Recently, there have been many efforts to use the research techniques developed in the field of physics education research to improve the teaching and learning of quantum mechanics. In particular, part of this research is focusing on misconceptions held by students. For instance, a set of misconceptions is associated with the concept of stationary…

This paper summarizes the content and results of a workshop about the teaching of evolution presented to public middle school and high school science teachers by individuals involved both in university education and the professional development of teachers. The goals of the workshop were to: (1) provide teachers with knowledge and resources to…

Recent developments in molecular biology and new interpretations of the fossil record are gradually altering and adding to Charles Darwin's theory, which has been the standard view of the process of evolution for 40 years. Several of these developments and interpretations are identified and discussed. (JN)

Describes scope, methods, and history of evolutionary biology. Illustrates the application of new mathematical treatments to problems of speciation, homology and ecology. Urges biologists to become familiar with these methods and to adopt a mathematical approach in teaching, arguing that much ecology taught today is irrelevant to theories now…

Describes some unique features of marsupial reproduction which include (1) chromosomal sex determination, (2) reproductive system, (3) birth, (4) location, and (5) embryonic diapause. These features suggest that viviparity evolved separately in eutherian and marsupial stocks after their derivation from a common oviparous ancestor. Bibliography.…

One of the unifying themes of modern biology is evolution. In introductory biology courses, evolution is studied in some detail and used as a focal point for many courses. For many teachers of those courses, the greatest frustration is their inability to help students become Darwinian. Students do not reject evolutionary ideas, but they quickly…

The Biology department at Spelman, a historically black women's college has undertaken a major curriculum revision in the last few years. A primary goal of this revision is to increase the breadth of topics in biology classes. Historically, classes in the areas of ecology and evolution have been underrepresented whereas Spelman has always offered…

According to reports from 1,441 undergraduate students at a large, public American university, most high-school biology teachers teach evolution. Approximately 25% of students who attended public schools report that their biology teachers also taught creationism, despite the fact that doing so is unconstitutional. When biology teachers teach…

The Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) instrument was initially designed to assess high school biology teachers' acceptance of evolutionary theory. To determine if the MATE instrument is reliable with university students, it was administered to students in a non-majors biology course (n = 61) twice over a 3-week period.…

Immediately following a lecture discussion on early hominid characteristics and behavior, students participate in a laboratory study of bipedal locomotion based on an analysis of footprints. The development and use of this simulation are described. (JN)

Explores various theories for the extinction of the great Ice Age mammals and Homo neanderthalensis. Presents an activity in which students research evidence for and against the various hypotheses, then meet in class to discuss the merits of each. (Author/ASK)

Describes an interdisciplinary, lecture/laboratory course titled "Origins of Life." Includes rationale for the course, course objectives, course outline, list of developed laboratories, and results of course evaluation. (JN)

Examines various aspects of and issues related to falsifiability, a standard criterion for identifying true scientific systems. Also proposes a simple new standard for evaluating a scientific theory. (JN)