Advances in Physiology Education最新文献

{"title":"Virtual escape rooms in anatomy education: case studies from two institutions.","authors":"Aaron W Beger, Sarah Hannan, Riya Patel, Eva M Sweeney","doi":"10.1152/advan.00248.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00248.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"621-632"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143774843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From virtual to reality: evaluating student attitudes through VR dissection preparations: a use case.","authors":"Sarah Shine, Julia Warznie, Guoli Zhou, John Zubek","doi":"10.1152/advan.00170.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00170.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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 (<i>P</i> = 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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"611-620"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144057527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Educators' experience and guide to scaffolding generative AI applications throughout a physiology and pharmacology undergraduate laboratory course.","authors":"Christine E Bell, Oana Birceanu","doi":"10.1152/advan.00130.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00130.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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!</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"721-728"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144065188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From compliance to moduli: clarifying basic mechanical properties of biological tissues.","authors":"Nora Laban, Radwa Dawood, Serena Y Kuang","doi":"10.1152/advan.00032.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00032.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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: <i>1</i>) inconsistent interpretations of mathematically defined terms, <i>2</i>) a gap between physiologic and material science terminology, and <i>3</i>) 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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"651-658"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The graduate school playbook: comparisons to preparing for a professional football career.","authors":"Marcus T A Jackson, Merry L Lindsey, Pamela M Martin","doi":"10.1152/advan.00078.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00078.2025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"774-779"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12254917/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144235851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mentor.","authors":"Andrea Manca, Franca Deriu","doi":"10.1152/advan.00103.2025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00103.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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 <i>Odyssey</i>). 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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":"49 3","pages":"798-800"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144715167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Implementing core concept teaching in an integrated, clinical presentation model medical school curriculum.","authors":"Mary M Pelkowski, Xiaojun Qi-Lytle, Gabi N Waite","doi":"10.1152/advan.00189.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00189.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The evolving designs of medical school curricula, coupled with the inherently difficult nature of physiology, can create unique challenges and opportunities for physiology educators as they strive to help students acquire the knowledge and understanding needed to become excellent physicians. Core concept teaching and its potential benefits have been well described. The use of core concepts can help to right size content for students, allowing them to build a framework of knowledge and then transfer their understanding to new contexts as they are encountered. However, the implementation of core concept teaching within undergraduate medical education is less thoroughly described. Some unique aspects of teaching basic sciences in medical education may include integrated curricula where many disciplines are presented simultaneously, models that depart from the sequence of topics as they would traditionally be presented in a physiology course, and team teaching. We chose to implement core concept teaching in the preclerkship physiology curriculum at our institution to better facilitate students' conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and ability to transfer their knowledge. In doing so, we have highlighted our approaches to navigating some of the aforementioned challenges that physiology educators may face as they adapt core concept teaching to medical school curricula.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> We present a process for implementing physiology core concept teaching in an integrated, team-taught medical school curriculum, which combines a clinical presentation model with flipped classroom pedagogy.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"659-666"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144129384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing auditory physiology: simulating unilateral conduction defects to improve understanding of Rinne's and Weber's tests.","authors":"Raju Suresh Kumar, M Ganesh Kamath, Rekha Prabhu, Mohamed Eldigire Ahmed","doi":"10.1152/advan.00058.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00058.