This research uses cognitive load theory and theories of visual literacy to provide a theoretical underpinning for techniques to improve students' ability to recognise designers' styles in higher education. Using a lecture followed by tutorial format, students were required to learn the characteristics needed to identify a designer's work either…

New approaches are currently being developed to expose biochemistry and molecular biology undergraduates to a more interactive learning environment. Here, we propose a unique project-based laboratory module, which incorporates exposure to biophysical chemistry approaches to address problems in protein chemistry. Each of the experiments described…

Many first-year chemistry students have memorized the steps of the "scientific method" and can recite them without any prompting. But when introduced to controlled, independent, and dependent variables, they hit a brick wall. Therefore, the author of this article created a lesson that allows students to determine the fastest way to dissolve a…

Teaching the VSEPR (valence shell electron-pair repulsion) model can be a tedious process. Traditionally, Lewis structures are drawn and the number of "electron clouds" (groups) around the central atom are counted and related to the standard VSEPR table of possible geometries. A simpler method to deduce the VSEPR structure without first drawing…

The diffusion coefficient of polymers is a critical parameter in biomedicine, catalysis, chemical separations, nanotechnology, and other industrial applications. Here, measurement of macromolecular diffusion in solutions is described using a visually instructive, undergraduate-level optical refraction experiment based on Weiner's method. To…

A system for construction of simple poster-board models is described. The models dynamically demonstrate the symmetry operations of proper rotation, improper rotation, reflection, and inversion for the chemically important point groups D[subscript 3h], D[subscript 4h], D[subscript 5h], D[subscript 6h], T[subscript d], and O[subscript h]. The…

It is common to modify valuable, sophisticated equipment, originally acquired for other purposes, to adapt it for the needs of educational experiments, with great didactic effectiveness. The present project concerns a setup developed from components of a portable system for energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF). Two educational…

Problems are an important instrument for teachers to mediate physics content and for learners to adopt this content. This collection of problems is not only suited to traditional teaching and learning in lectures or student labs, but also to all kinds of new ways of teaching and learning, such as self-study, long-distance teaching,…

Two possible topical approaches that have been applied to teaching an upper-division undergraduate electrical engineering applied electromagnetics course are presented. Each approach was applied to one of two offerings of the course, taught in different semesters. In either case, the course includes the study of electromagnetic theory and…

Slinkies and soft springs readily lend themselves to experimental and theoretical investigations which are extensions of the usual high school material. We describe both the static and dynamic properties of these springs and suggest that some may be used in regular class work, while other aspects are ideal for individual projects. (Contains 9…

This article examines a praxis model of teacher education and advances a new method for engaging novice teachers in reflective practice and robust teacher learning. Social design experiments--cultural historical formations designed to promote transformative learning for adults and children--are organized around expansive notions of learning and…

In two experiments, participants made inferences from weather maps, before and after they received instruction about relevant meteorological principles. Different versions of the maps showed either task-relevant information alone, or both task-relevant and task-irrelevant information. Participants improved on the inference task after instruction,…

This laboratory project is one component of a semester-long advanced biochemistry laboratory course that uses several complementary techniques to study tRNA[superscript Phe] conformational changes induced by ligand binding. In this article we describe a set of experiments in which the thermal unfolding of tRNA[superscript Phe] is studied with…

Within the framework of a laboratory-focused, guided-inquiry pedagogy, students discover the Nernst equation, the spontaneity of galvanic cells, concentration cells, and the use of electrochemical data to calculate equilibrium constants. The laboratory experiment we describe here is a continuation of curriculum reform and pedagogical innovation at…

Hands-on activities are one of the most popular instructional tools that enhance student understandings of the science concepts and enable them to get involved in science practices as well. However, most of science educators underestimate its effectiveness in the classrooms. In order to illustrate how these activities could be utilized for science…