ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Peer Mentoring Experiences of Psychology Students at the London Metropolitan University Writing Centre
Author: Bakhshi, Savita
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Mentors,Psychology,Teaching Assistants,Foreign Countries,Writing Instruction,Peer Teaching,Student Attitudes,Learning Experience

&quot;It really helps knowing that you are going to have someone around to help you...&quot; This short article reports on research taking place into peer writing tutorials at London Metropolitan University and examines in particular, the experiences of psychology students who have taken part in the scheme. Some of the implications of this research for psychology students at the university will be highlighted. The first author is a psychology PhD student, and works as a Research and Teaching Assistant and a Student Writing Mentor at the London Metropolitan University Writing Centre.
International Issues in Education
Author: Ruggeri, Kai
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Negative Attitudes,Psychology,Statistics,Anxiety,Research,Introductory Courses,Student Attitudes,Student Characteristics,Cross Cultural Studies,Cultural Differences

Anxiety, negative attitudes, and attrition are all issues presented in the teaching of statistics to undergraduates in research-based degrees regardless of location. Previous works have looked at these obstacles, but none have consolidated a multilingual, multinational effort using a consistent method. Over 400 Spanish-, English-, and German-speaking undergraduate students enrolled in introductory psychology statistics courses were given the Composite Survey of Statistics Anxiety and Attitudes to determine the precursors and effects of existing problems. Results indicated that student background was heavily linked to attitudes and anxieties. The measure was supported as a viable method for more than one class or university in addressing issues in statistics education, developing interventions to improve students' experiences, and then determining the success of those changes. (Contains 9 tables.)
Experiences and Expectations: The Real Reason Nobody Likes Stats
Author: Druggeri, Kai
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Study,Psychology,Curriculum,Statistics,Mathematics Anxiety,Negative Attitudes,Teacher Student Relationship,Relevance (Education),Focus Groups,Qualitative Research,Undergraduate Students,Introductory Courses,Student Surveys,Feedback (Response),Educational Experience,Expectation,Teaching Methods,Context Effect,Student Attitudes,Intervention,Educational Improvement

Within undergraduate psychology courses, students often have significant levels of anxiety and negative attitudes toward the statistical element. This has been attributed to poor interaction with teachers, fears about mathematical abilities, and simply being unaware of that portion of the course or its relevance to psychology. To address this, 196 undergraduate psychology students completed a survey on statistics anxiety and attitudes. Additionally, 27 different students in similar situations took part in focus group to share their experiences of introductory statistics courses. Survey results showed that fewer than half were aware of the statistics portion of their course and that the expectation was a key factor in their experiences. Qualitative feedback from the focus groups revealed much about how the teaching may or may not improve attitudes nor decrease anxiety. Findings support various broad strategies (i.e. increase awareness of statistics in psychology and confidence in success in the course) as opposed to skill-specific (better ways of teaching probability or using games to increase participation, for example) classroom interventions to improve statistics education. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
The Teaching of Psychology on Health Professional Courses
Author: Upton, Dominic
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Study,Psychology,Role,Allied Health Occupations Education,Professional Education,Nursing Education,Integrated Curriculum,Teacher Qualifications,Psychologists

Psychology is taught on a range of vocational courses including such training for professions as nurses, medics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other health care professionals. However, what is uncertain is what psychology is taught, who it is taught by and how it is taught. This project aims to address these unresolved questions by surveying course leaders' perspectives on the teaching of psychology within health professional courses. A total of 103 responses to a specially designed questionnaire were received from 300 courses across the United Kingdom. The results of the survey revealed a number of interesting findings. For example, the development, teaching and examination of psychology on health care professional courses is not always undertaken by qualified psychologists. The most commonly taught areas of psychology included health, social and developmental psychology and business and educational psychology the least. Psychology is a small component (less than 5 per cent) of the majority of health professional courses and this low level is considered appropriate. This being said, course leaders consider psychology important for a health professional's future career. On the basis of these results it is suggested that psychologists needs to develop and promote the psychology provision within health professional courses and develop strategies on how best psychology can be taught and assessed within an integrated health professional course. (Contains 9 tables and 1 figure.)
Evolution Kills: A Web Resource for Instructors of Evolutionary Biology
Author: Vondrasek, Joanna R.
Date: 2004-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Field Instruction,Evolution,Inquiry,Active Learning,Science Laboratories,Biology,Internet,Web Sites,Computer Uses in Education,College Science,Secondary School Science,High Schools,Scientific Concepts,Access to Information

