The goal of this project is to change physiology teaching methods not only at SUNY College at Oneonta but also at institutions to which these methods will be disseminated. A new instructional strategy emphasizing an active-learning approach and requiring students to engage in the practice of science is being utilized. This strategy promotes learning through hypothesis testing and involves the use of new technology combined with methods of instruction shown to enhance understanding of fundamental physiological principles. This project involves student use of physiological instrumentation in experiments that test hypotheses derived from highly focused case studies, each of which emphasizes a fundamental physiological concept.
This project's intellectual merit lies in encouraging the adoption of active-learning pedagogies as well as skirting limitations of large class sizes and limited instructional resources. An expected major outcome is a new conceptual framework for teaching physiology with a set of specific instructional modules that are aligned with the case-study approach. This conceptual framework includes presentation of case studies, deep questioning and instructor intervention, hypothesis testing, and critical analysis/instructor intervention.
The broader impacts of this project are being realized in several ways. First, a website is being constructed to disseminate resources and to create a learning community dedicated to using and promoting this new paradigm in physiology instruction. The case studies, videos of the experiments, and data resulting from the experiments are also being made available to other institutions through this website. Instructors having appropriate resources can utilize this case study approach and replicate the experiments and compare their results; instructors that lack the necessary instructional resources can also utilize this approach using the website to access virtual exercises and data. Additional broader impacts are being realized via preparing scientifically-literate students who are admitted to post-graduate training or direct entry into critical STEM-related careers.
