Assessment of educational technology in lactation physiology by health students.

OBJECTIVES: to assess the suitability, facilitators, and barriers of using a video clip for teaching lactation physiology to health students. METHODS: a cross-sectional study was conducted with online data collection at a higher education institution, using the Assistive Technology Assessment Instrument and open-ended questions. The sample consisted of 88 students. RESULTS: the video clip was deemed suitable in all attributes. Facilitators identified included attractiveness, musicality, and ease of access. Barriers noted were the music's speed and the necessity for prior knowledge. The video clip achieved adequate scores for interactivity (1.71), purpose (1.77), relevance (1.64), and clarity (1.77). The overall average of the attributes was 1.72. CONCLUSIONS: the video clip can serve as an effective learning strategy to enhance hybrid education, potentially contributing to the promotion and support of breastfeeding. However, some barriers underscore the importance of prior knowledge for a complete understanding of the content.

Content Coverage as a Persistent Exclusionary Practice: Investigating Perspectives of Health Professionals on the Influence of Undergraduate Coursework.

STEM undergraduates navigate lengthy sequences of prerequisite courses covering volumes of science content. Given that these courses may contribute to attrition and equity gaps in STEM, research is needed to test the assumption that prerequisite content benefits students in their future studies and careers. We investigated the relevance of prerequisite course content for students' careers through semistructured interviews with practicing nurses regarding their undergraduate anatomy and physiology (A&P) courses. Nurses reported that A&P content does not align with the skills and knowledge needed in the nursing profession. Interviewees averaged 39% on a brief A&P assessment, suggesting A&P prerequisites failed to impart a high degree of long-term A&P knowledge among nurses. Further, practicing nurses perceived overcommitment to A&P content coverage as an exclusionary practice that eliminates capable individuals from the prenursing pathway. These findings challenge assumptions surrounding the justification for prerequisite course content and raise questions of whether content expectations actively exclude individuals from STEM or healthcare careers. We aspire for this study to stimulate conversation and research about the goals of prerequisite content, who is best positioned to articulate prerequisite content objectives, and the influence of content coverage on equity and justice in undergraduate STEM education.

Underrepresentation of women in exercise science and physiology research is associated with authorship gender.

Historically, low representation of women participants in exercise science and physiology studies has led to a lack of understanding in the response of women to exercise and therapeutic interventions. We hypothesized that 1) the number of women authors, participants, and editorial board members increased over 30 years (1991-2021) and 2) larger representation of women as editors and authors is associated with more women participants. Gender (man/woman) of editorial board members (n = 394), authors (n = 5,735), and participants (n = 2,984,883) of 972 original research articles with human participants published in 1991 and 2021 was analyzed from three journals: Journal of Applied Physiology, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, and British Journal of Sports Medicine. Between 1991 to 2021, the average percent women per article as participants (21.9 ± 31.7% vs. 36.3 ± 30.3%, respectively, P < 0.001), authors (16.4 ± 22.4% vs. 30.9 ± 24.0%, P < 0.001), and editorial board members (13.3 ± 5.4% vs. 41.5 ± 7.3%, P = 0.006) increased. In 2021, the gender proportion of participants in large datasets was similar (50.2 ± 20.2% women). However, studies with smaller datasets (i.e., <∼3,000 participants) included less women (35.6 ± 30.6%). Women participants (%) were less when the last author was a man rather than a woman in 1991 (19.9 ± 29.5% vs. 34.3 ± 42.2%) and 2021 (31.6 ± 27.7% vs. 51.7 ± 33.4%). In 2021, there was a positive correlation between author and participant gender (% women) (r = 0.42, P < 0.001). Our data suggest that the low representation of women in exercise science and physiology research could be resolved with equitable numbers of women authors and editors and by encouraging men authors to study both women and men participants.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Analysis of human applied physiology studies revealed that the representation of women authors, participants, and editorial board members increased over 30 years but remained lower than men in 2021. Larger representation of women editors and authors was associated with more women participants. Women authors assessed similar numbers of women and men participants, whereas men authors included less women. Equitable representation of women participants may be achieved by closing the gender gap in authorship and editorial board membership.

