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For nearly two decades, the Australian national project Advancing Science and Engineering through Laboratory Learning (ASELL), has been using an evidence based approach to improve undergraduate experiments. This paper presents the ASELL Students Laboratory Experience (ASLE) survey, administered to 2691 students in five disciplines: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, physics, and pharmacology. The 14 item survey probes students' perceptions of an experiment, practical or fieldwork. An exploratory factor analysis extracted two factors, 'experiment-based motivators' and 'course-level resources', and both factors correlate well with 'overall' learning experiences. Each survey item was also compared to the 'overall' learning experiences of the experiment, revealing the most critical elements of each experiment. The implications of this analysis, for practitioners is that the survey items in the 'course-level resources' taper off indicating that after an optimum value, further investment in these aspects do not necessarily influence student perceptions of their learning experiences. On the other hand, the survey items in the 'experiment-based motivators' behave differently in that they do not taper off indicating that further investment can influence experiences. How these factors relate to the overall experience suggest they correspond to the well-known two-factor theory of motivation. [Author abstract]

The undergraduate laboratory occupies a large fraction of science students' time. Over 3000 students were asked to rate their laboratory learning experience using 12 metrics. 362 academics were asked to predict which of these 12 aspects of the student experience would correlate with the overall laboratory learning experience. Responses from academics in biology, chemistry and physics departments, and from the USA and Australia, are statistically the same. However, the correlation between these staff predictions and student results is poor. The student results are consistent with extant educational research, but it appears that these findings are not reaching those who are responsible for developing undergraduate laboratory courses. There is a great need for educational research to be made more accessible for academics who are trained in scientific, but not in educational research. [Author abstract]

This article describes how the Advancing Science and Engineering through Laboratory Learning (ASELL) Schools program was developed. ASELL School's directive is to facilitate the embedding of inquiry-based learning in secondary school classrooms through workshop-based teacher professional development (PD). The approach of ASELL Schools is to balance the lessons learned in education research with teacher voices and curriculum requirements in the design and implementation of teacher professional development. This has resulted in a unique workshop experience, where students and teachers work together on open-inquiry investigations. Afterward, teachers and students are separated for pedagogical sessions, and teachers are given time to discuss and share ideas. The discussion is focused around the key ASELL Schools pedagogical tool, called the 'Inquiry Slider'. We outline an iterative process based on listening to teacher voices, which was used to develop the workshops. We also demonstrate that the Inquiry Slider is an effective pedagogical tool allowing teachers to focus and expand their efforts to bring more inquiry-based learning into their classrooms. [Author abstract]

Engaging and motivating students as they embark on their study of chemistry at university must be a primary objective of an introductory laboratory course, particularly for students with little or no background in the discipline. A cohort of 288 mature age students who had never previously been in a chemistry laboratory was given the opportunity to perform a series of chemical reactions in a laboratory session and to report on their experience. The students were completing an open-access pathway at a large regional university in Australia where there are no prerequisites or entry requirements other than a minimum age requirement of 20 years. The group consisted of a mixture of part time and full time students who had just completed a one-semester introductory chemistry course. This article describes an analysis of the student learning experience using the Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory (ASELL) framework and explores the effect of an oral assessment on the student experience of the laboratory. A highly structured multi-task exercise was designed to engage and motivate students while simultaneously developing the skills of observing chemical transformations, communicating key observations, describing reactions using chemical equations, and in discussions with lecturers, reflecting on the underlying chemistry as part of their assessment. Analysis of survey results indicated increased confidence in laboratory skills along with a new awareness of the relevance of the practical aspects of chemistry. Over 90% of the participants rated the laboratory as excellent and indicated a high level of enjoyment. The results of this study demonstrate that the design of an introductory laboratory experience can integrate assessment that increases engagement and reflection on conceptual understanding. This has implications for successfully introducing the practical aspects of chemistry to students from a range of backgrounds. [Author abstract, ed]

