Advances in Physiology Education最新文献

The flipped classroom model is increasingly used in medical education to promote active learning, clinical integration, and student engagement. This report describes the implementation of a revised flipped classroom approach during a renal physiology unit at an international medical school structured around prework, in-class application, and postsession review. Students prepared with concise slides and optional resources and then engaged in group discussions, case-based activities, and instructor-guided annotations to apply physiological concepts in clinical contexts. Postsession quizzes and structured repetition reinforced understanding. Compared to a prior cohort, this revised approach was associated with improved exam performance and more consistent participation. This model suggests that thoughtfully structured flipped classroom instruction can support learning in physiology-intensive units and that it adapts well to the needs of diverse student populations in integrated curricula.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article describes a structured flipped classroom model implemented during a renal physiology unit at an international medical school. The approach emphasized clinical integration, active learning, and consistent preparation. Compared to a prior cohort, students demonstrated improved exam performance and reported strong engagement and perceived understanding. These findings suggest that thoughtfully designed flipped instruction can enhance learning in physiology-intensive units and may be especially valuable in international or academically diverse medical education settings.

In response to a decline in the numeracy skills and confidence of first-year biomedical science undergraduate students, a series of quizzes was developed to encourage students to practice their numeracy skills with topic-related problems. The quizzes were created using existing tools in the online learning platform Blackboard (Blackboard, Inc.). The organization of the quizzes included repetition and a gamification element to encourage engagement by students. Analysis of pre- and postassessment data as well as a final subject-related test demonstrate a statistically significant improvement of the test scores in the students who engaged with the quizzes compared to those who did not. The confidence of the students who completed all the quizzes also improved. This strategy and configuration of quizzes could easily be adapted to topics other than numeracy.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Do your students struggle with numeracy skills related to physiology? We have developed a series of online quizzes that have been shown to improve student confidence and ability in numeracy.

Students' "mindset" (self-beliefs and attitudes toward their abilities) can impact academic achievement, with those possessing a growth mindset more likely to succeed. It has been postulated that students with a growth mindset, who believe they can improve their abilities through dedication, effort, and learning may have deeper intentions when learning, thereby enabling a deeper understanding. However, the relationship between students' mindset and their learning intentions remains unexplored. Using a mixed-method study we examined the relationship between mindset, learning intentions, and academic performance in second-year biomedical science students (n_consent = 256). Through inductive and deductive thematic analysis of open-ended questions, we determined students' mindsets and learning intentions. Qualitative themes were then quantified to determine theme-response frequencies. Statistical analysis was then conducted to assess the relationship between mindsets, learning intentions, and academic performance. Nearly two-thirds of students held a growth mindset about their bioscience ability. Growth mindset students reported a greater number of deep learning intentions and achieved higher academic performance compared to fixed mindset students. Targeted interventions to further support growth-oriented beliefs and address fixed or mixed mindsets may facilitate positive changes in students' learning intentions.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates that growth mindset students in biomedical science report more deep learning intentions and achieve higher academic performance compared to their fixed mindset peers. Through a mixed-method approach, it highlights the unexplored relationship between mindset, learning intentions, and performance. The findings underscore the role of mindset in shaping learning behaviors and suggest that fostering a growth mindset could improve educational outcomes in science disciplines.

Teaching cardiovascular physiology to undergraduate students through lectures that lack real-life connections or relevance to professional practice can be problematic, as many students struggle to apply the material. To address this, we recently implemented a leading-question teaching strategy in our undergraduate health science courses. This approach aimed to enhance students' understanding by building on foundational knowledge from previous biology, anatomy, and physiology courses and connecting it to commonly used terms, real-life experiences, and practical concerns. During class, discussions were guided by leading questions, with the instructor facilitating the conversation and providing justifications. The results showed that students found the combination of leading questions, whole class discussion, and instructor guidance helpful in fostering meaningful learning. They expressed satisfaction with this teaching method. Additionally, the key concepts and explanations developed jointly by the students and instructor were beneficial for all students, including those who are typically more reserved.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article presents the essential concepts of the human parallel circulation system, shedding light on how this knowledge can help clarify the common jargon and practices students encounter in everyday life. The explanation is based on a leading-question teaching strategy, with answers and insights gathered from undergraduate health science students through whole class discussions.

The authors present a poem entitled "The Mentor," which deals with the term "mentor" from its early use as an ordinary male name to its semantic evolution into the concept of a guide (thanks to Homer's Odyssey). The poem is essentially an ode to a mentor by one of their mentees. What we can learn from the final lines of the poem is that this is a story of success, both human and professional. Hopefully, this story will inspire aspiring physiology mentors and their mentees. The poem was the subject of a reading, after which several academic colleagues shared with the authors what a good mentor should and should not be. Their reflections and insights generated word clouds that show at a glance the major trends and differences that emerged among the professors and postgraduates who participated in this initiative.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study used a poem to spark discussion on mentorship, gathering perspectives from professors and postgraduates on what a mentor should and should not be. Professors valued empathy and competence in good mentors, while postgraduates prioritized humanity. For bad mentors, professors cited authoritarianism, but postgraduates highlighted hurriedness. The findings emphasize that mentor's availability and time commitment are crucial for effective and healthy mentorship, suggesting a need to also prioritize and focus on mentee's perspectives.

