Discusses educators' difficulty with interactive online assessment even though educational technology has a broad use in secondary and higher education instruction. Describes a program that enables instructors to create their own online assessment with complete control over the content and structure of questions. (Contains 23 references.) (YDS)

Presents the results of an undergraduate researcher survey which aims to determine the properties of a successful mentor. Includes a list of suggestions and tips for a successful undergraduate mentoring experience. (YDS)

Points out the importance of communication between science students and scientists and explains the benefits of introducing primary literature into biology education. (YDS)

Introduces a geography course that uses a service learning approach to study the Dog River Watershed in Alabama. (YDS)

Discusses effective ways to improve teaching and focuses on self awareness, peer videotaping, and student feedback. Explains the practice cycle with five elements: set goal, practice, feedback, reflection, and adjustment. (YDS)

Points out the role of developing science and technology in politics, society, culture, and international affairs. Presents the example of climate change and The Hague negotiations to illustrate the relationship between science and public policy. (YDS)

Summarizes some of the approaches to help personalize instruction and create a motivational learning environment in introductory biology courses. Suggestions for motivation include making the content meaningful, making yourself available, demonstrating that you care about students, creating student-oriented course features, and generating…

Discusses the problem of seizing cocaine-tainted money. Describes an experiment designed to determine what percentage of paper currency is contaminated with cocaine. Considers sampling, the analysis method, contamination, levels of cocaine in money and criminal activity, and the reliability of results. (SAH)

Two studies were conducted to investigate the apparent connection between certain students' reticence in class and their ability to understand relationships in physics. Student gender revealed that a students' apprehension about communicating and reliance on rote memorization are fact related. (SAH)

Discusses how to convert a socially irrelevant science course into a relevant one. Presents reasons for doing this and evidence that relevant science is pedagogically effective and popular. (SAH)

Describes a research project in which a professor and a student collaborated in the screening of macroscopic algae for antimicrobial properties. Includes background information, materials and methods, results, and a discussion of the experiment. (SAH)

Describes a course for nonscience majors in which material is presented using video capture and analysis technology. Students study real-life physical phenomena and learn significant computer, quantitative analysis, and modeling skills. (SAH)

Describes a university course on natural history in which undergraduates and K-12 teachers make four Saturday field trips to observe local natural history. Undergraduates practice carefully and objectively describing the landscape while K-12 science teachers learn about the local geology and ecology that they teach in their earth science, biology,…

Describes an online adaptation of a peer review and discussion project in which students collaborate across institutional boundaries to imitate a professional discourse community. Discusses key elements of the project, including the impetus behind creating such a module, its organization, and activities carried out by the students. (SAH)

Describes an interdisciplinary course centered around diverse reading material, in-class discussions, and argumentative essays. Considers the question, What does it mean to be human? The class proved to be a successful model for courses that prepare students to engage in discussions as scientifically literate citizens. (SAH)