The 2022 Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education (ACSME) was finally held in Perth, three years after the original decision was made to bring the conference west. COVID-19 had a massive impact on the tertiary education sector with many of us still feeling the aftershocks of a rapid change to online modes of teaching and learning. The conference organisers were determined to create an in-person conference that so many of us were craving during the COVID years. The theme of the conference was “An Education for All: Accessible, Equitable, Sustainable”. A hybrid conference format was challenging to administer but we were very glad that we took this decision, as it allowed accessibility to those that could not make it to the conference due to funding restrictions or teaching commitments.The authors in this special issue have presented very different studies on different aspects of STEM tertiary education. Field trips are an important part of the agriculture and earth science disciplines and there is a study on the development of virtual field trips. Laboratories are a major part of any science tertiary education curriculum and there is timely analysis of student grades of wet laboratories on overall failure rate. Finally, the format of meaningful learning for bioscience students and their perceptions of meaningful learning are explored.The paper by Suresh Krishnasamy, Millicent Smith, Edward Narayan, Ammar Abdul Aziz and Eleanor Hoffman develops and evaluates a virtual field trip for students in agriculture. Field trips are an expensive part of the agriculture curriculum. Moreover, students that have other commitments such as childcare and work often find it hard to take the time to travel the long distances for field trips. Therefore, the development of a virtual field trip can help provide a more sustainable and accessible mode of teaching. Although the students surveyed in this study did not want the virtual field trip to replace the in-person experience, they did have positive reflections. Students reflected that the virtual field trip was an active learning experience, relevant and authentic.Sheila Doggrell provided analysis of the allocation of marks to wet laboratories and its affect on the academic performance of students in the biochemistry discipline. Students perform well on their laboratory, and this was a moderate predictor of academic performance in the exam. However, further modelling by allocating a higher overall percentage of marks to the exam would cause the failure rate to increase. The allocation of marks to wet laboratories can have a major effect on the percentage of students who pass courses. This paper presents an interesting discussion on the allocation of marks to wet laboratories and potential future implications.Daniel Andrews, Emile van Lieshout and Bhawana Bhatta Kaudal present an interesting analysis of the results of a survey completed by 321 students to determine which class formats (lectures, workshops, laboratories) and delivery modes (online, face-to-face) they believe maximise opportunities for meaningful learning. As educators try to utilise more online learning, this study provides the student voice on what they value in their education. In-person workshops and laboratory classes were rated highly. Barriers to meaningful learning included a lack of engagement, difficulty in facilitating peer and educator interaction, and a lack of opportunities to confirm understanding.We hope that you find the papers in this special issue interesting and thought provoking.ReferencesAndrews, D., van Lieshout, E., & Kaudal, B. B. (2023). How, where, and when do students experience meaningful learning? International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 31(3), 28-45. https://doi.org/10.30722/IJISME.31.03.003Doggrell, S. A. (2023). Does the proportion of marks for wet laboratories affect the overall mark, grade, and failure rates? International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 31(3), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.30722/IJISME.31.03.002Krishnasamy, S., Smith, M. R., Narayan, E., Aziz, A. A., & Hoffman, E. W. (2023). Developing virtual field trips for Agriculture.International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 31(3), 3-19. https://doi.org/10.30722/IJISME.31.03.001

Most science educators and researchers will agree that the laboratory experience ranks as a major factor that influences students' attitudes to their science courses. Consequently, good laboratory programs should play a major role in influencing student learning and performance. The laboratory program can be pivotal in defining a student's experience in the sciences, and if done poorly, can be a major contributing factor in causing disengagement from the subject area. The challenge remains to provide students with laboratory activities that are relevant, engaging and offer effective learning opportunities. The Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory (ASELL) project has developed over the last 10 years with the aim of improving the quality of learning in undergraduate laboratories, providing a validated means of evaluating the laboratory experience of students and effective professional development for academic staff. After successful development in chemistry and trials using the developed principles in physics and biology, the project has now expanded to include those disciplines. This paper will discuss the activities of ASELL and provide a report about the first ASELL science workshop held at the University of Adelaide in April 2010, present some views of academic and student delegates, and make comparisons with other workshops. [Author abstract]

Since STEM was first conceived in the late 1990s momentum, funds and energy have been steadily increasing in implementing integrated STEM education. Integrated STEM education refers to two or more of the discipline areas being applied in tandem, and drawing upon the 21st century competencies, to solve problems or create products. Despite the publicity and public and private funding for programs worldwide, we have to question whether STEM education is capable of achieving the outcomes that have been foisted upon it or are the expectations just too high? How can integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics achieve the aims of international competitiveness, fiscal security, and environmental rehabilitation and protection? This Special Issue focuses on STEM Education and explores research undertaken around a wide range of educational programs that seek to promote science and mathematics education within an integrated STEM education context.

This article describes how the Advancing Science and Engineering through Laboratory Learning (ASELL) Schools program was developed. ASELL School's directive is to facilitate the embedding of inquirybased learning in secondary school classrooms through workshop-based teacher professional development (PD). The approach of ASELL Schools is to balance the lessons learned in education research with teacher voices and curriculum requirements in the design and implementation of teacher professional development. This has resulted in a unique workshop experience, where students and teachers work together on open-inquiry investigations. Afterward, teachers and students are separated for pedagogical sessions, and teachers are given time to discuss and share ideas. The discussion is focussed around the key ASELL Schools pedagogical tool, called the 'Inquiry Slider'. We outline an iterative process based on listening to teacher voices, which was used to develop the workshops. We also demonstrate that the Inquiry Slider is an effective pedagogical tool allowing teachers to focus and expand their efforts to bring more inquiry-based learning into their classrooms.

A research is conducted at the University of Sydney concerning students’ learning style preferences, which discusses the implications of findings for pedagogical practice. The study shows that knowledge of students’ learning style preferences can be used to develop targeted improvements in teaching.