All Journal of College Science Teaching resources

Journal Article

Point of View: An American University Professor in Africa: Crossing Cultural Boundaries to Teach Physics at the University of Botswana

This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. This issue focuses on an American University professor's tenure in Africa at the University of Botswana....

Journal Article

The MORE Thinking Frame: Guiding Students' Thinking in the Laboratory

The Model-Observe-Reflect-Explain (MORE) Thinking Frame is a laboratory-based instructional tool developed to address some of the weaknesses of undergraduate science programs. The tool was developed to engage students in the thinking processes underl...

Journal Article

SCST: 'What Am I Doing Here?,' Revisited: Some Columns I Wish I Had Written

In this column the leadership of the Society for College Science Teachers (SCST) shares its views with JCST readers. ...

Journal Article

The Total Science Experience Laboratory for Sophomore Biology Majors: Transcending the Laboratory to Learn Much More Than Just Biology

In the Total Science Experience (TSE) lab, students become team research scientists. Proposal writing and reviewing, project management, team coordination, manuscript writing, and presentations help students make career decisions at an appropriate ph...

Journal Article

Favorite Demonstration: La Fiesta Radioactiva: Distinguishing Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Emissions from Orange-Glazed Dinnerware

This demonstration involves measuring the radioactivity emitted by Fiesta dinnerware. It will acquaint students with the rudiments of radiation detection and shielding, and requires little preparation or in-class time....

Journal Article

Guest Editorial: The Need for More Schoolteachers in Science and Math—How Colleges Can Help

An opinion piece about the need for more schoolteachers in science and math and how colleges can help. This article appeared in an issue of "The Chronicle of Higher Education," and reprinted here, with permission....

Journal Article

Semester-Length Field Investigations in Undergraduate Animal Behavior and Ecology Courses: Making the Laboratory Experience the Linchpin of Science Education

Undergraduate science laboratory courses often use "cookbook" exercises where expected results are known without the need for thought or experiment. In this article the University of Iowa's elective courses Animal Behavior and Ecology provide an auth...

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: Cultural Factors in Science Education—Variables Affecting Achievement: Exploring the Relationship Between Mathematical Knowledge and Scientific Success

The course in this article is a first-semester general chemistry class with a large-enrollment lecture section of students with minimal background in chemistry at The University of Texas at San Antonio—a designated minority (primarily Hispanic) in...

Journal Article

The Case Study: The Bee and the Groundhog: Lessons in Cooperative Learning—Troubles with Groups

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month’s issue takes a look at a typical group of students struggling to survive a general biol...

Journal Article

Reading the Literature in the Jargon-Intensive Field of Molecular Genetics: Making Molecular Genetics Accessible to Undergraduates Using a Process-Centered Curriculum

Primary literature in molecular genetics is often inaccessible to undergraduates. This article describes an adaptation of a method of teaching students to read primary literature. The quality of students' lab projects improved, as did students' abili...

Journal Article

"Streamlined" Contract Grading—A Performance-Measuring Alternative to Traditional Evaluation Methods: Raising the Importance of Concept Mastery by Reducing the Emphasis on Grades

Grading in mass enrollment, introductory labs can easily consume a large amount of the instructor's time. This article features the "streamlined" contract grading scheme which has many potential advantages, including a reduction in instructor effort ...