Life Sciences Commons^™

A Biological Lens On Food Deserts [Biology], Claudette Davis

Open Educational Resources

SCB101 is a non-major biology course. In Fall 2022, the course was designated as an Experiential Learning-LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative (LHI) course in CUNYFirst. LHI is LaGuardia's experiential learning program that helps students to critically reflect on global issues and develop sustainable solutions in partnership with local and global organizations. For the 2022-2023 academic year, LHI focused on two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG): Goal 2 and Goal 10. UNSDG 2 aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. UNSDG 10 addresses reducing inequality both within and among countries. Thus, I developed an assignment to …

Hydrophilic Porphyrins Based Chemosensors For First Transition Series Metal Ions [Chemistry], Sunaina Singh

Open Educational Resources

General Chemistry is a two-semester course (General Chemistry I, SCC 201 and General Chemistry II, SCC 202) required for majors in Biology and Environmental Sciences.

This lab experiment, aligned to LaGuardia Community College’s Inquiry and Problem Solving Core Competency and Written Communication Ability was designed for General Chemistry I (SCC 201 Honors) course. Honors courses in LaGuardia emphasize critical thinking, analytical writing, and introduce students to research. This lab experiment provides an opportunity for students to engage in hands-on laboratory work, to develop laboratory skills, and to conduct research in the classroom by using two water soluble porphyrins to detect …

Titration Of A Newtown Creek Environmental Water Sample To Determine The Amount Of Chloride Ions [Chemistry], Kevin Mark

Open Educational Resources

Main Course Learning Objectives:

The General Chemistry 1 (SCC 201) course has multiple course learning objectives, which articulate key introductory chemistry concepts that all STEM students should possess. In particular, the Newtown Creek titration experiment aligns with SCC 201 learning objectives of:

1. Demonstrate an appreciation of the role of chemistry in various aspects of life
2. Perform basic laboratory skills such as the proper execution of titration techniques
3. Describe and explain the fundamental chemistry concept of solution concentration
4. Analyze and represent experimental data in tables and graphs, interpret experimental results and write laboratory reports

In the SCC 201 laboratory, students are …

Choosing Your Career, Janet Gonzalez

Open Educational Resources

One of the major components of the First Year Seminar in Natural Sciences (NSF101) is to introduce students to library research. The library orientation session exposes students to library resources such as books, videos, journals, databases. The “Choosing Your Career” assignment reinforces using the library by searching for information on a career, retrieving sources from select databases and evaluating the information found in a written reflection. Reflection questions are added to guide the student in their search and their approach to their career choice.

The goal is to integrate library literacy as part of their developing college learning skills. This …

Introduction To Data Analysis Using Excel And Lab Report Writing Using Lagcc Institution Data, Kevin Mark

Open Educational Resources

Objectives

Part 1: An Introduction to Data Analysis Using Excel

1. To interpret, summarize and present numerical data using the digital tool Microsoft program Excel.
2. To plot numerical data as a graph and determine an equation of a line. In addition, using the appropriate formatting functions to label your graph and creating a best fit line.

Part 2: Lab Report Writing Using LaGCC Institutional Data

1. To communicate your interpretations of research data. This is done writing discussions and conclusions (using scientific language) and is often accompanied by data tables and graphs.
2. To use your Microsoft Excel graphing skills to interpret, inquire …

Women In Science: Why So Few? [Liberal Arts: Math And Science], Reem Jaafar, Benjamin J. Taylor

Open Educational Resources

This assigment was developed in the context of LaGuardia’s Center for Teaching and Learning sponsored Learning Matters mini grant “Connection Between First Year Seminar and Capstone Learning Experiences.” It provides Liberal Arts experience to students across the academic spectrum and is designed for students in LMF 101 (First-Year Seminar for Liberal Arts: Math & Science) and is conducted in conjunction with students from a capstone course, LIB 200 (Science, Technology, and Humanism). The assignment aligns with the Inquiry and Problem-Solving Core Competency and the Written Ability. In this assignment, LMF 101 students research and read several articles centered on the …

Learning About Women In Stem For First-Year Students [Liberal Arts: Math And Science], Reem Jaafar, Ian Alberts

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was designed for students in the first year seminar and aligns with the Inquiry and Problem Solving core competency, with a focus on “framing the issues” (identifies and/or addresses questions problems and/or hypothesis informed by knowledge of context) and “evidence gathering” (assembles, reviews and synthesizes evidence from diverse sources of relevant knowledge). Both assignments rely on writing and one may include an oral component. In writing, the focus is on “Content Development and Organization,” as well as “Control of Language, Syntax, and Mechanics.”

LaGuardia’s Core Competencies and Communication Abilities

Main Course Learning Objectives:

• The LMF course for Liberal …

Fundamentals Of Biology Research Project [Biology], Ana Lucia Fuentes, Maria Entezari

Open Educational Resources

1. The goal of this initiative is to improve students’ learning of the subject while developing their Inquiry and Problem-Solving competencies as well as their numeracy, written, digital and oral communication abilities.
2. A “flipped-class” approach will be taken to present different topics ahead of the practical laboratory experiences. Topics will be presented with PowerPoints and/or videos posted on Blackboard.
3. Students will be given a “low stakes” quiz at the beginning of each laboratory session to assess their knowledge and understanding of the posted material.
4. A research project, introduced at the beginning of the semester, will be used as the backbone to …