A disciplina psicologia do esporte nos cursos de psicologia e educação física / Sports psychology in psychology and physical education courses / La materia psicología del deporte en los cursos de psicología y educación física

Este discute a representatividade da disciplina Psicologia do Esporte nos cursos de Psicologia e Educação Física em instituições de ensino superior reconhecidas pelo MEC e situadas na região Sul do país. Foi realizado um estudo documental, com base nos currículos das Instituições. Os resultados revelaram que no Sul do Brasil 21,02% dos cursos de Psicologia, 41,96% dos cursos de bacharelado em Educação Física e apenas 14,83% dos cursos de licenciatura em Educação Física apresentam a disciplina Psicologia do Esporte em sua grade curricular. Observou-se que a disciplina é ofertada mais frequentemente em regime obrigatório nos cursos de bacharelado em Educação Física. Nos cursos de Psicologia, quando ofertada, costuma ser optativa. Os resultados evidenciam uma maior oferta da disciplina para os estudantes de Educação Física, em relação aos de Psicologia, o que pode estar relacionado ao próprio contexto de surgimento da disciplina e sua popularização no meio acadêmico. Para que esse panorama possa mudar e se possa oferecer uma formação adequada no curso de Psicologia para fomentar essa opção de carreira, há necessidade de se repensar o currículo e o próprio perfil do egresso, de forma a dar mais oportunidade aos estudantes para que conheçam as bases teóricas e os campos de aplicação da Psicologia do Esporte. Tal lacuna pode acarretar a fragilização da disseminação desse conhecimento aos estudantes de graduação e a consequente ocupação do mercado de trabalho.(AU)

This study discusses the representativeness of Sports Psychology in Psychology and Physical Education courses at higher education institutions from Southern Brazil. A documentary study was conducted based on the institutions' curricula. Results show that 21.02% of the Psychology major, 41.96% of the bachelor's in Physical Education, and only 14.83% of the license in Physical Education offer Sports Psychology in their curricula. Sports Psychology is most often offered as a compulsory subject in the bachelor's program in Physical Education, whereas Psychology courses offer it mainly as an elective. Physical Education students have greater contact with the discipline when compared with Psychology students, which may be explained by its context of development and popularization in the academic environment. To change this scenario and offer adequate education in the Psychology programs to foster this career option, institutions must rethink their curriculum and the graduate profile itself. This would give students better opportunity to get to know its theoretical bases and fields of application. Such a gap can hinder the dissemination of this knowledge to undergraduate students and the consequent labor market occupation.(AU)

El objetivo de este estudio es discutir la representatividad de la materia Psicología del Deporte en los cursos de Psicología y Educación Física en instituciones de educación superior de la región Sur de Brasil, reconocidas por el Ministerio de Educación (MEC). Se realizó un estudio documental, basado en los planes de estudio de las instituciones. Los resultados revelaron que, en el Sur de Brasil, el 21,02% de los cursos de Psicología, el 41,96% de los cursos de licenciatura en Educación Física y sólo el 14,83% de los cursos de profesorado en Educación tienen la materia Psicología del Deporte en sus planes de estudio. Se observó que la materia Psicología del Deporte se ofrece con mayor frecuencia como asignatura obligatoria en los cursos de licenciatura en Educación Física. Cuando se ofrece en los cursos de Psicología, es una materia optativa. Los resultados muestran una mayor oferta para los estudiantes de Educación Física en comparación con Psicología, lo que puede estar relacionado con el contexto del surgimiento de la Psicología del Deporte como materia y su popularización en el ámbito académico. Para que este escenario cambie y sea posible ofrecer una formación adecuada en el curso de Psicología con el fin de fomentar esta opción de carrera, es necesario repensar el plan de estudios y el perfil del egresado, así los estudiantes tendrán más oportunidades de conocer sus bases teóricas y sus campos de actuación. Tal brecha puede debilitar la difusión de este conocimiento a los estudiantes de grado y la consecuente ocupación en el mercado laboral.(AU)

Apropriação dos espaços urbanos na infância e na velhice em Brasília (DF) / Occupation of urban spaces in childhood and old age in Brasilia, Brazil / Apropiación de espacios urbanos en la infancia y en la vejez en Brasília, Brasil