We have developed a laboratory course that demonstrates how evolution can be taught as a participatory, investigative science at the undergraduate college or advanced secondary high school level. The course emphasizes the applied importance of evolution to areas such as medicine and agriculture. Because many instructors face budgetary or other constraints, we have developed labs that can be run with minimal resources and a wide range of possible materials. To provide access to these materials, we have created a website aimed at instructors of evolutionary biology (http://www.evolutionkills.org OR http://www.faculty.virginia.edu/evolutionlabs). Included on the website are detailed descriptions of the course materials, a database of other articles describing laboratory and field exercises in evolution, and links to other sources of information pertinent to the teaching of evolution. We believe that this website provides a much needed resource for instructors of evolution and encourages inquiry-based learning approaches to the study of evolutionary biology at the undergraduate level. (Contains 2 figures.)
Cooperative and Active Learning in Undergraduate Biological Laboratories at FIU--Implications to TA Teaching and Training
Author: Penwell, Rebecca A.
Date: 2004-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Active Learning,Science Laboratories,College Science,Undergraduate Study,Cooperative Learning,Teaching Methods,Teaching Assistants,Group Activities,Role,Staff Development

There were several changes in the laboratory teaching program in the Biological Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) between 1993-1994. The underlying goal was the improvement of the amount of material learned and retained by the student, but these changes showed little positive improvement. It was deemed necessary for FIU to incorporate a completely different, well-researched approach. At the time of these implemented changes, it became apparent that Teaching Assistant (TA) training and development necessitated a restructuring that would involve the instructor on a more cognitive and interactive level with the students. Therefore, the goal for FIU was to prepare the TAs with a general pedagogical construct that would require a higher level of instructional and collaborative training in order to help improve student learning and retention of materials presented in the laboratory teaching program. The five basic constructs of cooperative learning were employed and the results proved to be of significant benefit to both the TAs and the students in their classes.
The Five-Tool Biology Major
Author: Stover, Shawn K.
Date: 2004-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Biology,Research Opportunities,Educational Opportunities,Liberal Arts,Communication Skills,Science Instruction,College Science,Interpersonal Communication,Student Research,Science Process Skills,Molecular Biology,Cytology,Science Laboratories

Program-level assessment of the biology curriculum at a small liberal arts college indicates progress in the development of communication skills and content knowledge. The authors propose a mechanism to provide more research opportunities for students, giving them all the tools necessary to do science. (Contains 5 figures.)
The Cartesian Diver as an Aid for Teaching Respiratory Physiology
Author: Fitch, Greg K.
Date: 2004-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physiology,Human Body,Science Instruction,College Science,Visual Aids,Toys,Instructional Materials

The mechanism by which air enters the mammalian lung is difficult for many students of physiology. In particular, some students have trouble seeing how pressure can be transmitted through a fluid such as the intrapleural fluid and how the magnitude of that pressure can change. A Cartesian diver, an old-time child's toy, may be used as a visual aid during lecture to illustrate and make more understandable these hard-to-grasp concepts. The Cartesian diver is easy to construct from readily available materials. In addition to helping explain lung mechanics, the performance of the Cartesian diver takes most students completely by surprise and thereby serves to "wake up" the student whose mind may not be completely engaged in the topic. (Contains 2 figures.)
General Education Course: Is It Relevant?
Author: Brett, William J.
Date: 2004-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Biology,Courses,College Science,General Education,Science and Society,Undergraduate Students,Course Organization,Course Descriptions,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Criteria,Student Attitudes

The paper presents a teaching regime and evaluation criteria for a general education course in biology. The purpose of the course is to provide students with biological information to help them understand problems facing humans and some of the social and ethical aspects of these problems. Using input from students concerning what constitutes a good learning environment, the course is designed to give students the opportunity to control much of their own success in the course. The paper also examines how students respond to the variety of evaluation methods. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
Using Independent Research Projects to Foster Learning in the Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Laboratory
Author: Ghedotti, Michael J.
Date: 2005-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Animals,Student Attitudes,Active Learning,Science Laboratories,Anatomy,Teaching Methods,Student Projects,Independent Study,Science Instruction,College Science,Cooperative Learning,Hypothesis Testing

This paper presents a teaching methodology involving an independent research project component for use in undergraduate Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy laboratory courses. The proposed project introduces cooperative, active learning in a research context to comparative vertebrate anatomy. This project involves pairs or groups of three students testing a hypothesis concerning variation of an anatomical feature among vertebrates and an oral or poster presentation that reports the results. The project requires both examination of anatomical descriptions in scientific literature and direct anatomical investigation of vertebrate specimens available in the laboratory. This project component has been used successfully at two schools, where it has increased student enthusiasm for the discipline, increased student interpretive skills, and better placed the course material within the context of science. Both faculty and student perceptions of the successes and difficulties of such a project are presented. (Contains 1 table.)
Making Quantitative Genetics Relevant: Effectiveness of a Laboratory Investigation that Links Scientific Research, Commercial Applications, and Legal Issues
Author: Rutledge, Michael L.
Date: 2005-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Legal Problems,Scientific Research,Intellectual Property,Scientific Principles,Genetics,Science Laboratories,Scientific Concepts,Scientific Methodology,Inquiry,Relevance (Education),Student Research,Learning Activities,College Science

