Advances in Physiology Education最新文献

{"title":"Virtual reality for oral health education in a community-based after-school outreach program.","authors":"Jennifer Nguyen, Leonardo Almonor, Daniela Terson de Paleville","doi":"10.1152/advan.00233.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00233.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of virtual reality (VR) in health education is gaining attention; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness in oral health education remains limited. This pilot study involved 13 adolescents (ages 11-14 yr) identified as school-aged English learners and emergent bilingual students enrolled in a nonprofit, community-based after-school academic enrichment program serving racetrack worker families. Participants engaged in two VR animations: one depicting being inside the mouth and fighting bacteria and another on the anatomy of teeth. Additionally, a presentation that emphasized the importance of oral health in overall health was given, along with a demonstration of proper brushing and flossing techniques using dental models. Presurvey results show that this group already has very good oral hygiene habits, with 85% of the respondents reporting that they brushed their teeth twice daily, primarily under the guidance of their parents (84%). After the VR activity, participants rated the experience on a 1-6 Likert scale, with 69% reporting being \"highly satisfied\" and 31% \"satisfied.\" Similarly, students reported they \"learned a lot\" (31%), \"a moderate amount\" (38%), and \"quite a bit\" (15%), and most of the students rated oral health as \"very important\" for overall health (69%). These encouraging findings suggest that VR could be used as an engaging tool for oral hygiene education.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging tool in health education, though its use in oral health outreach remains limited. This pilot study involved 13 adolescents (average age = 12.3 yr), identified as school-aged English learners and emergent bilingual students, enrolled in a nonprofit community-based after-school program serving racetrack worker families. Participants completed a bilingual (English and Spanish) oral health program using VR, demonstrations, and interactive activities. Findings suggest VR may enhance engagement and oral health learning.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"845-850"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148279874","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":"Scaffolding problem-based learning in postgraduate immunology: a pyramidal mind-mapping approach to teaching complex immune mechanisms in COVID-19.","authors":"Visula Abeysuriya, Sachintha N Alwis, Vasitha Abeysuriya","doi":"10.1152/advan.00021.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00021.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Problem-based learning (PBL) is an effective strategy for developing higher-order cognitive skills in biomedical education; however, structured exposure is often introduced late in postgraduate immunology curricula, leaving students insufficiently prepared for complex, independent learning tasks. Teaching immunity to COVID-19 presents additional challenges due to the need to integrate innate, adaptive, and cytokine-mediated immune pathways. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the effect of a pyramidal PBL intervention using structured mind mapping on academic performance, conceptual organization, and learner engagement among postgraduate immunology students. The intervention group (<i>n</i> = 18) replaced a scheduled didactic lecture with an intergroup pyramidal PBL activity involving domain-specific mind mapping, iterative peer and facilitator feedback, and whole class synthesis, while a comparable control cohort (<i>n</i> = 20) received conventional lecture-based instruction. Knowledge retention was assessed using a delayed summative examination administered 2 wk postintervention, and student perceptions were measured using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire. The intervention group achieved significantly higher examination scores than controls (means ± SD: 73.5 ± 4.4 vs. 66.2 ± 6.5), with a mean difference of 7.3 percentage points [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.8-10.7; <i>P</i> < 0.001] and a large effect size (Cohen's <i>d</i> = 1.30). Questionnaire findings demonstrated high acceptability and perceived effectiveness, with most participants reporting improved conceptual understanding, communication skills, and engagement with complex immunological content. These findings indicate that pyramidal mind-mapping-based PBL produces educationally meaningful improvements in learning outcomes and supports earlier scaffolding of problem-based learning within postgraduate immunology curricula.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study introduces a pyramidal problem-based learning (PBL) model combined with structured mind mapping for postgraduate immunology, applied for the first time to teaching complex COVID-19 immunity. Early scaffolding of PBL significantly enhanced students' conceptual organization, engagement, and examination performance, with a large measurable effect. These findings provide the first evidence that this interactive, structured approach can accelerate mastery of challenging biomedical content in postgraduate curricula.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"855-862"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148320533","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 missing chapter of physiology: the importance of teaching the physiology of dying.","authors":"Predrag Vujovic","doi":"10.1152/advan.00078.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00078.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Physiology education rarely addresses the biological processes that occur at the end of life. This article proposes that teaching the physiology of dying provides a powerful integrative framework for reinforcing core physiological concepts such as homeostasis, energy use, and systems integration. Using interactive teaching and pattern recognition-based learning in an undergraduate physiology course, we demonstrate how the physiology of dying can help students consolidate conceptual understanding while completing the physiological narrative of the human lifespan.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"880-887"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148279822","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":"A storytelling approach to type 1 diabetes mellitus community health education to promote early recognition in underserved populations.","authors":"Kaleigh Baisden, Kaley Deese, Nour Abodabba, Mohamed Algazali, Richard Martin, Zoey Adams, Amie J Dirks-Naylor","doi":"10.1152/advan.00110.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00110.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has increased worldwide over recent decades. Early disease recognition reduces the occurrence of complications. This study aimed to determine if a community health education intervention utilizing a storytelling teaching method could increase knowledge and awareness regarding T1DM among underserved communities to promote early recognition. Six pharmacy students delivered educational sessions at various venues using standardized materials, including pamphlets, poster boards, and a narrative case titled \"Recognizing the Signs: Bella's Story.\" The story illustrated the progression of unrecognized T1DM leading to complications, and discussions about common symptoms, risk factors, and management. Pre- and postsurveys assessed knowledge and perceived awareness and confidence. A paired <i>t</i> test was used to determine statistical differences. A total of 124 individuals attended the sessions, with 100 completing both surveys. Mean knowledge scores were 54.41% ± 24.19 vs. 87.47% ± 16.32, pre- vs. postsurvey, respectively, with improvements observed across all knowledge-based questions. Participants demonstrated substantial gains in self-reported awareness of symptoms and confidence in recognizing warning signs. Approximately 90% of participants indicated that the storytelling method was effective, and 87% reported learning new information. These findings suggest that storytelling-based community education is an effective strategy to enhance knowledge and awareness of T1DM and may support earlier recognition and prevention of severe complications in underserved populations.