After repeated requests from medical students for more cadaver dissection opportunities, a voluntary dissecting "competition" was initiated for the third year medical students in 2006. This has been held annually on five occasions since, offering up to 30 dissection stations and accommodating an average of 53 students (range 40-66) per year,…

This article reports large item effects in a study of computer-based learning of neuroanatomy. Outcome measures of the efficiency of learning, transfer of learning, and generalization of knowledge diverged by a wide margin across test items, with certain sets of items emerging as particularly difficult to master. In addition, the outcomes of…

Cadaver dissection is a key component of anatomy education. Unfortunately, students sometimes regard the process of dissection as uninteresting or stressful. To make laboratory time more interesting and to encourage discussion and collaborative learning among medical students, specially designed tasks were assigned to students throughout…

The study of anatomy is a content-dense discipline with a challenging vocabulary. A mnemonic is a series of letters, a word, a phrase, or a rhyme that students can use when studying to facilitate recall. This project was designed to promote active learning in undergraduate students studying anatomy and physiology by asking them to create limericks…

The ability to deliver sufficient core anatomical knowledge and understanding to medical students with limited time and resources remains a major challenge for anatomy educators. Here, we report the results of switching from a primarily didactic method of teaching to supported self-directed learning for students studying anatomy as part of…

Many studies that evaluate the introduction of technology in the classroom focus on student performance and student evaluations. This study focuses on instructor evaluation of the introduction of virtual microscopy into an undergraduate anatomy class. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with graduate teaching assistants (TA) and analyzed…

Many of us are intentional in considering the environment when performing our daily tasks. But how many of us really know the true impacts of our "green" behaviors on the environment? Indeed, is it possible that engaging in green efforts can actually be counterproductive or detrimental to the environment? In his book, "Ecological Intelligence: How…

In view of student shift away from science at advanced levels, and gender and locale based divergence in interest in studying physics, chemistry and biology, this study explores experience categories that significantly contribute to interest in science on a sample of upper primary school students from Kerala, India. A series of multiple regression…

This paper articulates and illustrates design principles that guided the development of a set of hands-on teaching activities for the national science and mathematics curricula at junior-high and high-school level education in Timor-Leste, a small, low-income nation in Southeast Asia. A partnership between a university, an international science…

The current study, undertaken in the Sultanate of Oman, explored twelfth grade students' common misconceptions in seven chemistry conceptual areas. The sample included 786 twelfth grade students in Oman while the instrument was a two-tier test called Chemistry Misconceptions Diagnostic Test (CMDT), consisting of 25 items with 12 items…

The overarching goal of this study is to examine what is considered most important regarding the depth, breadth and content of space science concepts as reflected in current national science education standards and science curricula in Taiwan and the US. Major findings of this study conclude that many skills and concepts articulated in the…

The purpose of the present study was to examine how the use of V-diagrams one of the learning techniques used in laboratory studies in experiments conducted regarding the 10th grade lesson unit of "waves" influenced students' achievements. In the study, a quasi-experimental design with a pretest and posttest control group was used. The study was…

First-aid methods recommended for snakebites are included in Science textbooks in Brazil. Books published before 1996 provided misleading information in this respect and it is possible that such recommendations derived from North-American experiences conducted at the beginning of the 20th Century. The official evaluation of textbooks carried out…

The need for interdisciplinary graduate training programs which prepare students to conceptualize the application of their research in clinical settings continues to grow. Though several programs have been cultivated to address this need, demand still outweighs supply. The following describes a curriculum developed with the intent of incorporating…

Magic tricks produce awe and wonderment. Why not use magic as a pedagogical approach? This paper presents the magic of science through the science of magic. (Contains 2 figures.)