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The ability to navigate and understand the chemical literature is integral to the scientific research process. Learning these skills is therefore an important, though often overwhelming, part of an undergraduate chemical education. We describe an inquiry-based program designed to help chemistry students begin to learn to search and read the literature. The semester-long program is used within an honors general chemistry course but could be used during recitation sections of a larger general chemistry lecture course. It involves classroom and library tutorials and activities that introduce students to the skills necessary for utilizing today’s databases, online journals, and library resources. Over its 5-year existence, the program has been molded by student assessment, faculty feedback, and new developments in the field. The collaboration between and support by the chemistry and biochemistry department and the library were crucial to the success of the program. The program materials provided could easily be adapted to an online program or larger class with recitation sections.

A randomized controlled trial conducted in Alaska examined the efficacy of 2 second-grade modules of the reform-oriented and culturally based Math in a Cultural Context (MCC) teacher training and curriculum. The results show that the Picking Berries (representing and measuring) and Going to Egg Island (grouping and place value) modules significantly improved students' mathematics performance. The analysis also revealed that the impacts were broad based and significant for most of the subgroups of schools and students examined.

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This integrative review summarizes 20 research studies reported from 1977 to 1995 that review change in the critical thinking abilities of professional nursing students. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Analysis was used in 18 of 20 studies. The primary assumption was that critical thinking skills would increase during nursing education. However, the results of this review are mixed and contradictory. Possible reasons for these results are discussed.