As students apply their knowledge of scientific concepts and of science as a method of inquiry, learning becomes relevant. This laboratory exercise is designed to foster students' understanding of the genetics of quantitative traits and of the nature of science as a method of inquiry by engaging them in a real-world business scenario. During the investigation, students explore the question of whether the patent rights of a commercial producer of sunflower seeds have been infringed upon by a rival company. Students work as a research team to explore the question, making observations, collecting and analyzing data utilizing statistical tools, and ultimately drawing conclusions regarding possible patent violations. Student-evaluations of the exercise indicate that they perceive that the activity fostered their understanding of genetic principles and of important aspects of scientific inquiry and made the content relevant by linking it to real-world issues. (Contains 3 tables.)
Does Eating Breakfast Affect the Performance of College Students on Biology Exams?
Author: Phillips, Gregory W.
Date: 2005-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Students,Eating Habits,Biology,Health Behavior,Grades (Scholastic),Science Achievement,Nutrition,Community Colleges

This study examined the breakfast eating habits of 1,259 college students over an eleven year period to determine if eating breakfast had an impact upon their grade on a General Biology exam. The study determined that there was a significant difference in the performance on the exam with a higher percent of the participants, who had eaten breakfast passing the exam. The study found that only 65.6 percent of the students participating in the study had eaten breakfast. This finding supports the results of several other studies that people of college age show an increase in the percent skipping breakfast over individual of a younger age. (Contains 3 figures.)
Ramping up to the Biology Workbench: A Multi-Stage Approach to Bioinformatics Education
Author: Greene, Kathleen
Date: 2005-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Biology,Information Science,Science Instruction,College Science,Inquiry,Active Learning,Cooperative Learning,Problem Solving,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),Data Analysis,Learning Activities,Student Centered Curriculum,Undergraduate Students

In the process of designing and field-testing bioinformatics curriculum materials, we have adopted a three-stage, progressive model that emphasizes collaborative scientific inquiry. The elements of the model include: (1) context setting, (2) introduction to concepts, processes, and tools, and (3) development of competent use of technologically sophisticated tools. A curriculum involving the analysis of HIV sequence data is used to illustrate this framework and provide a context for discussing this student-centered, inquiry-based approach to bioinformatics education and literacy. (Contains 6 figures.)
Tapping Recent Alumni for the Development of Cutting-Edge, Investigative Teaching Laboratory Experiments
Author: Brodl, Mark R.
Date: 2005-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Consultants,Alumni,Neurology,Chemistry,Physiology,Biology,Laboratory Experiments,Science Experiments,Doctoral Programs,College Faculty,Cytology,Teaching Methods,Student Attitudes,College Science,Graduate Students,Undergraduate Students,Curriculum Development

This project presents a model for the development of an innovative, highly-experimental teaching laboratory course that centers upon collaborative efforts between recent alumni currently enrolled in Ph. D. programs (consultants) and current faculty. Because these consultants are involved in cutting-edge research, their combined talents represent a much wider range of expertise than any individual faculty member could bring to teaching laboratory development. Furthermore, the consultants' understanding of the context of the institution and its curriculum uniquely qualifies them to serve in this capacity. In this particular project, this model was applied to laboratory course development for Biology 308, a course in cellular vertebrate physiology. Consultants were selected who were involved in research in the areas of renal cell physiology, cell motility, hormonal signaling, immunology, and neurology. Each consultant's experimental system was used to develop a teaching exercise that investigates topics relevant to the course. These are areas covered in Biology 308 that were either not previously represented in the laboratory course, or the original exercise in these areas was highly routine and unengaging. The project has significantly increased the breadth of expertise at Knox. In addition, course evaluations have indicated that the students find the lab course more interesting and significant. Students are more thoroughly engaged with the exercises because they feel they have a greater stake in their outcome. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)
Teaching Population Growth Using Cultures of Vinegar Eels, "Turbatrix aceti" (Nematoda)
Author: Wallace, Robert L.
Date: 2005-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Biology,Science Laboratories,Laboratory Experiments,Animals,Science Instruction,College Science,Science Process Skills

