorticoids into the systemic circulation. Glucocorticoids cause the elevation of blood glucose, providing the necessary energy for the organism to cope with stress. Here, we outline a laboratory exercise that uses a competitive ELISA kit to…

The community can be a powerful context and mini-laboratory for cultivating students' common understandings of science and mathematics. On the island of Panay in the Philippines, the community was the starting place for a group of fifth- and sixth-grade students to explore simple machines in their daily lives. What students learned in the process…

A group of five graduate students and a faculty mentor used the cultural popularity of forensics to develop a first-year undergraduate seminar. This course fulfilled two main objectives: First, the graduate student instructors developed professionally through a two-year process of creating, instructing, and revising a course. Second, a variety of…

Making educational materials freely available on the web can be seen as a noble enterprise in itself but as a way to address the call for people to become lifelong learners. The world is rapidly changing, requiring us to continuously update our knowledge and skills. A problem with this approach to lifelong learning is that the free materials that…

The purpose of this study is to incorporate adaptive ontology into ubiquitous learning grid to achieve seamless learning environment. Ubiquitous learning grid uses ubiquitous computing environment to infer and determine the most adaptive learning contents and procedures in anytime, any place and with any device. To achieve the goal, an…

Innovations in network and information technology have transformed traditional classroom lectures into new approaches that have given universities the opportunity to create a virtual laboratory. However, there is no systematic framework in existing approaches for the development of virtual laboratories. Further, developing a virtual laboratory…

Ethnic minority students traditionally pursue degrees and careers in the food and agricultural sciences at rates lower than their non-minority counterparts. To help improve upon this situation, the Food and Agricultural Sciences Institute (FASI) was created to expose academically talented high school students to opportunities within the food and…

An experiment, using College Board Achievement Tests in German Reading and Listening Comprehension, to compare the effectiveness of earphones and loudspeakers in language test presentation is described. Related opinions, implications, and conclusions on the effectiveness of communication media in language teaching and testing are offered. (AF)

Describes a first-year chemistry laboratory experiment which uses a simple computer program written in BASIC, to analyze data collected by students about the density of a set of marbles. A listing of the program is provided, along with a sample printout of the experiment's results. (TW)

This book is part of the series "Explorations in Science" which contains enrichment activities for the general science curriculum. Each book in the series contains innovative and traditional projects for both the bright and average, the self-motivated, and those who find activity motivating. Each activity is self-contained and provides everything…

Learning about science needs to be active, collaborative, and connected to the everyday personal lives of children. This book is a collection of humorous conversations, pictures, and activities designed to help children understand how and why changes happen in the world. The focus is on personal experience and how models are developed, how one can…