JoinAll Resources
Journal Article
Right to the Source: Torricelli’s Barometer
Exploring science and history with the Library of Congress. This month's issue discusses an engraving of the first mercury barometer designed by Evan Torricelli....
Journal Article
Estimating a Missing Examination Score
Using exam score data from multiple offerings of two large courses at a public university, the authors compared the accuracy of four methods to estimate an exam score, including linear regression methods....
Journal Article
Increases in student-centered pedagogy have been more prevalent in K–12 education than in collegiate undergraduate science education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using student-centered pedagogy advocated in K–12 educ...
By Debbie A. French and Andrea C. Burrows
Journal Article
A Problem-Solving Framework to Assist Students and Teachers in STEM Courses
One of the most essential STEM problem-solving skills is the ability to monitor one’s own progress and understanding while solving a problem. Successful monitoring during the entire solution allows a solver to identify errors within a solution and ...
Journal Article
Students Own Their Introductory Chemistry Experience: Becoming an Element for a Semester
Introductory science courses serve a population of students in the major as well as those students outside the discipline. In an effort to help this diverse population of students connect personally with the content of the course, the authors created...
Journal Article
Paired Courses: A New Paradigm for College Teaching
Instead of flipping a conventional college course, the authors explore flipping part of a conventional course into a whole new course....
Journal Article
In recent years, commissions and reports have called for laboratory courses that engage undergraduates in authentic research experiences. The authors present an iterative approach for developing course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs...
Journal Article
This article describes how one biology department at a midsize university has integrated assignments into core and elective courses with the objective to enhance the development of science communication skills....
Journal Article
A postexam review activity was implemented in an introductory biology course to help students learn from their mistakes and strengthen reasoning and self-regulatory skills. The goal of this study was to design and test a strategy to measure the effec...
Journal Article
Introductory science, math, and engineering courses often have problems related to student engagement, achievement, and course completion. To begin examining these issues in greater depth, this pilot study compared student engagement, achievement, a...
Journal Article
Point of View: Diversity in STEM: Doctor, Heal Thyself
This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. This month’s issue calls on STEM professionals to take three simple steps toward diversifying the STEM workforce....
Journal Article
Two-Year Community: Integrating Undergraduate Research at Two-Year Colleges
Because community colleges contain smaller class sizes, agile course structures, and faculty dedicated to best practice approaches, these institutions are inherently capable of developing more student research platforms. With the support of campus ad...
Journal Article
Case Study: Formulating Questions That Address Student Misconceptions in a Case Study
This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. The idea that misconceptions must be addressed to improve learning is helpful to remember when develo...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, students help a comic book publisher create the scenery and story lines that include real geologic formations in different locations on Earth. Key words and concepts covered are landforms, geologic forces, and plate tectonics. Crosscu...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, students help a comic book publisher develop scenes and images of landforms found below the surface of the ocean. Key words and concepts covered are landforms, geologic forces, and plate tectonics. Crosscutting concepts explored are p...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, students help a comic book publisher understand the path of a drop of water traveling through the water cycle. Key words and concepts covered are water cycle, erosion, gravity, heating, and cooling. Crosscutting concepts explored are ...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, a girl wonders how volcanic rocks and sedimentary rocks ended up in the same area of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Key words and concepts covered are rock cycle, formation of rocks, plate tectonics, divergent margin, and rift zone....
Book Chapter
Lassen Volcanic National Park has several types of rocks in one location. It is an unusual mix of all three (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic). What does each rock type tell us about the area’s geologic history? Key words and concepts covered ...
Book Chapter
Southern California is affected by the San Andreas Fault. The geologic features and rock types along this fault tell of a history very different from the region just a short distance to the north. Two cousins try to learn more about how that part of ...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, a boy is worried that his new home in Alaska cannot possibly have warm weather in the summer. Key words and concepts covered are seasons and motion of Earth around the Sun. Crosscutting concepts explored are patterns, cause and effect...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, two siblings debate whether the water they drink has always been on Earth and has been used by other living things. Key words and concepts covered are water cycle. Crosscutting concepts explored are patterns, cause and effect, and ene...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, students in a class are invited to help report the weather on TV and need to learn about air masses and how they help predict the weather. Key words and concepts covered are air masses, weather, and weather forecasting. Crosscutting c...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, students examine scenes from the movie E.T. to see if the phases of the Moon match the time frame of the story. Key words and concepts covered are moon phases. Crosscutting concepts explored are patterns and systems and system models....
Book Chapter
In this lesson, students try to explain what happens in the solar eclipse, and why a person in one location can see a solar eclipse while a person in another place cannot. Key words and concepts covered are solar eclipse. Crosscutting concepts explor...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, two friends living across the country from each other see a lunar eclipse at the same time and wonder how it is possible. Key words and concepts covered are lunar eclipse. Crosscutting concepts explored are patterns, scale, proportion...
Book Chapter
In this lesson, a brother and sister learn that Venus is visible as either a morning star or an evening star at different times of the year, and they try to explain the pattern of movement of Venus in the sky. Key words and concepts covered are movem...
NSTA Press Book
The Power of Investigating: Guiding Authentic Assessments
Children want to explore, dig, build, play, and wonder. To do this they need to touch, feel, see, observe, listen, manipulate, plan, and create. How does a teacher build and maintain a learning environment that will help students investigate meaningf...
By Julie V. McGough, Lisa M. Nyberg
Workshop
Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Biomimicry: The Technology of Biology
Biomimicry: The Technology of Biology is a 2 credit course that introduces the rapidly emerging discipline of biomimicry as a source of inspiration to create solutions to human problems. You will learn how to use nature as a source of ideas, how to...
Workshop
Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Special Topics in Microbiology
Special Topics in Microbiology is a 3 credit course and provides an inquiry based examination of current microbiology related topics. Topics may vary from semester to semester and will be selected by the assessment of what is considered “newsworthy...
Workshop
Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Microbial Genetics
Microbial Genetics is a 3 credit course designed to provide an understanding of the fundamentals of genetic processes in bacteria (prokaryotes). The study of bacterial genetics has provided much of the understanding of fundamental genetic processes f...
Workshop
Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Infection and Immunity
Infection and Immunity is a 3 credit course that addresses some basic aspects of microbiology as they relate to infectious disease. How are microbes different from each other and from humans, and why do these differences matter? How do antimicrobial ...
Workshop
Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Streamside Science: Hands-On Approach
Streamside Science: Hands-On Approach is a 3 credit course designed to increase the water resource knowledge of students through hands-on, field-based curriculum. To accomplish this, students will be asked to adopt a local stream and perform lab assi...
Workshop
Online Courses: MSU Master of Science in Science Education: Science Across Cultures
Science Across Cultures is 3 credit course designed to present science knowledge across cultures embedded in inquiry-based instruction. This approach will facilitate the integration of science teaching to other curricular areas and will engage studen...