We tested whether ChatGPT can play a role in designing field courses in higher education. In collaboration with ChatGPT, we developed two field courses; the first aimed at creating a completely new field trip, while the second was tailored to fit an existing university module, and then compared to the human module design. From our case studies,…

The evolving landscape of higher education demands integrating advanced technologies to foster engaging and inclusive learning environments. This paper examines the practical integration of Stellarium, a virtual planetarium software, and ChatGPT, an AI conversational agent, in an asynchronous online undergraduate astronomy course. Stellarium…

While the benefits of active learning to student experiences are well documented, less is known about active learning in online education, especially regarding the development of 21st century skills (e.g., communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity). Specifically, open questions remain concerning the contribution of different…

The purpose of the presented article is to evaluate the students' perception of the online teaching educational model as a part of the "Biochemistry with Elements of Chemistry" course conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Faculty of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University Medical College. The first part of the article reflects…

Communication skills are one of the abilities required for 21st-century learning. Students must consider communication skills in learning because they can guide students in conveying ideas effectively and interacting and collaborating with others. This study aimed to investigate the online reading-concept mapping-reciprocal teaching (REMAP-RT)…

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, instructors across the world faced the uncertainty and challenge of retaining student engagement after transitioning from face-to-face to emergency remote instruction. Yet, few studies have evaluated student interest and motivation in the various learning formats during emergency remote learning…

University students stepped into synchronous remote learning as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in spring 2020. Temporal limitations of the live field trip-based paradigm in teaching ecology have been complicated by remote learning. To meet the challenge, we have designed and deployed an immersive virtual ecology platform with associated field…

Active learning environments have been shown to be beneficial for student learning; however, including such activities can be limited by the class time available. One method that can provide more opportunities for active learning during face-to-face class time is the flipped learning approach. However, studies on the impacts of flipped learning…

The use of synchronous remote teaching methods in two undergraduate analytical chemistry courses during the COVID-19 pandemic is described. Classes were convened using cloud-based video conferencing software, and the majority of class time involved students working in small groups on worksheets. All group activities were followed by a whole-class…

Digital tools and platforms offer new solutions to design and conduct university teaching. This case illustrates how such digital solutions may be utilized in problem-based learning programmes within life science educations. Specifically, the case evaluated the use of live-streamed and recorded lectures, the incorporation of digital formative…

General chemistry, CHE 101, at Hampton University is an undergraduate course designed to meet curriculum requirements for nonscience majors. The four-credit course consists of a lecture and a laboratory, taken concurrently. The lecture consists of three 50 minute or two 75 minute sessions, and the laboratory consists of one 3 hour session every…

The author's organic chemistry course at Thomas Jefferson University incorporated student engagement activities through Nearpod, a web-based classroom response system. After transitioning to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020, students were given the option to complete multiple-choice poll questions either…

On March 19, 2020, Argentina's government decided to close academic institutions for an indefinite time in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the University established that, when the quarantine ends, 5 weeks will be reserved for face-to-face activities that could not be carried out virtually (laboratory lessons and…

Studies have documented that men's voices are generally heard more than women's voices in face-to-face undergraduate biology classes, and some performance gaps have also been documented. Some of the few studies on gender equity in traditional online biology education suggest that women participate more and perform better in asynchronous online…

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in March led Davidson College to move from face-to-face classes and laboratories to mostly synchronous Zoom meetings. Prior to COVID-19, the majority of our faculty and students had little experience with remote instruction. With only 5 days to develop a plan, we revisited our individual and department…