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Background: This paper examines the use of augmented reality (AR) as a concept‐association tool in schools, with the aim of enhancing primary school students' learning outcomes and engagement. Conflicting findings exist in previous studies regarding the cognitive load of AR‐enriched learning, with some reporting reduced load and others indicating increased demand and poorer performance. Understanding these implications is essential for effectively leveraging AR in education. The study offers a fresh perspective on the potential of AR technology in improving educational experiences. Objectives: The primary goal of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of an AR‐assisted concept‐association strategy for improving essential knowledge acquisition and skills outcomes, increasing cognitive load, and increasing self‐efficacy and learning motivation among primary school students. Methods: A quasi‐experimental design with a control group was employed to investigate the effectiveness of the intervention. Results and Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the implementation of the AR‐assisted concept‐association strategy effectively enhanced essential knowledge acquisition and skills outcomes, increased cognitive load, and increased self‐efficacy and learning motivation among primary school students. These findings highlight the potential of AR technology to improve the learning experience and engagement of primary school students. The study contributes to the existing literature on the effectiveness of AR technology in education, suggesting future research directions. Ultimately, it offers a practical solution for improving the learning experience by presenting a new approach for teaching using AR technology. Lay Description: What is currently known about this topic: Augmented reality (AR) technology has been increasingly explored in educational settings.Previous research has shown that AR can enhance learning outcomes and engagement among students.AR applications have the potential to serve as concept‐association tools to improve the learning experience. What this paper adds: This paper investigates the effectiveness of using an AR application as a mobile concept‐association tool in school settings.The study demonstrates that the AR‐assisted concept‐association strategy effectively enhances knowledge acquisition, skills outcomes, cognitive load, self‐efficacy, and learning motivation among primary school students.The findings highlight the potential of AR technology in improving learning experiences and engagement for primary school students.The study offers practical implications for integrating AR technology into educational settings, and suggests avenues for future research in this area. Implications for practice and/or policy: Incorporating AR applications as concept‐association tools can enhance learning outcomes and engagement in primary school settings.AR technology can be used to increase cognitive load, and to increase self‐efficacy and motivation among students.Educators and policymakers should consider integrating AR technology into teaching practices to improve the overall learning experience.Future research and exploration should be conducted to understand the full potential and limitations of AR technology in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formative assessment is considered to be helpful in students' learning support and teaching design. Following Aufschnaiter's and Alonzo's framework, formative assessment practices of teachers can be subdivided into three practices: eliciting evidence, interpreting evidence and responding. Since students' conceptions are judged to be important for meaningful learning across disciplines, teachers are required to assess their students' conceptions. The focus of this article lies on the discussion of learning analytics for supporting the assessment of students' conceptions in class. The existing and potential contributions of learning analytics are discussed related to the named formative assessment framework in order to enhance the teachers' options to consider individual students' conceptions. We refer to findings from biology and computer science education on existing assessment tools and identify limitations and potentials with respect to the assessment of students' conceptions. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Students' conceptions are considered to be important for learning processes, but interpreting evidence for learning with respect to students' conceptions is challenging for teachers.Assessment tools have been developed in different educational domains for teaching practice.Techniques from artificial intelligence and machine learning have been applied for automated assessment of specific aspects of learning.What does the paper add Findings on existing assessment tools from two educational domains are summarised and limitations with respect to assessment of students' conceptions are identified.Relevent data that needs to be analysed for insights into students' conceptions is identified from an educational perspective.Potential contributions of learning analytics to support the challenging task to elicit students' conceptions are discussed.Implications for practice and/or policy Learning analytics can enhance the eliciting of students' conceptions.Based on the analysis of existing works, further exploration and developments of analysis techniques for unstructured text and multimodal data are desirable to support the eliciting of students' conceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capturing evidence for dynamic changes in self‐regulated learning (SRL) behaviours resulting from interventions is challenging for researchers. In the current study, we identified students who were likely to do poorly in a biology course and those who were likely to do well. Then, we randomly assigned a portion of the students predicted to perform poorly to a science of learning to learn intervention where they were taught SRL study strategies. Learning outcome and log data (257 K events) were collected from n = 226 students. We used a complex systems framework to model the differences in SRL including the amount, interrelatedness, density and regularity of engagement captured in digital trace data (ie, logs). Differences were compared between students who were predicted to (1) perform poorly (control, n = 48), (2) perform poorly and received intervention (treatment, n = 95) and (3) perform well (not flagged, n = 83). Results indicated that the regularity of students' engagement was predictive of course grade, and that the intervention group exhibited increased regularity in engagement over the control group immediately after the intervention and maintained that increase over the course of the semester. