The investigators address three major national needs for non- majors courses oriented to physiology and anatomy: 1) well designed modules to serve classes based on investigative laboratories, 2) a means to decrease reliance on experimental use of vertebrates, and 3) a means to decrease the cost of laboratory equipment so all students can have some hands-on experience. The proposal requests funds to design and implement a set of microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) that will: 1) allow measurement of basic physiologic processes, 2) facilitate direct interface of the data with microcomputers, and 3) enable students to easily record, graph and present results. The MBL modules will cover 3 basic systems; sensory (how to measure skin temperature, response time and heat flux), effector (how to measure reflex arcs, performance and rates of fatigue) and cardiopulmonary (measure heart and respiration rate). The expected outcomes are: 1) an investigative laboratory based second semester non-majors biology course, and 2) a text describing how to build similar inexpensive equipment so that the MBL can be implemented at other institutions.
