Physics lab instruction is evolving in response to changing technology, a desire to better prepare students for diverse careers, and renewed focus from physics education researchers. To prepare researchers to evaluate progress in instructional labs in the future, this study set out to understand the current state of instructional physics labs in…

Authentic undergraduate research laboratory experiences are essential to aid in the implementation of science education reform mandates and to effectively train a new generation of biology students. Here we present assessment data on a unique four-step laboratory pedagogical framework that allows students to develop scientific thinking and…

Research into science identity, stereotype threat, and possible selves suggests a lack of diverse representations of scientists could impede traditionally underserved students from persisting and succeeding in science. We evaluated a series of metacognitive homework assignments ("Scientist Spotlights") that featured counterstereotypical…

CREATE (Consider, Read, Elucidate the hypotheses, Analyze and interpret the data, and Think of the next Experiment) is an innovative pedagogy for teaching science through the intensive analysis of scientific literature. Initiated at the City College of New York, a minority-serving institution, and regionally expanded in the New York/New…

Journal writing was introduced as a means to assess student learning and acceptance of evolutionary science in a nonmajors' biology course taught at a community college. Fourteen weeks of instruction were performed, each initiated by student-centered, in-class activities and culminated by a discussion, to elucidate tentative conclusions based on…

Technology-rich student-centered classrooms such as SCALE-UP and TEAL are designed to actively engage students. We examine what happens when the design of the classroom (conventional or teacher-centered versus student-centered classroom spaces) is consistent or inconsistent with the teacher's epistemic beliefs about learning and teaching…

Introductory biology courses at two-year, open enrollment colleges in America are presented in a variety of different course delivery formats. Traditionally, most students have enrolled in seated or face-to-face (F2F) lectures and laboratories. There is increased demand for courses presented online or in a hybrid format, although some studies…

Describes two instructional techniques that facilitate improved absorption of course material: (1) the "pausing principle," i.e., pausing during a lecture so that students can share materials and absorb lecture content; and (2) the calculation of "wait time" intervals, or the appropriate number of seconds for students to…

To determine the effect of collaborative learning methods on the success rate of physics students at Northern Maine Technical College (NMTC), a study was undertaken to compare the mean final exam scores of a students in a physics course taught by traditional lecture/lab methods to those in a group taught by collaborative techniques. The…

Discusses curriculum reforms and appropriate teaching methods for adult learners. Explains a curricular material called "LifeLines Online" which was developed for two-year college faculty to test problem-based curricular materials. Presents a scenario on an alternative way of teaching ecology with Investigative Cased-Based Learning…

A study was conducted to test and compare the effects of a group-paced, multimedia, non-lecture method and a traditional lecture method of instruction in General Biology, and to determine if the type of evaluation used influenced a student's chances of successfully completing the course. Subjects were 308 students enrolling in General Biology…

Uses data from a national study of science instruction in community colleges to explore instructional methods and media use in terms of effects on attrition, media production facilities and assistance used, and locally developed materials. Reveals that lecture is the predominant teaching method and media have little effect on attrition. (DMM)

The authors teach upper-level science courses in cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry at a public, four-year "community university" that serves a demographically diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students. In this article, they describe some of the issues they have found to be particularly significant at their "community…

In 1978 Congress directed the National Science Foundation to conduct a national needs assessment of science education in two-year colleges. Volume I of the final report describes the design of the study, the findings, and the recommendations. A separate volume, Volume II (SE 033 604), contains appendices which provide supporting materials, as well…

Volume II of a national needs assessment of science education in two-year colleges, consists of six appendices which provide supporting material and supplementary tabulations of data related to the study described in Volume I (SE 033 603). Appendices A, B, and C consist of descriptions of the following in subsequent order: sample design and the…