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to the future of artificial intelligence and potential uses for monitoring student learning in online environments. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Self‐regulated learning (SRL) knowledge and skills are strong predictors of postsecondary STEM student success.SRL is a dynamic, temporal process that leads to purposeful student engagement.Methods and metrics for measuring dynamic SRL behaviours in learning contexts are needed.What this paper adds A Markov process for measuring dynamic SRL processes using log data.Evidence that dynamic, interaction‐dominant aspects of SRL predict student achievement.Evidence that SRL processes can be meaningfully impacted through educational intervention.Implications for theory and practice Complexity approaches inform theory and measurement of dynamic SRL processes.Static representations of dynamic SRL processes are promising learning analytics metrics.Engineered features of LMS usage are valuable contributions to AI models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether publication outcome was affected by the gender of author, handling associate editor (AE), or reviewer, and whether there was gender bias in reviewer selection, in the journal Reproduction. Analyses were carried out on 4289 original research manuscripts submitted to the journal between 2007 and 2019. Both female and male AEs appointed more male reviewers than female reviewers, but female AEs were significantly more likely to appoint female reviewers than male AEs were (p < 0.001). When examining the gender of either first or last author manuscripts, those with female authors that were reviewed by female reviewers received better scores than those with male authors that were reviewed by female reviewers (p < 0.05): where the reviewer was male, no such effect was observed. Acceptance rates of manuscripts were similar for both female and male authors, whether first or last, regardless of AE gender. Overall, there was no significant correlation between gender of first or last author, or of AE, on the likelihood of acceptance of a research paper. These data suggest no bias against female authors during the peer review process in this reproductive biology journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College instructors often teach scientific thinking by asking students to review and analyze a primary research article. The main purpose of this study was to explore how classroom response systems (CRS) could help impact the quality of written analysis papers submitted for this assignment by students taking 100-level biology courses at a medium-sized suburban, two-year college in the northeastern United States. Students in all participating course sections received written instructions on five key elements of critical analysis (CA) to include in scientific study analysis papers. Classroom instruction on recognizing these key elements in primary research papers was provided either via CRS or via an instructor-facilitated classroom discussion enhanced by the same PowerPoint presentation. A rubric, designed specifically for this assignment, was validated prior to its use in this study. Fifty students participated in the study, and those who received the CRS intervention achieved significantly higher CA scores for identifying implications of study findings, while the group that received only written instructions achieved significantly higher CA scores for discussing the credibility of the references used by the authors in planning the critiqued study. The implications of this study are discussed along with ideas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effect of digital differentiation on student performance using a randomized experiment. The experiment is conducted in a second year biology class among 115 prevocational students in the Netherlands. Differentiation allowed students in the treatment group to work at three different levels. The results show that there is a significant effect of digital differentiation on the posttest score. This effect is robust to adding covariates such as students' ability, grade repetition, age, gender, class and average neighborhood income. There are no differential effects when dividing students in three groups, by ability. The results imply that differentiation in large classrooms is possible and beneficial for all students, once done digitally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Even though human racial difference has been a longstanding topic of the school biology curriculum, there is little evidence that contemporary biology textbooks challenge stereotypical racial beliefs that are based in biological thinking. Rather, the modern biology curriculum may be a place where such beliefs about race are perpetuated unwittingly. Drawing upon a theoretical framework of racial conceptualization based in psychological essentialism, this paper argues that biology textbook curricula ought to directly challenge problematic and unscientific racial beliefs to increase understanding of human genetic variation and decrease racial beliefs associated with prejudice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of core concepts and processes of science in solving problems is important to successful learning in biology. We have designed and developed a Web-based, self-directed tutorial program, SOLVEIT, that provides various scaffolds (e.g., prompts, expert models, visual guidance) to help college students enhance their skills and abilities in solving problems in science. An initial version of SOLVEIT was used in this study. This paper details the features of SOLVEIT that are contextualized within the biological domains of evolution and ecology. A qualitative case study was conducted to evaluate the usability of the program. Selected students were recruited from an introductory biology course at a large public university in the south-eastern United States. Data for this study were collected through the SOLVEIT database and semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study demonstrate the potential of the program for improving students' problem solving in biology. Suggestions for the use of SOLVEIT and its further improvement and development are discussed, along with suggestions for future research. This study also provides more general guidance for researchers and practitioners who are interested in the design, development and evaluation of Web-based tutorial programs in science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching of science is a complex process, involving the use of multiple modalities. This paper illustrates the potential of a multimodal semiotics discourse analysis