The laboratory is a mainstay in STEM education, promoting the development of critical thinking skills, dexterity, and scientific curiosity. The goals in the laboratory for nonchemistry, prehealth majors, though, could be distinguished from those for chemistry majors. In service courses such as organic chemistry, much laboratory time is often spent…

The New Bedford Whaling Museum's High School Apprenticeship Program assists economically disadvantaged New Bedford-area high school students to achieve success in high school and post-secondary education. The museum developed the program as a direct response to low high school graduation rates in New Bedford, one of Massachusetts' poorest cities.…

The use of virtual simulations in Legal Education as a method for learning is relatively rare despite much theoretical support that exists for the benefits in learning. There is also some apprehension on the use of technology in legal education. Both of these are likely due to the lack of solid evaluations concerning the overall impact in…

In the context of higher tuition fees, the Government's employability agenda and growing concern for defined career development strategies among young people, there is a need more effectively for Politics programmes to foster the capacity to communicate politics. Without communicating the implications and relevance of politics the subject and the…

In this article, the authors start with a description of the learner-centered paradigm of education. The key tenets of the paradigm are outlined as: Competency-based student progress, competency-based student assessment and records, personal learning plans, project-based learning, just-in-time instructional support, student as self-directed…

In recent years, action on sustainability has been highly influential around the globe and many now recognize the importance of individual and social learning for inspiring action and achieving sustainability outcomes. Transformative learning theory has been criticized, however, for insufficient development of the link between learning and action.…

Research has consistently shown that inquiry-based learning can be more effective than other, more expository instructional approaches as long as students are supported adequately. But what type of guidance is adequate, and for whom? These questions are difficult to answer as most previous research has only focused on one type of guidance and one…

Web-based interventions (WBI) are purposefully developed online programs designed for wide range of users (clients, patients, health care specialists, as well as medical practitioners) which allow obtaining and using information on various issues related to health maintenance and improvement. On the basis of the analysis of scientific literature,…

"Energy literacy" is of great interest to those researching sustainable consumption, particularly with regard to its relationship to domestic energy use. This paper reflects on the pedagogic aspects of fieldwork recently carried out by undergraduate geography students in their own homes to assess energy-related technologies and…

Research and teaching are core business of academic institutions. The research context is thought to be fruitful for teaching and learning, and students may contribute to research. But how exactly does the interplay between research and teaching take place and how, in what respects and under which conditions, does this contribute to the quality of…

While democratic nations like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany have elected women to the preeminent position in their governments, there has never been a woman president in the United States. The upcoming presidential election provides an excellent opportunity to have students consider why the United States has yet to elect a woman…

We define and describe the academic studio model for interdisciplinary, undergraduate, project-oriented education. This model brings faculty, students, and community partners together to investigate an openended academic question, and their collaboration yields an original product that represents their inquiry. The academic studio integrates agile…

Active learning activities and pedagogical strategies can look different in online learning environments, particularly in asynchronous courses when students are not interacting with the instructor, or with each other, in real time. This paper suggests a three-pronged approach for conceptualizing active learning in the online asynchronous class:…

Student cognition and motivation, as well as institutional policies, determine student course grades and retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Regarding cognition, study skills relate to course grades, and grades relate to retention in STEM. Several aspects of motivation are related to both grades and…

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which professional development programs within EARCOS member schools are consistent with research-based principles of effective practice. In addition, this study sought to identify the professional development opportunities that are being provided to EARCOS teachers. Finally, this study…