Students learn the engineering design process by following the steps, from problem identification to designing a device and evaluating its efficacy and areas for improvement. A quick story at the beginning of the activity sets up the challenge: A small child put a pebble in his ear and we don't know how to get it out! Acting as biomedical engineers, students are asked to design a device to remove it. Each student pair is provided with a model ear canal and a variety of classroom materials. A worksheet guides the design process as students create devices and attempt to extract pebbles from the ear canal.

Students use the scientific method to determine the effect of control surfaces on a paper glider. They construct paper airplanes (model gliders) and test their performance to determine the base characteristics of the planes. Then they change one of the control surfaces and compare the results to their base glider in order to determine the cause and effect relationship of the control surfaces.

How can we conduct scientific research so that we have evidence to support a claim?Students in this problem-based learning module are invited to design a testable question to guide Scientific Research, Evaluate the pH of various solutions, Identify Variables, Conduct a Scientific Investigation, and Analyze/Communicate results.    How can we conduct scientific research so that we have evidence to support a claim? Antacid tablets are a multi-billion dollar industry.  Claims are made regularly by certain brands that their extra strength tablets contain “DOUBLE the acid neutralizing power per tablet of regular strength antacids.”  How effective are antacids?  Are double-strength antacids twice as effective as regular strength antacids?  Have you ever noticed a parent/guardian/family member take an antacid tablet? Stomach chemistry is about acids and bases.  When the pH of a stomach is too acidic then it might make the person have a stomach ache.  In some cases “heartburn” or “acid reflux” are used as terms to describe the problems some people face.  Antacids are usually basic which, when taken, might help raise the pH level in a stomach thus making a person feel better.You are invited to design an investigation with a partner, or a team of 4 students, to test your own idea about the effectiveness of antacids.  The challenge?  Have a driving question, clear variable identification, and an analysis of your results.  Materials for your test will be provided to you by your teacher.  At the culmination of your investigation your design team will make a 30-second pitch on your phone to show at your family Thanksgiving meal to explain the benefits (or negatives) of using antacids, and how antacids work.

This video segment adapted from NASA describes the basic characteristics of our star, the Sun.

This activity was developed to give participants an understanding of Earth's water cycle by completing a WebQuest and building a model of the water cycle.

In this lesson, students will learn about the water cycle and how energy from the sun and the force of gravity drive this cycle.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A new method for identifying post-translational modifications in proteins promises to cut biomedical researchers’ workload in half. Enabling multiple affinity enrichment procedures to be run in parallel, the one-pot method yields the same search results as traditional methods in less time and from less tissue. As proteomics researchers know well, identifying post-translational modifications in biological samples can be tedious. Enriching samples with target modifications, such as the attachment of acetyl , succinyl or methyl groups to amino acid residues, and matching experimental data with catalogued results involves numerous steps. And the work load is only getting bigger. With exploding interest in how multiple modifications are linked across the vast proteome , the amount of time and the amount of sample required for exploration are skyrocketing in proportion. But with the new one-pot enrichment method, that could soon change..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Students select dinosaurian models (toys) from a selection of Carnegie, Natural History Museum (London) and other manufacturers (Schleich, Safari, etc). Each student identifies their dinosaur, places it on a cladogram (provided) and determines when it lived. They then measure the dinosaur in three dimensions (length, width, height), compare one or more of these dimensions to "real" dimensions provided (usually the model says what the length was). Dividing "real" by "measured" yields a scale.

Students then determine how much water their model displaces. NOTE: Most textbooks show this happening with a beaker. Beakers are no where near accurate enough to use, and many dinosaurs dont fit in them anyway. You need either extremely large graduated cylinders (unlikely) or else large containers in a sink. What works best is to have students fill a container to overflowing (in the sink, obviously), then gently dunk their dinosaur, causing the vessel to overflow, then retrieve their dinosaur. THEN you can use a graduated cylinder to refill the container and measure the amount of water displaced.