Os estudos sobre as relações mútuas entre as pessoas e o ambiente buscam subsidiar melhorias no contexto urbano a partir de métodos e técnicas pautados na compreensão do uso de espaços públicos e privados. A crescente demanda pela promoção de ambientes amigáveis para idosos e crianças nos cenários urbanos direcionou esta pesquisa e elencou dois componentes: o panorama relativo à população local e o arcabouço teórico da psicologia ambiental. Para tanto, buscou-se identificar as principais atividades realizadas por crianças e idosos em seus respectivos locais de moradia. Foram avaliados os principais usos e atividades desses dois grupos, em duas vizinhanças, diferenciando-os de acordo com suas especificidades em termos de demandas individuais e ambientais. As observações sistemáticas a partir da técnica de mapeamento comportamental centrado no lugar (MCCL) ocorreram na cidade de Brasília, Distrito Federal (DF) e permitiram compreender o processo de apropriação dos espaços na infância e na velhice e suas repercussões em termos da congruência pessoa-ambiente. Cada um destes setores organizados a partir de elementos específicos direciona as ações dos participantes para determinados tipos de comportamentos, observados de maneira a compor um roteiro em que a brincadeira (lazer ativo) surge como central na infância e a caminhada (circulação) como mais potente para a população idosa. Os resultados demonstram que o diálogo entre a psicologia ambiental e a ciência do desenvolvimento humano tem sido bastante profícuo e tem contribuído para a compreensão de aspectos da relação pessoa-ambiente em diferentes momentos do ciclo de vida.(AU)

Studies on the mutual relations between people and the environment seek to support improvements in the urban context from methods and techniques based on understanding the use of public and private spaces. The growing demand for the promotion of friendly urban environments for older people and children guided this research, with two notable components: the panorama related to the local population and the theoretical framework of Environmental Psychology. Therefore, we sought to identify the main activities carried out by children and older people in their respective dwellings. The main uses and activities of these two groups were evaluated in two neighborhoods, differentiating them according to their specificities in terms of individual and environmental demands. Systematic observations using the place-centered behavioral mapping technique took place in the city of Brasília, Federal District, and allowed us to understand the process of appropriation of spaces in childhood and old age and its repercussions in terms of person-environment congruence. Each of these sectors, organized from specific elements, directs the participants' actions towards certain types of behavior, observed in order to compose a script in which playing (active leisure) emerges as central in childhood and walking (circulation) as more potent for the older people. The results demonstrated that the dialogue between environmental psychology and the science of human development has been very fruitful and has contributed to the understanding of aspects of the person-environment relationship at different times in the life cycle.(AU)

Los estudios sobre las relaciones mutuas entre las personas y el medio ambiente buscan aportar mejoras en el contexto urbano mediante métodos y técnicas basados en la comprensión del uso de los espacios públicos y privados. La creciente demanda de la promoción de ambientes amigables para las personas mayores y los niños en entornos urbanos guio esta investigación y enumeró dos componentes: el panorama relacionado con la población local y el marco teórico de la Psicología Ambiental. En este contexto, buscamos identificar las principales actividades que realizan los niños y las personas mayores en sus respectivas viviendas. Se evaluaron los principales usos y actividades de estos dos grupos en dos barrios, diferenciándolos según sus especificidades en cuanto a las demandas individuales y ambientales. Las observaciones sistemáticas utilizando la técnica de mapeo conductual centrado en el lugar (MCCL) ocurrieron en la ciudad de Brasília, Distrito Federal (Brasil) y nos permitieron comprender el proceso de apropiación de espacios en la infancia y la vejez y sus repercusiones en la congruencia persona-ambiente. Cada uno de estos sectores, organizados a partir de elementos específicos, orienta las acciones de los participantes hacia determinados comportamientos, observados para componer un guion en el que el juego (ocio activo) emerge como central en la infancia y el caminar (circulación) como el más potente para las personas mayores. Los resultados demuestran que el diálogo entre la Psicología Ambiental y la ciencia del desarrollo humano ha sido muy fructífero y ha contribuido a la comprensión de aspectos de la relación persona-entorno en diferentes momentos del ciclo de vida.(AU)

Evaluación del desarrollo de la asignatura virtual Fisiología II en la especialidad Neurofisiología Clínica / Assessment of developing Physiology II as a virtual subject in the specialty of Clinical Neurophysiology

