An inquiry-based learning model for an exercise physiology laboratory course

We developed an inquiry-based learning model to better stimulate undergraduate students' cognitive development of exercise physiology laboratory concepts. The course core is the two independent research projects that students, working in small groups, complete during the last 9 wk of the semester. Student groups develop their own research question and hypothesis, design the experiment, collect and analyze the data, and report their findings to the rest of the class using presentation software. To help with success of the research projects, students are taken through a series of guided-inquiry laboratory activities during the initial 6 wk of the semester to develop laboratory skills and an understanding of the scientific process. Observations of student behaviors reflected a high level of enthusiasm and engagement in laboratory activities. Surveys, journal entries, and interviews indicated that students felt empowered by having ownership in their projects, which may be the key reason for the success of this model.     

Comparative and medical physiology: a theme with three variations

The aim of this essay is to show how a comparative approach, by adding new variables, might shed unexpected light on some well-known problems of general physiology. In my first example I describe how a classic study of the energetics of Na reabsorption in canine kidneys leads to new insights if kidney size is introduced as a co-variable. The second example demonstrates that if the maximum rate of ATP production does not suffice to meet the ATP-demand of a particular physiological function, the deficit metabolic fuel could be supplied by the ATP spared by the suppression of another function. In evidence I draw attention to the high metabolic cost of growth in larval fish, although any mammalian organ with high energy requirements could run into the same problem under energy limiting conditions. In the third example, I suggest that the experimentally determined degree of sensitivity of cellular functions to hypoxia could be used to make predictions about the ecology of the biological system studied. This inference would be valid irrespective of whether the term "ecology" refers to the external environment of different species or to the internal environment of different organs in the human body.     

A simple ballistocardiographic system for a medical cardiovascular physiology course

Ballistocardiography is an old, noninvasive technique used to record the movements of the body synchronous with the heartbeat due to left ventricular pump activity. Despite the fact that this technique to measure cardiac output has been superseded by more advanced and precise techniques, it is useful for teaching cardiac cycle physiology in an undergraduate practical course because of its noninvasive application in humans, clear physiological and physiopathological analysis, and practical approach to considering cardiac output issues. In the present report, a simple, low cost, easy-to-build ballistocardiography system is implemented together with a theoretical and practical session that includes Newton's laws, cardiac output, cardiac pump activity, anatomy and physiology of the vessel circulation, vectorial composition, and signal transduction, which makes cardiovascular physiology easy to understand and focuses on the study of cardiac output otherwise seen only with the help of computer simulation or echocardiography. The proposed system is able to record body displacement or force as ballistocardiography traces and its changes caused by different physiological factors. The ballistocardiography session was included in our medical physiology course six years ago with very high acceptance and approval rates from the students.     

The evolving role of animal laboratories in physiology instruction

Laboratory exercises are intended to illustrate concepts and add an active learning component to courses. Since the 1980s, there has been a decline in animal laboratories offered in conjunction with medical physiology courses. The most important single reason for this is cost, but other contributing factors include the development of computer simulations, changes in medical education, and pressure from antivivisectionists. Unfortunately, the elimination of animal laboratories has occurred with relatively little consideration of the educational impact of this change. Although computer simulations are considered effective in helping students acquire basic physiological concepts, there is evidence some students acquire a more thorough understanding of the material through the more advanced and challenging experience of an animal laboratory. The fact that such laboratories offer distinct educational advantages should be taken into account when courses are designed.     

Using case-study based modules to promote a better understanding of evolution in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course

ABSTRACT

The impact of evolutionary processes in understanding human health and disease is an important idea for future health professionals to understand. These students, however, typically receive little to no formal instruction in the role of evolution in not only understanding human health, but its impact on how to treat human diseases. To address this issue, we developed and implemented a case-study based learning module designed with a learning cycle implementation as part of a larger evolution across the curriculum program. The module focused on the evolution of skin color to illustrate that natural selection occurs in humans, and that the process of evolution involves tradeoffs (a balance of costs and benefits). Student understanding of the tradeoffs of natural selection was assessed through a pre- post- test design, with students answering a set of questions before instruction and again after. The modules helped improve student comprehension of natural selection, particularly for lower-performing students who were not biology majors, and for those whom reported less interest in evolution.     

