In an effort to increase student comprehension and retention of basic chemistry concepts within a college level general chemistry course, a series of activities were created. These activities are referred to here as integrated problems. They were developed to help students by continuously reviewing key concepts and incorporating new material into…

The word laser is an acronym. It stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers, invented in 1958, are used to cut and fuse materials, accurately survey long distances, communicate across fiber-optic phone lines, produce 3D pictures, make special effects, help navigation, and read bar codes for cash registers. A laser…

Using a design-based research approach, we developed a data-rich problem (DRP) set to improve student understanding of cellular respiration at the ecosystem level. The problem tasks engage students in data analysis to develop biological explanations. Several of the tasks and their implementation are described. Quantitative results suggest that…

In looking at successful inquiry activities, patterns in pedagogical approach emerge (Meyer et al. 2011). This article discusses one such approach--the design challenge. A design challenge can be defined as an activity in which students are given an explicit task to create a product that meets a defined goal. However, simply asking students to…

Of the eight scientific practices highlighted in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas," the first is for students to develop abilities to ask questions and define problems (NRC 2012). Constructing a range of questions about an object or phenomenon validates not only what students have…

Human rhinovirus (HRV) is one of the most common human respiratory pathogens and is responsible for the majority of upper respiratory illnesses. Recently, a phylogeny was constructed from all known American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) HRV sequences. From this study, three HRV classifications (HRVA, HRVB, and HRVC) were determined and techniques…

Open-ended, inquiry-based multiweek laboratory exercises are the key elements to increasing students' understanding and retention of the major biological concepts. Including original research into undergraduate teaching laboratories has also been shown to motivate students and improve their learning. Here, we present a series of original…

We describe an investigative laboratory module designed to give college undergraduates strong practical and theoretical experience with recombinant DNA methods within 3 weeks. After deducing restriction enzyme maps for two different plasmids, students ligate the plasmids together in the same reaction, transform "E. coli" with this mixture of…

A participatory learning approach, combined with both a traditional and a competitive assessment, was used to motivate students and promote a deep approach to learning biochemistry. Students were challenged to research, author, and explain their own multiple-choice questions (MCQs). They were also required to answer, evaluate, and discuss MCQs…

In order to propogate information on the World Year of Physics (WYP) and to promote students' appreciation of the significance of this event, the author devised a riddle about Einstein and implemented it at two high schools in Taiwan, with 95 students which were mainly based on Einstein's publications in 1905. During the game 81% of the students…

Differentiates between problems, exercises and algorithms. Discusses the role of algorithms in solving problems and exercises in chemistry. Suggests that very real differences exist between solving problems and exercises, and that problem solving steps can be and should be taught in chemistry education. (TW)

Describes the selection and implementation of an authentic assessment model for evaluating students' science laboratory knowledge and skills. Provides sample problems and a scoring form for the performance-based science laboratory test. (MDH)