Introducción: La enseñanza mediante la modalidad virtual se adoptó como medida preventiva ante la propagación de la COVID-19. Para la educación médica cubana ha implicado un reto en cuanto a la reorganización de los programas de estudio. Con este propósito, se rediseño e implementó la asignatura Fisiología II en modalidad virtual, para garantizar la continuidad en la formación de residentes en Neurofisiología Clínica. Objetivo: Evaluar el desarrollo de la asignatura Fisiología II en su modalidad virtual desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes de la especialidad Neurofisiología Clínica. Métodos: Estudio exploratorio, no experimental y transversal. Mediante un cuestionario de preguntas cerradas y una abierta (aspectos positivos y negativos), se evaluó el desarrollo de la asignatura en modalidad virtual en relación con las variables: programa de la asignatura, desempeño de los profesores, escenario de las plataformas y soporte tecnológico. Resultados: La asignatura Fisiología II en modalidad virtual tuvo una alta aceptación por parte de los estudiantes. Los aspectos identificados como positivos fueron los relacionados con la gestión personal del tiempo, y la aplicabilidad y estructura de la asignatura; mientras que los negativos se orientaron hacia problemas de conectividad de internet y el entorno de estudio. Conclusiones: Las exitosas experiencias obtenidas en el desarrollo de la asignatura virtual Fisiología II sientan las bases para el empleo de este tipo de diseño en la especialidad de Neurofisiología Clínica y la posibilidad de extenderlo a otras asignaturas del plan de estudio(AU)

Introduction: Teaching through virtual modality was adopted as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 spread. For Cuban medical education, it has implied a challenge regarding the reorganization of study programs. For this purpose, the subject Physiology II was redesigned and implemented in virtual modality, in order to guarantee continuity in the training of Clinical Neurophysiology residents. Objective: To assess the development of the subject Physiology II in its virtual modality from the perspective of the students of the Clinical Neurophysiology specialty. Methods: Exploratory, nonexperimental and cross-sectional study. Through a questionnaire made up of closed questions and one open question (positive and negative aspects), the development of the subject in virtual modality was assessed in relation to the variables subject syllabus, professors' performance, platform scenario, and technological support. Results: The subject Physiology II in virtual modality had a high acceptance by the students. The aspects identified as positive were those related to individual time management, as well as the subject's applicability and structure; while the negative ones were oriented towards internet connectivity problems and the study environment. Conclusions: The successful experiences obtained in the development of Physiology II as a virtual subject lay the foundations for using this type of design in the specialty of Clinical Neurophysiology and the possibility of extending it to other subjects of the study plan(AU)

Future trends in measuring physiology in free-living animals.

Thus far, ecophysiology research has predominantly been conducted within controlled laboratory-based environments, owing to a mismatch between the recording technologies available for physiological monitoring in wild animals and the suite of behaviours and environments they need to withstand, without unduly affecting subjects. While it is possible to record some physiological variables for free-living animals using animal-attached logging devices, including inertial-measurement, heart-rate and temperature loggers, the field is still in its infancy. In this opinion piece, we review the most important future research directions for advancing the field of 'physiologging' in wild animals, including the technological development that we anticipate will be required, and the fiscal and ethical challenges that must be overcome. Non-invasive, multi-sensor miniature devices are ubiquitous in the world of human health and fitness monitoring, creating invaluable opportunities for animal and human physiologging to drive synergistic advances. We argue that by capitalizing on the research efforts and advancements made in the development of human wearables, it will be possible to design the non-invasive loggers needed by ecophysiologists to collect accurate physiological data from free-ranging animals ethically and with an absolute minimum of impact. In turn, findings have the capacity to foster transformative advances in human health monitoring. Thus, we invite biomedical engineers and researchers to collaborate with the animal-tagging community to drive forward the advancements necessary to realize the full potential of both fields. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part II)'.

Value, Strengths, and Challenges of e-Learning Modules Paired with the Flipped Classroom for Graduate Medical Education: A Survey from the National Neonatology Curriculum.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the value, strengths, and challenges of implementing an e-learning based flipped classroom (FC) educational modality as part of the standardized physiology National Neonatology Curriculum (NNC), created for neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM) fellow learners and faculty educators. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study of NPM fellows and faculty educators who utilized at least one of the e-learning based NNC FC respiratory physiology programs between May and September 2018. Participants were surveyed anonymously regarding their experiences participating in the NNC, including measures of preparation time. A combination of descriptive statistics and proportion comparisons were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Among 172 respondents, the majority of fellow and faculty respondents reported positive attitudes toward the educational content and case discussions, and the majority supported national standardization of NPM physiology education (92%). Fellows reported greater preclass preparation for their FC compared with previous didactic lectures (30-60 vs. 0-15 minutes, p < 0.01). Faculty facilitators reported less preparation time before facilitating a FC compared with the time required for creating a new didactic lecture (median: 60 vs. 240 minutes, p < 0.01). Both fellows and faculty respondents preferred the FC approach to traditional didactics, with fellows showing a greater degree of preference than faculty (68 vs. 52%, respectively, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Fellows and faculty educators supported the FC learning, reporting peer-to-peer learning, and the establishment of a learning community which promotes adult learning and critical thinking skills. A national physiology curriculum creates equitable and engaging educational experiences for all NPM fellows while reducing individual program burden of content creation. Our findings further supported the development of an NNC using a flipped classroom modality.