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tuning fork tests, particularly the Rinne and Weber tests, are fundamental in assessing hearing loss. However, medical students often struggle with key auditory physiology concepts, such as the auditory masking effect and sound lateralization. This study evaluated a simulation-based teaching method to enhance first-year medical students' understanding of these concepts. A prospective educational intervention was conducted with 123 first-year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students using a pretest and posttest design with a validated questionnaire. During laboratory sessions, students performed tuning fork tests on peers while instructors demonstrated a novel method to simulate unilateral conductive deafness by closing the external auditory meatus with a finger. Students replicated this method before completing posttest evaluations. Pretest data showed that 66.66% of students were uncertain or disagreed with their understanding of the auditory masking effect, and 60.16% were unsure about sound lateralization. Posttest results demonstrated significant improvement: 79.67% strongly agreed they understood the auditory masking effect, and 91.05% strongly agreed they comprehended sound lateralization (<i>P</i> < 0.001). Additionally, student engagement increased, with 96.74% reporting they enjoyed the session compared to 26.01% before the intervention. This study demonstrates that a simple, reproducible simulation-based approach enhances medical students' understanding of auditory physiology concepts. By actively experiencing a simulated unilateral conduction defect, students gain deeper conceptual insight and greater confidence in performing tuning fork tests. This innovative method holds promise for broader adoption in medical education.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study introduces a novel, hands-on simulation to teach auditory physiology concepts. Students gain direct experiential learning by simulating unilateral conductive hearing loss, significantly improving their understanding of auditory masking and sound lateralization. The method is simple, cost-effective, and highly engaging, with strong potential for integration into medical curricula to enhance conceptual learning and clinical skills.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"689-695"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144152830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use of online resources to study physiology by preclinical medical students: an experience from a developing country.","authors":"U K Egodage, C Wijewickrama, S Gunawardana, A Basnayaka, B Dissanayake","doi":"10.1152/advan.00061.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00061.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There are concerns from physiology specialists in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna on the possible wide usage of easily accessible but potentially unreliable online materials to study. The full picture is not clear as this area was underexplored. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using an online, self-administered questionnaire that was designed specifically for this study and has not been previously validated to evaluate the prevalence, types, and practices of online resource usage to study physiology. All second-year medical students who had recently completed the second Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) examination in 2024 were recruited. Out of 185 students who responded, 77.8% used recommended textbooks as the preferred choice to study physiology. On the other hand, 100% reported use of online resources. Most students (<i>n</i> = 171) used smartphones for internet access. ChatGPT was the preferred online tool for 71.9% (<i>n</i> = 133), while 76.2% (<i>n</i> = 141) used YouTube to watch online video clips to understand physiology concepts. Notably, 54.05% (<i>n</i> = 100) used YouTube videos at random, while 16.7% used Ninja Nerd and 16.2% used Khan Academy. A total of 52% (<i>n</i> = 96) utilized video materials on most days while 81% of students first searched online for answers before consulting their lecturers. Most students (76.6%) mentioned that videos are easy to understand. Over half (54.57%) strongly agreed or agreed with \"fact-checking\" using recommended textbooks, articles, or lecture materials provided by the Physiology Department. Most students preferred online resources like ChatGPT and YouTube for learning physiology, showing a shift toward digital tools. Although many students fact-check content, clear guidance on selecting reliable online materials is necessary, given their widespread usage.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study reveals that while most second-year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna still use recommended textbooks, almost all of them rely on online resources like ChatGPT and YouTube for studying physiology. Although many students who use online resources fact-check the content, clear guidance on selecting reliable materials is necessary due to their widespread use.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"742-748"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144235859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of case-based teaching of physiology via flipped classroom method on performance of undergraduate medical students.","authors":"Farrukh Majeed, Ambreen Usmani","doi":"10.1152/advan.00161.2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00161.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Preclinical education has traditionally focused on didactic lectures, often overlooking student engagement and clinical correlations. To address this issue, active learning methods have been introduced, though their adoption is still in its early stages. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of incorporating case-based teaching with flipped classroom methods and compare it to interactive lectures in undergraduate physiology education. A quasi-experimental study was conducted at XYZ Medical College from June to October 2023. A sample of 94 first-year medical students was divided into two groups: one with case-based teaching using the flipped classroom approach and the other with interactive lectures, each containing an equal number of high, average, and low achievers. The flipped classroom group engaged with pre-class reading materials and in-class discussions using the jigsaw method, while the other group participated in interactive lectures. Each group completed three sessions. Pretests and posttests were administered, and a modified \"Student Course Evaluation Questionnaire\" was used to collect student feedback. Posttest scores significantly improved in both groups, with the flipped classroom group showing better performance in sessions one [F(1,91) = 5.343, <i>p</i> = 0.023] and three [F(1,91) = 5.322, <i>p</i> = 0.023], regardless of gender. This group also reported greater satisfaction with workload, course organization, learning resources, and teaching methods (p<0.05, d=0.5-1).Integrating the flipped classroom with case-based teaching in preclinical education can significantly enhance students' active learning. This research offers valuable insights for curriculum development and instructional practices in medical education.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144735080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}