Research and Teaching: Impact of a Departmental Instructional Skills Course on Graduate Students’ Beliefs About Science Teaching and Learning

Journal Article | June 2018

Graduate teaching assistants play an important role in undergraduate programs in the authors' Earth Science Department. A course on teaching and learning was developed to train graduate students in student-centered…

Can a Diversified Instructional Approach Featuring Active Learning Improve Biology Students’ Attitudes Toward General Education?

Journal Article | June 2017

The authors reorganized sections of their nonmajors biology course using current issues in biology and society as a premise to promote coherence among course content and emphasize the relevance of biological concepts to…

Research and Teaching: Does the Classroom Matter? How the Physical Space Affects Learning in Introductory Undergraduate Science Courses

Journal Article | June 2017

The authors 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.

Research and Teaching: Beyond Correctness: Using Qualitative Methods to Uncover Nuances of Student Learning in Undergraduate STEM Education

Journal Article | October 2016

Through this case study, the authors offer insight into the value of using qualitative methods in course assessment to science instructors in higher education.

Getting the Most Out of Dual-Listed Courses: Involving Undergraduate Students in Discussion Through Active Learning Techniques

Journal Article | August 2015

This article provides readers with details concerning the implementation of four active learning techniques used to help undergraduate students critically discuss primary literature. On the basis of undergraduate and…

Web-Based Learning Enhancements: Video Lectures Through Voice-Over PowerPoint in a Majors-Level Biology Course

Journal Article | October 2009

This study is an experimental introduction of web-based lecture delivery into a majors-level introductory biology course. Web-based delivery, achieved through the use of prerecorded Voice-Over PowerPoint video lectures…

How Does Mechanical Weathering Change Rocks? Using Reading-to-Learn Strategies to Teach Science Content

Journal Article | December 2008

Many teachers fall into the pattern of “assumptive teaching” (Herber 1970), assuming that other instructors will teach students the important strategies they need for learning. In this case, tools and strategies may not…

Research and Teaching: "It's Not You, It's the Room"—Are the High-Tech, Active Learning Classrooms Worth It?

Journal Article | June 2013

This article compares student performance in traditional and active learning classrooms in a large, introductory biology course using the same syllabus, course goals, exams, and instructor.

Research and Teaching: How Do College Students Best Learn Science? An Assessment of Popular Teaching Styles and Their Effectiveness

Journal Article | April 2000

This paper is based on William Leonard’s “How Do College Students Learn Science?” Chapter 1 in Effective Teaching and Course Management for University and College Science Teachers, edited by E. Siebert, M. Caprio, and C…