Animal dissections have long been central to anatomy and physiology education, despite their costs, safety issues, and ethical concerns. Alternatives like computer-based simulations and synthetic models often fail to replicate the authentic experience of live dissections. Virtual reality (VR) offers an immersive, interactive alternative that simulates hands-on dissections with real-time feedback and skill-building opportunities, while also mitigating ethical and emotional concerns associated with live specimens. We surveyed 118 undergraduate physiology students to assess their attitudes and preferences regarding both VR and live frog dissections, both before and after participating in each method. Although VR was not universally seen as a complete replacement, a large portion of students (80%) still recognized the hands-on value of live dissections in their education. A small cohort viewed them as "neutral" or "unnecessary" postsurvey, although this trend was insignificant (P = 0.093). Notably, 28% of students reported an increased preference for live dissections after the experiment, citing excitement and perceived educational value. In contrast, 15% expressed a preference for VR, highlighting its enhanced comfort and reduced discomfort. Our findings suggest VR as a supplementary tool, particularly for students hesitant about live dissection, and highlight its potential in science education. This research contributes to ongoing discussions on integrating new technologies into the laboratory and clinical education frameworks to improve learning outcomes.NEW & NOTEWORTHY As animal dissection becomes less common in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, alternative methods like virtual reality (VR) are being explored. With the emphasis on training future healthcare professionals, it's crucial to understand how students perceive these methods. VR may help bridge the gap, but students' attitudes toward dissection and VR's role remain underexplored. We tested VR dissections followed by live dissections to better understand students' learning experiences in these environments.

In physiology education, terms such as compliance, distensibility, capacitance, elastance, elasticity, etc. refer to the mechanical properties of biological tissues but are often a source of confusion in teaching and learning. This article identifies three main causes underlying the confusion: 1) inconsistent interpretations of mathematically defined terms, 2) a gap between physiologic and material science terminology, and 3) a lack of illustration of the interrelationships among these terms. To address these problems, we divide these terms into three groups: terms measuring how easily a structure can be deformed, terms measuring the stiffness of a structure (i.e., how resistant a structure is to deformation), and other terms. Through clarifying the terms in groups and introducing two fundamental terms in material science (Young's modulus and bulk modulus) that are often missing in physiology education, the problems above are resolved and a relatively complete picture of the mechanical property-related terms is provided. This article serves as a critical resource for physiology educators, researchers, and clinicians and a robust foundation for improved teaching, research, and clinical applications of tissue mechanics.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article advances physiology education by clarifying the basic mechanical property-related terms in physiology, introducing two fundamental terms in material science that are often missing in physiology education, and revealing the interrelationships among these terms. It serves as a handy tool kit for physiology educators, researchers, as well as clinicians to select and apply these terms appropriately based on their needs.

Virtual escape rooms (ERs) require learners to solve puzzles and answer riddles while trying to "escape" a digital room. Although the educational merit of such gamified learning activities continues to be realized, guides on the development of ERs are lacking, as well as student perceptions on how, if, and where they should be integrated into medical curricula. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the experiences of building anatomy-themed virtual ERs of differing formats at two separate institutions, Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), focusing on abdominal and upper limb anatomy, respectively. Google Workspace applications served as the primary platform. Three-dimensional (3-D) models were built with photogrammetry techniques or Virtual Human Dissector software (www.toltech.net) and integrated into the ER. Of 69 students and staff invited at QUB, 9 (13%) participated in the in-person virtual ER in teams of two or three (7 medical students, 2 anatomy instructors). Of 27 VCOM medical students invited, 8 (30%) agreed to participate and individually completed VCOM's virtual ER remotely. Anonymous surveys and a focus group revealed the ERs to be enjoyable and engaging and that they encouraged participants to think about material in a new way while helping them to identify knowledge gaps. Strengths and weaknesses of different designs (linear vs. nonlinear), delivery methods (in person vs. remote), and grouping of participants (team based vs. individual) were realized and discussed, revealing opportunities for optimizing the experience. Future studies would benefit from increasing sample sizes to assess the learning gain of such activities.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Virtual escape rooms (ERs) offer an innovative way to expose students to educational material in a creative, engaging way, particularly when they incorporate three-dimensional (3-D) models. Activities can be readily built with Google Workspace. Offering this activity to teams in a physical setting may promote collaboration and maximize the educational utility, whereas having learners complete it remotely on an individual basis may be more convenient, allowing them to fit it in their study schedule at their own convenience.

One of the identified points of confusion and a barrier to students using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is knowing what their professor would consider appropriate use of GenAI in a classroom setting or course framework. This creates points of friction for instructors and students as they try to navigate an ever-changing landscape, while trying to ensure work readiness skills for students. This includes the development of GenAI literacy, prompt engineering as related to physiology and research, and critical thinking skills. In this paper, we suggest an innovative, two-pronged approach that scaffolds the use of GenAI in a third-year physiology and pharmacology course. First, we propose integrating centralized support for GenAI within a course through asynchronous means, demonstrating how GenAI can be used as a tool. Second, we provide a step-by-step guide, with a concrete example of using GenAI for developing a novel experimental question, a hypothesis, legitimate methodology and analysis, and critical evaluation of GenAI outputs. We also provide a general implementation guide and logistical considerations, and adaptations for other courses are discussed.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Exciting innovation in education! We are addressing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) confusion in higher education classrooms with a two-pronged approach for a third-year physiology and pharmacology lab course. Ensuring GenAI literacy, prompt engineering, and critical thinking while providing an authentic lab experience. We present a scaffolded approach using centralized GenAI support and a step-by-step guide for developing novel experiments and supporting faculty GenAI literacy. Working to support faculty and students alike!