Integrating authentic research practices into introductory laboratory courses to prepare tomorrow's scientists has become increasingly prevalent over the past decade. However, an incomplete understanding of the nature of science (NOS) and authentic scientific inquiry (SI) precludes higher-level learning in undergraduate research experiences. In…

Spatial reasoning is one of the most challenging skills to master in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This article reports the results of a teaching intervention that involved using wooden blocks to enhance the development of spatial reasoning in an undergraduate-level introductory geology course. Wooden blocks…

In this study, we analyzed the literature on teaching or learning on a topic in Earth science, environmental science, or climate change between 1995 and 2017. We investigated the length of the intervention, intervention setting and instructional level, instructional purpose, pedagogical framing and pedagogical methods (including what materials and…

Given the recent state of social distancing, the online lab experience discussed in this article offers an economical and versatile approach to online undergraduate chemistry lab instruction. With videoconferencing software, this experience is easily adaptable to a socially distanced learning environment, although it was initially designed for a…

Symbols are a cornerstone of the written language of physics and mathematics but inconsistencies in their use pose a challenge to students. This article reports on interviews held with first-year undergraduate physics students, focused on their early experiences with symbols in university physics. Students reported being confused by the symbolic…

This paper describes an alternative approach to teaching and learning practices in an undergraduate physics laboratory. The instructor plans and implements the 5E instructional model into the laboratory instruction. The article includes an example of the 5E lesson for the laboratory component of a physics course, which has separate lecture and…

A phenomenographic study at a research university identified five categories of description for how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) instructors conceptualize the design and redesign of undergraduate courses. These categories form a hierarchical outcomes space with increasing complexity of awareness of the phenomenon. The…

This study describes the development and implementation of an iterative diagnostic and intervention routine designed to elicit and quantitatively describe aspects of student metacognition, affect, and study habits in a first-year undergraduate biology course. The Student Metacognition, Affect, and Study Habits (SMASH) inventory is a…

Mayo Clinic annually trains over 1,000 predoctoral students and postdoctoral research fellows in medicine and biomedical sciences. However, training opportunities are limited for those interested in teaching and mentoring undergraduates. Predoctoral students sought to provide practical, trainee-led, pedagogical learning opportunities. A survey…

In this exploratory case study, we consider how students in an undergraduate biochemistry class engaged in the process of argumentation within an inquiry-oriented learning environment to investigate a chemical mechanism in a particular part of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Audio/video recordings of student groups during the mechanism discussion…

We compare student learning and perception data from astronomy, physics, and geology courses taught in a traditional classroom with individual desks to the same classes taught in a large auditorium. In a large student sample (1,593 students), there is no clear difference between rooms in measures of failure rates or average final grades. However,…

Analyzing, interpreting, and clearly presenting real data are skills we hope to develop in all students, majors and nonmajors alike. These process skills require lots of practice coupled with targeted feedback from instructors or mentors. Here we present a pedagogy implemented within a course-based research experience that is designed to help…

An introductory undergraduate biology laboratory session about vertebrate tissues was gamified to elucidate the effects of gameful learning on students' perceptions of their own learning and motivation. Student groups were randomly assigned a vertebrate tissue, including corresponding slides and content from the laboratory manual, and tasked with…

Studies consistently indicate that engaging students in research is successful in improving STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) retention and graduation rates. Given that nearly half of all U.S. students are enrolled in community colleges, and that 70% of those enrolled are either women or underrepresented ethnicities, these campuses…

To develop a context for program-level design decisions pertaining to anthropogenic climate change, the authors studied the prevalence of courses focused on human-induced climate change in undergraduate marine science and environmental science degree programs in the United States. Of the 86 institutions and 125 programs the authors examined, 37%…