Reform efforts in K-12 science education have been gaining pace ever since the introduction of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS). The new vision calls for reconsidering teacher preparation programs to prepare future teachers who are confident and competent in delivering NGSS-based instruction. This study investigated the…

Understanding teachers' experiences as they lived them and as they told them is important for conceptualizing a well-rounded view of the state of science education and the role teachers play in it. Journey mapping, a way of visualizing one's processes and experiences as they progress towards a goal, is a tool with the potential to capture…

Rapid advancements in bioengineering call for broad public literacy to help individuals better understand the changes these technologies bring to our lives. However, making bioengineering concepts accessible and relevant, especially to non-science majors, is often challenging. To address this challenge, we designed a general education course aimed…

An elective course on chemical process separations has been developed to provide upper-level undergraduate students the opportunity to develop expertise in evaluating and potentially improving energy consumption in distillation operations. This paper presents examples of the work submitted to illustrate the pedagogy of the class. These examples…

This study explored K-12 teachers' understanding and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) during and after participation in a professional development (PD) program that included the development of science teachers' conceptual understanding of science. We add to the literature with our focus on a multi-year PD program…

When deriving the equation describing the transverse motion of a one-dimensional vibrating elastic string, introductory physics textbooks often assume constant tension and/or small amplitude vibrations. However, these simplifying assumptions are not only unnecessary, but they overlook the elastic nature of the tension and yield an inconsistent…

This paper presents a project-based learning (PjBL)/science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based instructional model for eigth-grade school students that integrates reverse engineering exercises and explores energy use and its transformations. The instructional model was implemented in a public school in Brazil with students aged…

Background: In responding to the global problems facing humankind, there is great value in equipping science and engineering students with skills to function well in multidisciplinary teams. Little attention has been paid into the factors that influence multidisciplinary collaboration and teamwork of science and engineering students. Purpose: This…

In response to the great challenge that the teaching of basic sciences currently entails in the new generations of young people and seeking to awaken the interest of our students in chemistry and its areas of influence, we developed an innovative card game named "Amino-structure" which served as a key tool to implement an active learning…

Based on recent education reform guidelines to prepare professionals who are able to handle new technological, economic, social, and environmental challenges, pedagogical modifications are deemed necessary by the educators. Specifically, in biology, the rapid changes in the content and biological products demand changes in the curriculum. We aim…

Reform documents advocate for innovative pedagogical strategies to enhance student learning. A key innovation is the integration of science and engineering practices through engineering design (ED)-based physics laboratory tasks, where students tackle engineering design problems by applying physics principles. While this approach has its benefits,…

Development of team skills is vital to becoming a successful and productive engineer. To prepare students for successful team-based work, they need a basic understanding of the organizational psychology underpinning teamwork and an introduction to tools and techniques to develop and sustain team effectiveness. The goal of this paper is to…

Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers are essential in ensuring the stability and efficiency of numerous scientific, industrial, and medical processes. However, teaching the principles of PID control can be challenging, especially when the introduction focuses on the underlying mathematical framework. To address this, we developed the…

Teacher efficacy is one of the most influential components for effective instruction, highlighting the importance of providing preservice teachers (PSTs) with opportunities to learn how to teach engineering during their college preparatory coursework. Making space for engineering instruction within science methods coursework could provide…

In many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains, instruction on foundational concepts heavily relies on visuals. Instructors often assume that students can mentally visualize concepts but students often struggle with internal visualization skills--the ability to mentally visualize information. In order to address this…