A simple laboratory exercise is presented that follows the population growth of the common vinegar eel, "Turbatrix aceti" (Nematoda), in a microcosm using a simple culture medium. It lends itself to an exercise in a single semester course. (Contains 4 figures.)
Born for a Noble Cause?--A Case Study on Fanconi Anemia
Author: Elwess, Nancy L.
Date: 2005-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Biology,Ethics,College Science,College Students,Nonmajors,Genetic Disorders,Class Activities,Case Method (Teaching Technique)

The fictional case study presented here is not based on one case, but is actually based on several cases. College students enrolled in a bioethics course for non-majors wrote it. The case entails the thought processes and decision-making involved in order to save one child suffering from a genetic disorder by producing another child, a "designer baby." Nursing majors from a freshmen level college General Biology course participated in the suggested activities. (Contains 7 figures and 2 tables.)
What Should Life-Science Students Acquire in Their BSc Studies? Faculty and Student Perspectives
Author: Marbach-Ad, Gili
Date: 2005-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Biological Sciences,College Faculty,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Objectives,Foreign Countries

What should an undergraduate student in a specific discipline gain in the course of his/her studies? All too often, the answer to this question is not formally defined, and answers differ, sometimes largely, even between members of the same academic faculty. In our study we focused on the life sciences faculty and explored both undergraduate students' and faculty members' perspectives regarding this question. Eighty-two faculty members and 124 sophomores responded to a written questionnaire. In response to the question: &quot;What do you think a graduated student should gain during his/her years of study?&quot; they were asked to rate on a scale from 1 to 4 (1= not important at all...4=most important) eight factors: knowledge, lab experience, scientific writing, research skills, understanding the dynamic nature of science, science applicability to everyday life, historic viewpoint and motivation to continue in the field. Twenty-one faculty members of the 82 who responded to the written questionnaire were also individually interviewed. The findings show that there was a consensus, between both populations, on the importance of providing basic knowledge during undergraduate studies. Significant differences (P less than 0.01) existed regarding the importance of lab experience, research skills, scientific writing and understanding of the dynamic nature of science. (Contains 1 table.)
Moral Principles and the Life Sciences: Choices about Moral Matters
Author: Johnson, David
Date: 2005-05-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Biological Sciences,Science Instruction,Moral Development,Moral Values,Scientific Research,Scientists,Decision Making,Ethics,Cognitive Processes,Power Structure,Science Teachers,Social Attitudes,Beliefs,Intuition

Today, more than at any other time in human history, biologists are or should be concerned about the morality of biological research and newly developed technologies. Two questions confront any scientist or science student concerned about morality and the life sciences. Is there some theoretical framework that might be used to assist in deciding about moral matters? And how should people go about deciding matters of morality? This paper considers four ways in which people make moral decisions. These decisions are based upon Authority, Intuition, Science, and Ethical Reasoning (Duty and Consequentialist views).
A Classroom Demonstration of Garlic Extract and Conventional Antibiotics' Antimicrobial Activity
Author: Ekunsanmi, Toye J.
Date: 2005-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Experiments,Inhibition,Microbiology,Laboratory Experiments,Science Instruction,Drug Therapy,Scientific Concepts,Teaching Methods,College Science

The Kirby-Bauer method is regularly used to test bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics, and is often employed in the classroom for teaching this concept. In this exercise, additional materials and instructions were given to students for the preparation of garlic extract and loading on blank BBL paper discs. They were further instructed to test the efficacy of the extract as compared with conventional antibiotics against "Escherichia coli", "Staphylococcus aureus" and "Klebsiella pneumoniae". The conventional antibiotics used were kanamycin, novobiocin, neomycin, erythromycin and tetracycline on BBL paper discs. After 48 hours of incubation, students measured the diameters of inhibition zones. Garlic was rated as being equal to, or less in inhibition than the antibiotics. A survey administered after the exercise showed that students gained a better awareness of garlic extracts potency as an antimicrobial agent. Students also became enthusiastic about searching for additional sources of antimicrobial substances to in light of antibiotic resistance. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
The Autopsy of Squirrel Doe
Author: Dick, Timothy T.
Date: 2005-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Majors (Students),Teamwork,Microbiology,Anatomy,Learning Experience,Introductory Courses,Science Laboratories,Biology,Community Colleges,College Science,Laboratory Procedures

Introductory biology laboratory experiences frequently rely on preserved chordates for anatomical study. Unfortunately, these preserved organisms rarely reflect the appearance of a living creature. Since community colleges are generally prohibited the use of live chordates, this paper describes the autopsy of a "road kill" squirrel to facilitate the learning experience of biology majors. In addition to the improvement in basic anatomy test scores, the students also learned teamwork, microbiology assays, and hazardous material protection.