Once students have a scale and a volume, the can cube the former and multiply it by the latter to yield an estimate of the volume of the actual dinosaur. Multiplying this by a density estimate provides an estimated mass. I have them bracket it by taking 0.9kg/L and 1.05kg/L for "light" and "heavy." Feathered theropods are even lighter---I have them use 0.8 g/L for the light estimate. They then record their result (I am trying to generate a spreadsheet of these measurements over the years) and compare it to a published estimate. I should probably base their grade on the ratio of their estimate to the "actual" (if light, reversed if heavy) but generally just try to "police" the work---if they are way off, they need to go back and find what arithmetic error led to the problem.

In the introductory classes this is a simple 1-sheet worksheet (front and back). For the honors students, they take the assignment home and write it up.

PS. I let the anthropology majors play with models of Pleistocene megafauna instead.

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In this exercise, students use online data, spreadsheets, and graphs to analyze tidal fluctuations at the Battery in New York. They will be asked to examine and compare the observed and predicted tides, and then make their own predictions.

Students will gather information and data about vaccine information. They will use this information to argue whether or not vaccinations should be mandatory, culminating in a summative assessment in the form of a debate and a reflection on the information gathered.

This resource introduces the concept of wind chill, the formula used to measure it and relates it to the causes of hypothermia. A simple experiment using a pie pan, sand, fan and a thermometer demonstrates this concept. The resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.

Students learn of the impending asteroid impact scenario, form teams and begin to study the situation in depth. A simple in-class simulation shows them the potential for destruction and disaster. They complete worksheets and look at maps to help them define and understand the problem: What is the needed cavern size and depth? What are the geographical areas and natural features? A homework measurement assignment prepares them for the next lesson/activity.

The full Breakout EDU is available on the Breakout EDU platform. In order to view/use this resource, you will have to have an account on the Breakout EDU platform. Students work through different STEM-based challenges. Students create a 3D shape cage. Students measure frogs, and students code a path. At beginning of the Breakout EDU the teacher reads aloud a book about Golden Frog.

Students use miniature explosives to analyze actions and reactions. An Alka-seltzer tablet is sealed in a small film canister with water which sets up a pressure explosion pushing the canister one direction and an adjacent film canister in the opposite direction. Students repeat this set up but vary the mass of the second canister by adding sand. The distances that each canister travels is measured, recorded and later analyzed and discussed.

Fundamentals of Ecological Research is a hands-on course designed to teach students the basic concepts and methodologies used in the field of ecology. The significance of ecological research to current environmental issues, both local and global, will be stressed throughout the course.
By the end of this course, you should be able discuss the complex linkages among biotic and abiotic factors that impact natural communities, explain how these factors may be measured, and predict impacts of change.

Students are given colored sand and a plexiglas box with a sliding base. They make relatively thin, flat layers of sand (each layer has its own color)completely covering the base of the boxes then they move the base in one direction forcing the sand to pile up against the backstop side of the box. Then they measure the topography, make a topo map and construct cross sections. Has minimal/no quantitative component

You are an employee of Green Valley Dairy and your job is to determine the mass of the company’s corn silage pile. Your boss knows that this pile is the limiting factor as to whether or not he can add animals to the herd. He is contemplating adding 500 head of cattle and needs to make sure there is enough feed in storage before they make the expansion...don’t mess up your measurements and calculations, as this is pivotal information.

In the task "Carbon 14 Dating'' the amount of Carbon 14 in a preserved plant is studied as time passes after the plant has died. In practice, however, scientists wish to determine when the plant died and, as this task shows, this is not possible with a simple measurement of the amount of Carbon 14 remaining in the preserved plant. The equation for the amount of Carbon 14 remaining in the preserved plant is in many ways simpler here, using 12 as a base.

This quick guide will help you to hone your online content with tips you can easily add to your lecturing. Our video, Writing for MOOCs (massive open online courses), is useful for any asynchronous online course. All of the course content can be implemented with a plus-one approach. Make one change at a time to your course writing and measure the difference it makes for your students!

The author examines affective domain assessment, which focuses on evaluating individuals' attitudes, values, beliefs, and emotions related to a particular subject or domain. This type of assessment aims to measure the affective aspects of learning, such as motivation, engagement, and empathy. The author may discuss methods for assessing the affective domain, such as surveys, interviews, or self-assessments, and highlight the importance of considering learners' emotions and attitudes in the educational process.AFFECTIVE_DOMAIN_ASSESSMENT.docx