Background/purpose. Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) development represents a critical challenge in biology higher education. While Project-Based Learning (PjBL) shows promise, empirical evidence remains fragmented across individual studies. This meta-analysis systematically synthesized evidence on PjBL effectiveness in developing HOTS among…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is one method for implementing inclusive education that can have tangible benefits for all learners, increasing educational accessibility. Furthermore, UDL can be used as a vehicle to train majority nondisabled students in methods of inclusive education. We implemented an inclusive education pedagogical…

Writing is usually integrated in the curriculum of science studies. However, students often lack the skills to write for various audiences or, to produce a well written manuscript. We developed a concise project of 15 European Credits to improve the writing skills in an early phase of the bachelor study. Students worked on texts from various…

Pharmaceutical Integrated Experiment (PIE) is a systematic and comprehensive compulsory course for undergraduates majoring in pharmacy and pharmaceutical engineering. This course mainly focuses on integrating the theoretical knowledge of various disciplines into practice, enabling students to master the key processes of drug research and…

Project-based learning is widely used in organic laboratories. This goal-oriented and inquiry-based learning model complements student-centered training. Such models focus on complicated issues or real-world problems on the frontier of chemistry. Students progress through three project phases: preproject, during the project, and postproject.…

Within the eukaryotic cell, the actin cytoskeleton is a crucial structural framework that maintains cellular form, regulates cell movement and division, and facilitates the internal transportation of proteins and organelles. External cues induce alterations in the actin cytoskeleton primarily through the activation of Rho GTPases, which then bind…

In this work, we will describe a Peer Project Learning assignment focused on the STEM project-based learning activities where students build a custom board game with a series of constraints that guide them to learn (and later teach) about the main concepts of an electromagnetism physics course for undergraduate students.

A comparative study on the performance and on the perception of two groups of students involved in a peer review activity on the writing of chemical laboratory reports is reported. The first group participated in a compulsory activity, while the second one participated on a voluntary basis. This study was aimed at determining whether the overall…

Guided inquiry is the practice of allowing students to come to their own conclusions about a set of data instead of verifying a known result using a given experimental procedure. Open inquiry takes this idea one step further by allowing students to develop their own experiment and then analyze the data to arrive at a conclusion. To expose upper…

This article reports on the implementation of a CURE project in an upper-level analytical chemistry course to engage a larger number of students in research at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI). The lab course syllabus was modified to provide students with an opportunity to experience the process of conducting research through a project…

Creativity is an important educational goal. This study examines how creativity can be enhanced by investigating the relationships between team efficacy, psychological safety, team interaction, and team creativity in team project-based learning. A total of 294 students (93 teams) participating in project-based learning at a Korean university were…

Recommendations for enhancing scientific literacy, inclusivity, and the ecosystem for innovation call for transitioning from teacher-centered to learner-centered science classrooms, particularly at the introductory undergraduate level. Yet little is documented about the challenges that undergraduates perceive in such classrooms and the students'…

Inquiry- and context-based learning (IBL and CBL, respectively) can lead to improved student outcomes, including increased motivation and interest, the development of critical thinking skills, and improved assessment results. This study outlines the application of IBL research projects in third-year university Environmental Chemistry and…

This undergraduate dissertation project was designed to enhance organic and analytical chemistry skills of final year forensic science students. A modified Birch reaction method was employed to synthesize amphetamine from ephedrine and detect the most known byproduct of clandestine manufacture of amphetamines, e.g.,…

While scientists place high value on the scientific method, its relevance to everyday life is often opaque to nonscientists. In undergraduate teaching, its implementation is primarily apportioned to upper-level, laboratory science classes for majors. Herein we describe the modification of a recipe as a real-world project for learning the…