Student assessment of online tools to foster engagement during the COVID-19 quarantine.

As a result of the installation of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) pandemic, online education has become an important teaching alternative, and new challenges about how to teach were found. Here we report our experience in offering an online course to review Human Physiology. We proposed synchronous and asynchronous activities using different online tools to address topics considered key to understanding the different systems of human physiology. The students considered important the use of this type of methodology, which uses different online tools to help understand the Human Physiology contents. The students highlighted the use of the Lt platform, Zoom, Mentimeter, and YouTube as the preferred online tools to use in physiology learning.

Examining "race" in physiology.

Racial disparities in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health outcomes are well described, and recent research has shed light on the mechanistic underpinnings of those disparities. However, "race" is a social construct that is poorly defined and continually evolving and is historically based on faulty premises. The continued categorization by race in physiological research suggests that there are inherent differences between races, rather than addressing the specific underlying factors that result in health disparities between groups. The purpose of this Perspectives article is to provide a brief history of the genesis of categorization by race, why such categorization should be reconsidered in physiology research, and offer recommendations to more directly investigate the underlying factors that result in group disparities in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health.

Balance assessment in healthy children and adolescents aged 6-18 years based on six tests collected on AMTI AccuSway force platform.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare the results of six balance tests collected on AMTI AccuSway Plus ACS force platform between healthy female and male children and adolescents. We also searched for possible correlation of the balance measures with subjects' age. METHODS: 228 healthy 6- to 18-year-old subjects (111 boys and 117 girls) participated in the study. Six balance tests were performed with the use of AMTI AccuSway Plus ACS platform: quiet standing for 30s, maximal voluntary sways of the body in the sagittal plane (anterior-posterior - AP test) for 30 s, and in the frontal plane (left-right - ML test) for 30s. All tests were performed in two conditions: eyes open and eyes closed. RESULTS: During quiet standing with eyes open, most balance measures were lower in girls ( p < 0.05). In AP and ML tests with eyes open, a few balance parameters were different between boys and girls ( p < 0.05). In quiet standing, AP and ML tests with eyes closed, there were no between-gender differences ( p > 0.05). In quiet standing with eyes open and closed most balance parameters were negatively correlated with age ( p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Quiet standing postural sway characteristics depended on gender under normal visual conditions and it was similar in boys and girls under visual deprivation conditions. The vision was differently used by females and males in balance tasks. Static postural stability improved with age regardless of visual conditions.

Institutional environments and breakthroughs in science. Comparison of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Scientific and/or technical breakthroughs require the exploration of novel ideas and technologies. Yet, it has not been studied quantitatively how national institutional contexts either facilitate or stifle organizational support for exploration. Available qualitative evidence suggests that institutional contexts that exert weak control over universities and research organizations strengthen their capabilities to achieve scientific breakthroughs, while contexts with strong control constrain them. The paper is based on an analysis of the population of Nobel laureates in Physics, Chemistry and Physiology or Medicine. We examine to what extent existing qualitative findings for the biomedical sciences, which are partly based on Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine, can be substantiated both quantitatively and across the three Nobel Prize fields of science. We find that for most of the 20th century and the early 21st century, countries with weak institutional control (United Kingdom, United States) have outperformed those exerting strong control (France, Germany). These results are further corroborated when controlled by population sizes and by GDP per capita. In addition, these results hold not only for the biomedical sciences, but also for Physics and Chemistry. Furthermore, countries with weak institutional control have attracted many future Nobel laureates from countries with strong environments. In this regard, the United States appears to be a particularly attractive setting for conducting innovative research, and thus has been a magnet for young and promising scientists. However, future laureates working in institutional environments exerting weak control are not faster in accomplishing their prize-winning work compared to those laureates working in more restrictive institutional settings.

A simple and reliable method for longitudinal assessment of untethered mosquito induced flight activity.

