Physics education in secondary schools can include biophysics topics as electives. An open simulation based on a simulation like Minecraft for learning the workings of the action potential in human cells was designed and tested for students in upper secondary physics education. In small design and test cycles both the simulation engine and the…

Biological organisms function as the result of a multitude of complex physical systems all interacting with one another at different length scales and over different time scales. At stages of education below university undergraduate level, this complexity often prevents the discussion of physics within a biological context, subtly implying that…

The COVID-19 pandemic affected almost all aspects of our lives, including the education sector and the way of teaching and learning. In March 2020, health authorities in Brazil imposed social isolation and the interruption of on-site activities in schools and universities. In this context, the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), one of the…

In an attempt to exploit the concept of mindfulness for educational contexts, we investigated the role of dispositional mindfulness as an internal resource for the development of situational interest. Using an online questionnaire, we assessed participants' (N = 161, mean age = 30.4 years, 74% female, 66% university students) mindfulness,…

One of the successes of learning is the formation of thinking skills and understanding. Therefore in this study the formative assessment is implemented through Understanding by Design (UbD). The research objective is to find out the formation of understanding and to analyze the correlation between formative assessments and UbD. The study used…

Many studies have shown a decrease in scientific interest with an increase in age. Since interest is linked to a high degree of deep-level learning, it is of great relevance to foster interest in science. This study investigates interest in biology from 7th, 9th, and 12th grade students in Germany (N=257). Results show a significantly lower…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework with related analysis methodologies that identifies the influence of social environment on an established cropping system. Design/Methodology/Approach: A stratified survey including 103 villages and 823 farmers was conducted in all districts of Haryana (India). Firstly,…

At the botanical garden of the University of Würzburg, we conducted practical lessons on bionics, focused on the lotus effect, with 260 students. Those approx. 14 years old, 8th-grade mid-level students were divided into two groups. During an instructional discussion about the topic, one group was confronted with their alternative conceptions…

This article describes the latest advancement in the development of prosthetic arms. Bionic researchers are making significant advances in creating more agile prosthetics that users can control via their own nervous system. The bionic arm, which is still under development, can not only execute complex, thought-controlled movements, but also can…

In this article we recount our experiences of teaching photosynthesis in an integrated way to secondary school students and teachers, science undergraduates and postgraduates. Conceptual questions were posed to investigate learners' fundamental understanding of simple light-dependent and light-independent processes taught to most students at…

A review of the undergraduate physical education curricula in Canadian universities revealed sparse offerings in the humanities when compared to the biophysical and social sciences. Recommendations are made to reorder the curriculum to provide better balance between the two areas. (Author/CB)

Discusses electricity's documented effects on the human body, including both the dangers to human health and the medical application of electrical stimulation to heart problems. Discusses the teaching of such physics topics to potential medical students. (TW)