Advances in Physiology Education最新文献

{"title":"Old habits die hard? How to challenge students and professors to rethink the teaching and learning processes in biophysics using escape room-based games.","authors":"Thaís Busatto Crestani, Mariana Tamborindeguy, Fernanda Bordignon Nunes, Maria Beatriz Fonte Kohek, Gisele Branchini","doi":"10.1152/advan.00260.2023","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00260.2023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>One primary challenge in basic health program courses like biophysics is engaging students who struggle to connect initial concepts with future professional practice, leading to a lack of commitment to learning biophysics. Many classes also fail to develop skills and abilities essential for healthcare professionals, such as teamwork, communication, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and delegation. Educational games can be used to encourage students' commitment to knowledge construction and test their mental models to foster an active learning environment. An educational game based on the worldwide popular \"escape room\" model was developed, wherein teams collaborate to uncover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks within a set timeframe to achieve a specific goal: escape the room by discovering a password related to biophysics themes. To work on biophysics topics, such as acid-base balance, bioelectrogenesis, fluid compartments (composition and osmolarity), fluid dynamics, and membrane transport, the scenario was designed with elements relevant to daily professional practice, such as laboratory equipment, reagent flasks, stethoscopes, and saline solutions. Students participated in groups, answering class-related questions, and solving puzzles and riddles to \"escape\" the room. The assessment of student performance involved observing their discussions and knowledge construction during the activity. At the activity's conclusion, students completed a satisfaction survey, providing feedback to refine future editions. The utilization of the escape room format provided an immersive and enjoyable learning experience, enhancing student motivation and participation. Thus, we demonstrate that old habits of teaching and learning, as expository classes, are not so hard to break.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Biophysics classes provide essential knowledge to understand physiology and pathology, which are central to many clinical conditions. However, the basic sciences seem far from relevant to students' future practice, and they may struggle to see their relevance. To increase student engagement, we applied strategies based on escape room activities to bring biophysics closer to situations that professionals will encounter in their clinical practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"817-823"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621103","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":"Bibliometric guides to early physical exercise, education, and rehabilitation research on girls and women.","authors":"James L Nuzzo","doi":"10.1152/advan.00196.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00196.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Today, the historical representation of women as participants in exercise science research is frequently discussed. Often omitted from these discussions is women's participation in early research in fields that are historically linked to exercise science such as physical education and physical therapy. Much interest in women's health was expressed in papers published in these other fields, thus omission of this content from contemporary discussions about women's research representation gives an impression that early researchers, many of whom were female physical educators and therapists, were disinterested in women's health, including the menstrual cycle. To address this impression and expand historical knowledge, I created two bibliometric lists of relevant historical content published in physical exercise, education, and rehabilitation (PEER) journals before 1980. The first list is comprised of 95 papers that included 306 photographs of girls and women participating in PEER research between 1907 and 1979. These papers were discovered via searches of personal files and the complete digital archives of <i>Journal of Applied Physiology</i> (1948-1979), <i>Medicine and Science in Sports</i> (1969-1979), and <i>Research Quarterly</i> (1930-1979). Photographs often showed girls and women being assessed on muscle strength, motor skill learning, body composition, and posture. The second list is comprised of 77 papers (1876-1979) that included data or commentary on the menstrual cycle or menstrual symptoms (e.g., dysmenorrhea) within PEER contexts. Brief descriptions of the papers and photographs are presented. Educators and researchers can use these bibliometric lists to enrich future lectures and writings regarding the history of women's early participation in PEER research.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> I created one bibliometric list of 95 journal papers that included photographs of girls and women participating in early physical exercise, education, and rehabilitation (PEER) research and another bibliometric list of 77 early PEER papers that contained data or commentary on the menstrual cycle or menstrual symptoms within PEER contexts. Educators and researchers can use these papers to enrich future lectures and writings regarding the history of women's early participation in PEER research.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"668-679"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144094198","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":"Teaching renal physiology through a flipped classroom: integrating active learning and clinical context in an organ system-based curriculum.","authors":"Cesar Barrabi, Hayley Derricott","doi":"10.1152/advan.00086.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00086.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"812-816"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144610255","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":"Active learning to improve numeracy skills and confidence using quizzes in first-year biomedical science undergraduates.","authors":"Stephen M Fitzjohn, Alice M Semenenko, Frances M MacMillan","doi":"10.1152/advan.00199.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00199.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"680-685"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144136339","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":"Mindset matters: exploring the link between mindsets, learning intentions, and performance in biomedical science students.","authors":"Angus Linklater-Steele, Kay Colthorpe, Louise Ainscough","doi":"10.1152/advan.00012.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00012.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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 (<i>n</i>_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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"780-788"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144295304","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":"Building connections: promoting meaningful learning of the human circulatory system through leading questions.","authors":"Vimolsri Ittikitpaisarn, Karnyupha Jittivadhna","doi":"10.1152/advan.00053.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00053.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"749-757"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144286962","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 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":"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":"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":"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}