Aedes aegypti adult females are key vectors of several arboviruses and flight activity plays a central role in mosquito biology and disease transmission. Available methods to quantify mosquito flight usually require special devices and mostly assess spontaneous locomotor activity at individual level. Here, we developed a new method to determine longitudinal untethered adult A. aegypti induced flight activity: the INduced FLight Activity TEst (INFLATE). This method was an adaptation of the "rapid iterative negative geotaxis" assay to assess locomotor activity in Drosophila and explore the spontaneous behavior of mosquitoes to fly following a physical stimulus. Insects were placed on a plastic cage previously divided in four vertical quadrants and flight performance was carried out by tapping cages towards the laboratory bench. After one minute, the number of insects per quadrant was registered by visual inspection and categorized in five different scores. By using INFLATE, we observed that flight performance was not influenced by repeated testing, sex or 5% ethanol intake. However, induced flight activity was strongly affected by aging, blood meal and inhibition of mitochondrial complex I. This simple and rapid method allows the longitudinal assessment of induced flight activity of multiple untethered mosquitoes and may contribute to a better understanding of A. aegypti dispersal biology.

Structured oral examination as an effective assessment tool in lab-based physiology learning sessions.

Traditional oral examination (TOE) is criticized for the shortage of objectivity, standardization, and reliability. These perceived limitations can be mitigated by the introduction of structured oral examination (SOE). There is little evidence of the implementation of SOE in physiology laboratory courses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of SOE in laboratory-based learning sessions. Second-year medical students (n = 114) attended a 16-wk physiology laboratory course. They were initially assessed by TOE in the middle of the academic term. The students' perspectives on this assessment were measured by a modified three-point Likert-type scale questionnaire. Following this, faculty members prepared topics for SOE; nine topics were included from each laboratory course. The correct answers and scoring criteria were discussed among the faculty before the SOE event. One week after the last laboratory course, SOE was carried out for each student. As with the TOE process, student feedback was collected via a modified three-point Likert-type scale questionnaire. The mean laboratory homework score from the first four and last four laboratory courses was also calculated. Paper exams were also conducted after TOE and SOE. The results show that SOE is more acceptable to students than TOE. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in terms of uniformity of questions asked, syllabus coverage, and anxiety levels. In addition, SOE improved students' performance in the laboratory course explored here. We contend that SOE shows promise as an effective assessment tool in laboratory-based physiology learning sessions.

Development of low-cost cardiac and skeletal muscle laboratory activities to teach physiology concepts and the scientific method.

Anatomy and Physiology courses taught at community colleges tend to focus laboratory hours primarily on anatomy as opposed to physiology. However, research demonstrates that, when instructors utilize active learning approaches (such as in laboratory settings) where students participate in their own learning, students have improved outcomes, such as higher test scores and better retention of material. To provide community college students with opportunities for active learning in physiology, we developed two laboratory exercises to engage students in cardiac and skeletal muscle physiology. We utilized low-cost SpikerBox devices to measure electrical activity during cardiac (electrocardiogram) and skeletal muscle (electromyogram) contraction. Laboratory activities were employed in Anatomy and Physiology courses at two community colleges in southeast Michigan. A 2-h laboratory period was structured with a 20-min slide presentation covering background material on the subject and experiments to examine the effects of environmental variables on nervous system control of cardiac and skeletal muscle contraction. Students were asked to provide hypotheses and proposed mechanisms, complete a results section, and provide conclusions for the experiments based on their results. Our laboratory exercises improved student learning in physiology and knowledge of the scientific method and were well-received by community college students enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology. Our results demonstrate that the use of a SpikerBox for cardiac and skeletal muscle physiology concepts is a low-cost and effective approach to integrate physiology activities into an Anatomy and Physiology course.

How about including free-standing, open-ended questions for readiness assessment and application activities in team-based learning, in addition to MCQs?

In conventional team-based learning (TBL), readiness assurance test (RAT) items must be formatted as free-standing multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Even in the application phase of TBL, all teams must work on the same, significant problem and be required to make a specific choice and simultaneously report them to the whole class, which the MCQ format with predetermined answer choices allows. However, the founders of the TBL method rightly emphasize that the intended learning outcomes of a course using TBL underlie the design of the various components of TBL. The main point of this brief essay is to suggest that, if the ability to generate solutions to problems without predetermined answer choices is an intended learning outcome, it is advantageous to include carefully constructed free-standing, open-ended questions (OEQ) for both RAT and application activities in courses using TBL as the primary instructional method, in addition to the use of MCQs. Free-standing OEQs are OEQs not linked to an MCQ used for RAT or application activities. How this might be incorporated in what one may envision as TBL is discussed.