Video laboratories for the teaching and learning of professional ethics in exercise physiology curricula

Student researchers in physiology courses often interact with human subjects in classroom research but may be unfamiliar with the professional ethics of experimenter-subject interactions. This communication describes experiences related to an interactive video used in exercise science and general biology courses to help students become aware of, sensitive to, and comfortable with implementing professional ethics into their own thinking and behavior as researchers before entering the laboratory. The activity consisted of a filmed exercise physiology experiment complemented with interactive question sheets followed by small- and large-group discussion and culminating with individual student reflections. Student written responses from multiple courses indicated that students were able to 1) identify and consider the ethics of experimenter-subject interactions from the movie, 2) generalize broader ideas of professional ethics from those observations, and 3) consider their observations in terms of future experiments they would be conducting personally and how they should interact with human subjects. A majority of students indicated a positive reaction to the video and identified specific aspects they appreciated. It is hoped that this report will encourage other instructors to consider the use of interactive videos in the teaching and learning of professional ethics related to their courses.     

The effect of active learning on student characteristics in a human physiology course for nonmajors

This study investigated the effect of active-learning strategies on college students' achievement, motivation, and self-efficacy in a human physiology course for nonmajors. Variables were studied via a quasi-experimental, Solomon four-group design on 141 students at a small west-Texas university. Treatment groups were taught using a continuum-based, active-learning model implemented over the course of a semester. Control groups were taught using traditional didactic lecture methods. To assess the effects of the continuum-based active learning strategies, students were administered a comprehensive physiology content exam, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and attitude surveys. Factorial analyses indicated that the treatment groups acquired significantly more content knowledge and were significantly more self-efficacious than students in the control groups. There were no significant differences in motivation. Attitude surveys indicated that students in both the treatment and control groups demonstrated a positive attitude toward active learning, believed it helped (or would help) them to learn the material, and would choose an active learning course in the future.     

A Web-based course of lectures in respiratory physiology

A complete course of respiratory physiology suitable for first-year medical and graduate students has been placed on the Web for our own students and for other educational institutions. There are several reasons for doing this. The first is that the modern-day student uses a variety of options for acquiring knowledge. These include attending lectures, reading texts, iPod downloads, and surfing the internet. This Web-based course is another option that may be preferable for some students. A second reason is that it is becoming increasingly difficult for some medical schools to find faculty members who are willing and able to teach the principles of respiratory physiology. This is a potentially serious problem because a sound knowledge of respiratory physiology will always be necessary for the intelligent practice of medicine. Schools with limited faculty may find it useful to use these Web-based lectures followed by a discussion session with students. Another reason is that some schools have moved away from systematic lectures to case-based discussions, with the possibility that students will not be exposed to some of the principles of respiratory physiology. The hope is that this comprehensive course of lectures will help students to assimilate this important material as the medical school curriculum continues to expand at a rapid rate.     

Using student feedback to construct an assessment rubric for a concept map in physiology

Constructing quality assessment rubrics can be challenging, especially when they are used for integrated, group-centered, applied learning. We describe a collaborative assessment task in which groups of second-year dentistry students developed a complex concept map. In groups of four, the students were given a written, simulated, medical history of a patient and required to construct a concept map illustrating relevant pathophysiological concepts and pharmacological interventions. This report describes a research project aimed at making educational goals of the task more explicit through investigating student and faculty member understandings of the criteria that might be used to assess the concept map. Information was gathered about the perceptions of students in relation to the learning goals associated with the task. These were compared with faculty member perceptions. The findings were used to develop an assessment rubric intended to be more accessible to learners. The new rubric used the language of both faculty members and students to more clearly represent expectations of each criterion and standard. This assessment rubric will be used in 2005 for the next phase of the project.