Digital Commons Network^™

Research Awareness In Chemistry Education (Race) Program, Matthias Bierenstiel

The Western Conference on Science Education

The Research Awareness in Chemistry Education (RACE) program at Cape Breton University is a Department of Chemistry initiative to engage and attract 1^st year students to chemistry research.

Many students have misconceptions about research. In the public and in high-school, chemistry is generally perceived negatively and research is attributed as nerdy. In addition, the majority of education support programs at the high-school and university level are geared towards weak students in form of extra help sessions and tutoring. In contrast, talented students interested in science are often overlooked and their potential is little fostered.

The RACE program is a …

Designing Advanced Seminar Research Courses In Science, Lovaye J. Kajiura, Colin J. Montpetit

The Western Conference on Science Education

Advanced seminar research courses in sciences provide students with valuable capstone experiences. They impart opportunities to develop practical skills required for entry into scientific careers. While course objectives and learning outcomes may vary across disciplines, educational programs, departments, and institutions, seminar courses encourage students to hone professional competencies for research investigations, scientific literacy, communication, and critical thinking. Students demonstrate these skills via collaborative discussions, peer evaluation, and formulation of integrative reports. Designing and assessing the effectiveness of such courses involves the feedback from students, faculty, and administration. In this session, presenters will discuss two models which are implemented in different …

Relationship Between Perceived And Actual Quality Of Data Checking, Hunter Speich, Sophia Karas, Dan Erosa, Kelly Grob, Kimberly A. Barchard

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Data quality is critical to reaching correct research conclusions. Researchers attempt to ensure that they have accurate data by checking the data after it has been entered. Previous research has demonstrated that some methods of data checking are better than others, but not all researchers use the best methods. Perhaps researchers continue to use less optimal data checking methods because they mistakenly believe that they are highly accurate. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived data quality and actual data quality. A total of 29 participants completed this study. Participants checked that letters and numbers …