A common homework problem in many introductory physics courses is similar to the following. "A car drives at constant speed over a hill on a road in the shape of a vertical circular arc. What is the maximum speed the car can have and not lose contact with the road at the crest of the hill?" Unfortunately this problem is flawed, because…

This article describes the design and implementation of an independent at-home chemistry project for a high school student. The pedagogical process described herein provided an authentic and meaningful laboratory experience at home, enabling remote learning that was inexpensive and safe. The topic of study was osmosis, and experiments were…

Nowadays, it is not common to come across sectors that can work and succeed without using information technology (IT). IT has now become a part of organizations' management and strategic decision-making mechanisms. Therefore, organizations make serious investments to develop software and system infrastructures and transfer business processes to…

The end of the semester has any number of regular milestones for teachers, among them the receipt of student evaluations of teaching. Particularly for those who teach large course sections, the anticipated experience of reading evaluations is often bemusement. Frequently, there are significant numbers of student comments on both "sides"…

The recent emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has significantly influenced different fields, including education. One notable example is ChatGPT, an AI-driven large language model (LLM) developed by OpenAI. This tool holds potential for supporting both teachers and students in the teaching and learning process. While some fields of…

This paper presents MATLAB user interfaces for two multiphase kinetic models: the kinetic double-layer model of aerosol surface chemistry and gas--particle interactions (K2-SURF) and the kinetic multilayer model of aerosol surface and bulk chemistry (KM-SUB). Each interface has simple and user-friendly features that allow undergraduate and…

Students face several challenges when learning through traditional teaching settings. They need to accumulate huge amounts of factual knowledge from the courses, and to keep up-to-date with the prolific growth in health knowledge. Lack of awareness about digital technologies and non-exposure to digital-friendly environments have made learning even…

This report showcases a new type of online homework system that provides students with a free-form interface and dynamic feedback. The ORCCA Tutor (Open-Response Chemistry Cognitive Assistance Tutor) is a production rules-based online tutoring system utilizing the Cognitive Tutoring Authoring Tools (CTAT) developed by Carnegie Mellon University.…

Teachers are increasingly adopting flipped instruction for individual lessons or even entire courses. Typically, flipped instruction involves a teacher assigning videos for homework and then using in-class time for students to solve problems--that is, the settings for content delivery and completing assignments have "flipped." In…

I describe the motivation, structure, implementation, and student feedback of my mastery-based testing (MBT) system with a significant final exam component in Calculus I and II since 2016. Grades for each written assignment, quiz, and exam question were assigned on a Mastery/Progressing/Needs Improvement (M/P/NI) scale. Homework and quizzes could…

Computer programming and mathematical algorithms are natural partners in the development of programming skills, logical thought, and a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. We present the details of a course which blends the two at the sophomore level. This course is required of our mathematics majors, but attracts mathematics minors from…

Students often believe that statistical significance is the only determinant of whether a quantitative result is "important." In this paper, I review traditional null hypothesis statistical testing to identify what questions inferential statistics can and cannot answer, including statistical significance, effect size and direction,…

Sequences are an important topic--not only in mathematics but also in the mathematics curriculum. Exploring sequences related to medial triangles offers learners opportunities to solve problems involving sequences within geometric contexts. Sequences related to medial triangles are also a rich source of beautiful and interesting geometric patterns…

Homework gives students the opportunity to practice new skills in both familiar and unfamiliar situations, and to develop an understanding of related concepts. Although some of these goals can be easily accomplished in online homework, many systems are less useful for handling open-ended questions. Written homework, on the other hand, takes time…

Traditionally, assessing and grading students in science has been an exercise centered around points and percentages (Feldman, Kropf, and Alibrandi 1989; Prøitz 2013). However, with the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the need to revisit grading practices stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of…