In a chemistry course for students not majoring in science, there is more to learn than some memorized facts: the student can find, in most non-major chemistry texts, the definition of atomic number, something about chemical bonding, and names of some classes of chemical compounds. Where facts come from and how accurately they are known are often…

Collecting data on learners' performance in different chemistry contents and analysing them to identify their knowledge and understanding in related content areas is a major task of Chemistry Education Research. The data collection process on the learners' content knowledge and understanding of content knowledge requires a standard measuring tool.…

Recent trends toward engaging undergraduate biology students in scientific investigations have shifted focus toward helping students understand and use scientific evidence. Instructors must promote students' evidentiary reasoning as they generate, use, and evaluate scientific evidence during the investigations. However, explicit guidance is needed…

The gap between the number of available STEM workers and employers' needs in the workforce is projected to be about two million by 2025. One way to reduce the magnitude of this gap is to increase the number of entry-level STEM workers joining the workforce, however the attrition rate for college STEM majors is about 33%. Research has indicated…

There exists a very simple materials laboratory activity that can measure the elasticity and yield stress of steel using only a paper clip, ruler, and small weight. It is the World's Simplest Materials Laboratory and utilizes items common to any science classroom. In addition to steel, the elasticity and yield stress of any metal wire can be…

Ambient ionization mass spectrometry enables rapid in-situ analysis of a plethora of analytes that are relevant to the forensic and defense communities. As the arsenal of ambient ionization techniques, aimed at solving specific targeted problems, continues to expand, the adoption of these techniques into non-academic settings has been relatively…

The Bee the CURE is a novel course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) that engages introductory biology students in DNA barcoding (DNA extraction, amplification, and bioinformatics) in partnership with the Tucson Bee Collaborative and the University of Arizona. The first iteration of this CURE taught at Pima Community College (PCC)…

We designed and evaluated a student laboratory workshop on plant-based vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The workshop focused on hands-on laboratory techniques, including DNA extraction from rice seeds, where the recombinant protein was produced, detection of the transgene, and basic concepts on how vaccines work in the human body to offer…

The switch to online learning required a creative solution to allow for the experiential learning outcomes of the program to be satisfied when access to physical spaces and equipment was restricted. This paper describes a collaborative process between technical and support staff as well as research and teaching faculty that led to the creation of…

Virtual reality (VR) provides significant opportunities for students to experience immersive education. In VR, students can travel to the international space station, or go through a science experiment at home. However, the current tactile feedback provided by these systems do not feel real. Controllers do not provide the same tactile feedback…

Digital accessibility is the inclusive practice of ensuring that all people can equally access digital information. However, this good practice has yet to be fully embraced by practitioners and educators in the chemical sciences. This article will describe and explain the key requirements of digital accessibility and how they apply to educators in…

Beginning abruptly in the second half of the Spring 2020 semester at Purdue University, we modified our teaching approach in Introductory Soil Science and Forest Soils courses (AGRY 255/270) with a combined annual enrollment of [approximately]370 students to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. In that semester, we went to entirely virtual lecture,…

One of the main courses that have been affected by instructional technology is science education since the nature of topics covered by the science curriculum may require the usage of technology to teach them better. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of virtual laboratories on the development of gifted children's…

A large-enrollment, introductory physics laboratory course at the University of Colorado Boulder has undergone a recent transformation to help students' develop lab skills and better align students' views and beliefs about experimental physics with those of expert experimental physicists through engagement with authentic scientific practices. We…

In this study, we focused on students' intrinsic motivation towards practical work, more specifically the strength of predictors for intrinsic motivation. As a research tool, we used a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory supplemented by additional questions on attitudes towards physics. The respondents were more than 2000 Czech upper secondary…