This study examines the mathematization approaches and science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM) practices utilized by 18 elementary bilingual pre-service teachers (PSTs) when solving a model-eliciting activity. The activity prompted participants to design ramps with certain constraints. A case study methodology was used to analyze the…

This study investigates the relationship between study methods and exam performance in introductory physics courses. Data were collected over 3 years through surveys to examine students' study habits, perceived effectiveness of techniques, and the correlation between time allocation and exam grades. Results indicate that high-achieving students…

Escape rooms are collaborative puzzle solving activities that require the participants to utilize logical reasoning and teamwork. With a slight refocusing on previously acquired knowledge, escape rooms can also be used to test and promote learning of certain topics. This paper describes the development of a one-hour in-person STEM focused escape…

Our population is aging, calling for communities to be more age friendly and younger individuals to be more aware of aging issues that will impact their personal and professional lives. However, colleges provide few opportunities for students to prepare themselves for a more age-diverse world. Drawing on a new general education core curriculum…

In this paper we put forth a model for physics course reform that uniquely uses proven, research-based active-learning strategies to help students improve their physics knowledge and problem-solving skills. In this study, we compared the exam performance of students in two sections of the same introductory physics course. One section (the…

This paper describes an introductory biology course for undergraduates that heavily incorporates quantitative problem solving in activities and homework assignments. The course is broken up into a series of units, each organized around a motivating biological question or theme. Homework assignments address the theme or question, and typically…

This paper highlights the design process and implementation for an "all majors" undergraduate course that allows students a chance to reconnect with the natural world. During this course students explore a wide range of biological and physical science based topics that seek to highlight human intervention and our impacts on the planet.…

The Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) 4-year program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was designed to promote interdisciplinary STEM collaboration in the solution of real-world problems and encourage student independence and interdependence through a student-centered teaching approach that structures all projects as group…

Reflection and recalibration, two key hallmarks of metacognition, are important elements of productive problem solving in scientific research. Often, training in these skills is obtained informally through direct exposure to independent research after college. Although some undergraduate students participate in extra- or co-curricular research…

In this article, the authors describe how classroom observations were used to characterize differences in instructional practices among undergraduate science courses. Student and faculty behaviors and dialogues were quantified using the Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP) in introductory science courses across multiple disciplines…

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a small-group, collaborative problem-solving model that has significantly increased student performance in a variety of chemistry undergraduate courses and other STEM courses. Cyber Peer-Led Team Learning (cPLTL), an online adaptation of PLTL, has been effective in general chemistry courses, but this study was the…

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of using the problem-based learning (PBL) teaching strategy on student academic achievement and secondary learning outcomes when compared with the traditional lecture (TL) for an undergraduate Biomechanics course. Successive undergraduate Biomechanics courses--a TL cohort and a PBL cohort--were…

With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), assessing K-12 science teachers' self-efficacy in Computational Thinking (CT) is an important research gap to study. Bandura defines self-efficacy as awareness of the individual's potential and capabilities to accomplish a goal. Teaching efficacy beliefs is a significant identifier…

Cellular respiration, the central component of cellular metabolism, can be a difficult concept for many students to fully understand. In this interrupted, problem-based case study, students explore the purpose of cellular respiration as they play the role of medical examiner, analyzing autopsy evidence to determine the mysterious cause of death…

In large, introductory courses, instructors and teaching assistants often struggle to provide detailed feedback on student homework in a timely manner. Here we describe a peer-reviewed homework system that provides quick turnaround while offering flexibility in the construction of homework problems. Homework is administered through a cycle, which…