framework to illuminate meaning-making possibilities during the teaching of a science concept. A multimodal semiotics analytical framework is developed and used to (1) analyze the semiotic and epistemological meanings communicated by multiple modalities during the teaching of a biology concept and (2) highlight features of semiotic modalities that extend meaning-making opportunities in science classrooms. The classroom discourse of a Grade 11 biology teacher was analyzed during the teaching of the concept chemosynthesis. Data were drawn from lesson transcripts, observational fieldnotes, and informal interviews with the teacher. The findings showed that the multimodal semiotics framework was useful at illustrating how semiotic and epistemological functions of modalities compounded meanings. Most significantly, an emergent multimodal framework relating semiotic functions and science learning outcomes emerged that has the potential to (1) act as a metacognitive tool for teachers to select, sequence, and scaffold modalities and (2) act as an analytical framework for educational researchers to analyze meaning making in science teaching and learning. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed94:48–72, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents Over the last few decades, rhinoceroses and elephants became important icons in the saga of wildlife conservation. Recent surveys estimate the wild Asian ( Elephas maximus) and African ( Loxodonta africana) elephant populations to be, at most, 50 250 and 637 600 respectively. For the five rhinoceros species, black ( Diceros bicornis), white ( Ceratotherium simum), Indian ( Rhinoceros unicornis), Javan ( Rhinoceros sondaicus) and Sumatran rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus Sumatrensis), the population estimates of 3610, 11 330, 2400, 60 and 300, respectively, are of even greater concern. Protected against habitat loss, poaching and left undisturbed, rhinoceros and elephants reproduce well in the wild. But small and decreasing populations make successful captive management of these taxa increasingly important. In captivity, however, most populations face possible ‘extinction’ because of historically poor reproductive performance. From the first descriptions of the reproductive anatomy and the oestrous cycle ( Laws 1969 ; Kassam and Lasley 1981 ; Balke et al. 1988a,b ; Plotka et al. 1988 ; Godfrey et al. 1991 ) to the present use of advanced assisted reproduction technologies, researchers have strive to understand the function and dysfunction of the reproductive biology of these charismatic species. This paper reviewed the current knowledge on rhinoceros and elephant reproduction biology, reproductive cycle, gestation, dystocia, reproductive pathology, oestrous induction and artificial insemination, sperm sexing, IVF and contraception, and how this knowledge is or might be used to aid species conservation for maximal reproductive efficiency and enhancement of genetic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social epistemology is the normative theory of socioepistemic practices. Teaching is a socioepistemic practice, so educational practices belong on the agenda of social epistemology. A current question is whether intelligent design should be taught in biology classes. This paper focuses on the argument from "fairness" or "equal time." The principal aim of education is knowledge transmission, but evidence renders it doubtful that giving intelligent design equal time would promote knowledge transmission. In making curricular decisions, boards of education should consult the experts. Are novices capable of identifying genuine experts? This social epistemological question is answered affirmatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and study aims This paper reports on a 1-year, full-time widening access to medicine course that prepares mature adults for entry to selected UK medical schools. The course was developed in 1992–93 in co-operation with the University of Leicester Medical School and is restricted to adults over 21 years of age. The main subjects of the curriculum are biology, chemistry and physics. These are supported by mathematics, statistics and medical geography. Methods Three successive year groups were used as trial groups and nine medical schools agreed to participate in the trial. The successful trial students were monitored as they progressed through medical school. A total of 19% of successful trial students graduated from medical school with honours degrees. Evaluation of the trial years has led to changes in both the curriculum and assessment methods. Findings The longitudinal study of the course indicates that progression to medical school has increased from an average of 64% during the trial years to an average of 85% over the last 3 years. Graduate entry to the course has increased from an initial 10% of the intake to 50% over the same period. The role of the programme as a vehicle for widening access to medical school was monitored in the 4-year period 1997–2000. In these years, 41% of the student intake progressing to medical school came from socioeconomic groups IV and V, whilst 36% came from socioeconomic groups I and II. The 2001/2002 cohort numbers 45. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student interest, industry growth, and medical advances highlight a growing need for baccalaureate trained bioengineers. However, undergraduate bioengineering curricula have not kept pace with the recent rapid growth of biotechnology, bioinformatics, and cellular level bioengineering. It is the premise of this paper that a new baccalaureate core curriculum in cell and tissue engineering is needed to foster the full development of bioengineering as a core engineering discipline. Employment opportunities for baccalaureate Bioengineering graduates in the emerging biologically-based engineering industry (e.g. bioinformatics, cell and tissue engineering, neural engineering) are increasing. We describe a new undergraduate B.S. bioengineering curriculum in cell and tissue engineering with an emphasis in interfacial molecular approaches. This curriculum is integrated with traditional bioengineering topics and has its technical emphasis in molecular biology, nanotechnology, and computational modeling. Thus, the future bioengineer can be expected to design, model, fabricate, and control living systems and their fundamental constituents at the same level of detail as an electrical engineer uses SPICE and CAD tools to develop a microelectronic or micro-electro-mechanical device. Such engineers would be expected to take their place in industry, graduate school, or medicine with a clear mastery of cell and tissue-based bioengineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]