A large number of students across the globe each year enroll in general chemistry courses as an academic requirement to obtain their degree. Although many take chemistry courses, it is not a subject sought out by many as a potential career. In some instances, chemistry hinders students from achieving their career goals. A plethora of chemical…

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a buzzword in America (Ames, 2013; Woodruff, 2013). With recent pushes from the federal government (Obama, 2013) the educational landscape is changing, with an increased emphasis on STEM (Noddings, 2013; Obama, 2013). However, a clear definition of who teaches each aspect of STEM does not exist…

The MoE (Ministry of Education) in the state of Kuwait is starting to reform the science curriculum in all school academic stages: primary (1-5) grades, intermediate (6-9) grades, and secondary (10-12) grades. The purpose of this study was to explore the opinions of science teachers about Kuwait's new sixth and seventh grade science curriculum,…

Described are several physics activities developed by a high school: research corner, exploring an invention, construction projects, archives report and archives update, short term research and design projects, essay contest, and special projects. (YP)

To adapt the focus of engineering education to emerging new industries and technologies nationwide and in the local area, a biomechanics module has been developed and incorporated into a mechanical engineering technical elective course to expose mechanical engineering students at ONU (Ohio Northern University) to the biomedical engineering topics.…

A programed, two-credit hour, experimental microbiology course for nonscience majors is described. (SA)

This paper was presented at the Southeast Asian Workshop on new trends in the selection of content for chemistry curricula. The chemistry curriculum project developed by the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST) of Thailand was discussed. (HM)

This paper presents a series of activities and educational strategies related to the teaching of digital electronics in computer engineering. The main objective of these methodologies was to develop a final tutored coursework to be carried out by the students in small teams. This coursework was conceived as consisting of advanced problems or small…

The approach described in this article represents a combination of teaching techniques that were successful for a high school biology teacher. The process is described as shared decision making and the student becomes an active partner in the learning process. (Author/SA)

Analyzes undergraduate research projects in biochemistry and related subjects at British universities. Discusses the trend toward students doing less research as part of their undergraduate study. Reasons cited for this trend include increased student numbers and costs. (DDR)

Programmable system-on-chip (PSoC), which provides a microprocessor and programmable analog and digital peripheral functions in a single chip, is very convenient for mixed-signal electronic system design. This paper presents the experience of teaching contemporary mixed-signal electronic system design with PSoC in the Department of Automation,…

Typically, teachers use tests to evaluate students' knowledge acquisition. In a novel experimental study, we examined whether low-stakes testing ("quizzing") can be used to foster students' learning of course content in 8th grade science classes. Students received multiple-choice quizzes (with feedback); in the quizzes, some target…

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which greater than 50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in…

Genetics is considered one of the most challenging courses in the biology curricula at both the secondary and post secondary levels. Case based teaching has been shown to improve student perception and performance outcomes in both non-science and science courses. Thus in an effort to improve outcomes, case studies were integrated into an…

Statistics is used in almost every facet of our daily lives: crime reports, election results, environmental/climate change, advances in business, financial planning, and progress in multifarious research. Although understanding statistics is essential for efficient functioning in the modern world (Cerrito 1996), students often do not grasp…