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study addresses a critical gap in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) education by focusing on early symptom recognition rather than disease management after diagnosis. Using a storytelling-based community intervention, we demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge, awareness, and confidence among adults in underserved populations. Notably, no prior studies have evaluated storytelling to promote earlier identification of T1DM. These findings highlight an innovative, scalable approach to reduce delayed diagnosis and prevent life-threatening complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"982-988"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148580957","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":"Using \"you\" as a subject in biology assessment questions: examining student preferences for second-person framing.","authors":"Noelle Clark, Kate M Hill, Jeremy L Hsu","doi":"10.1152/advan.00183.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00183.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In college biology courses, exams and quizzes are often used to assess students' knowledge and performance. Since assessments are a crucial part of biology classes, there has been a wide range of work examining how assessment questions are written, revealing that small changes in how such questions are worded may have large impacts on students' reading comprehension and performance. One aspect that instructors consider when writing a question is subject framing, i.e., which individual, if any, is being placed as the focal point of the question. In this study, we focus on the following subject framings, an authentic scientist, a classmate name, or the second-person \"you,\" referring to the reader. Past work suggests variable subject framing can impact students' preferences, perceptions, and how well they can see themselves in the questions. In this study, we utilize semistructured interviews with 11 students from an introductory molecular biology class to elucidate why students prefer a certain subject framing over another and how variable subject framing can impact students' ability to relate to and visualize the question. Our results suggest that the second person is preferred because it is the most straightforward and easy to understand and that many students do not prefer when a scientist's name and date of the study are included in the question potentially due to multiple cognitive and affective factors.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Small changes in how biology assessment questions are worded, such as who is placed in the subject, may greatly impact how students relate to and visualize the subject or subject matter. In this study, we focus on students' preferences for the following subject framings: an authentic scientist, a classmate name, or the second-person \"you.\" Our results suggest that students prefer the second-person framing because it is straightforward and easy to understand.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"989-1003"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148430928","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":"Who will teach physiology? The growing shortage of physiology generalists.","authors":"Erica A Wehrwein","doi":"10.1152/advan.00321.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00321.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Physiology is foundational to medicine, yet the workforce of broadly trained physiology generalists is shrinking. As funding priorities favor molecular specialization, fewer graduate programs provide rigorous systems-level training for future educators. The result is a growing national shortage of qualified instructors across colleges, universities, and medical schools-paralleling earlier contractions in anatomy education. This editorial calls for coordinated action to rebuild integrative physiology training pathways and restore balance between discovery and education, safeguarding health professions training and public trust.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"361-362"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146202934","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":"Nonhuman questions are underutilized tools in assessing higher-order cognitive skills in human physiology.","authors":"Usha Sankar, Erik P Silldorff, Crystal Uminski, Gregory J Crowther","doi":"10.1152/advan.00110.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00110.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since most physiology core concepts are equally applicable to humans and other multicellular organisms, human physiology instructors may reasonably wonder whether consistent use of nonhuman assessment questions would enhance students' understanding of human biology, perhaps by offering novel contexts that demand application of human physiology concepts. In this study, we explore this by comparing two types of assessments: test banks from human physiology textbooks and vetted assessments prioritizing physiology core concept knowledge. We checked for nonhuman questions and further categorized each nonhuman example as having No Analogy or Perfect Analogy or Uncertain Analogy to humans, with the latter having potential for assessment of higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS). We found that of nearly 14,000 test bank questions from 6 different human physiology textbooks, only 53 concerned nonhumans, and only 6 of those were judged to be Uncertain Analogy. Practice Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) exams and physiology concept inventories included nonhuman questions at rates ranging from 11% to 80%. We further classified the nonhuman questions (<i>n</i> = 164) from all sources as assessing lower-order cognitive skills (LOCS) or HOCS and found that on average the Uncertain Analogy bin (<i>n</i> = 67) had the highest average percentage of HOCS questions at 61.6%. Our data suggest a mismatch between the potentially high value of nonhuman questions for HOCS development and their rarity in test banks, and we recommend greater inclusion of nonhuman questions in test banks. For instructors interested in using nonhuman examples in assessments, Test Question Templates (TQTs), which help generate questions based on lesson learning objectives, may be useful.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study analyzed human physiology textbook test banks and vetted physiology assessments for nonhuman questions that might challenge students to apply human physiology concepts in novel scenarios. We found that test banks had a far lower proportion of nonhuman questions compared with Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) practice tests and physiology concept inventories. We recommend nonhuman questions in human physiology assessments to enhance higher-order cognition about physiology core concepts and recommend using TQTs to generate such novel questions.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"545-554"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147582757","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":"Exploring physiology's past to inspire learning: an engaging undergraduate experience at the University of La Réunion.","authors":"M Faadiel Essop, Emmanuel Bourdon","doi":"10.1152/advan.00255.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00255.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>First-year university students studying medicine and health sciences must acquire and assimilate significant amounts of physiological knowledge, which can result in tedious, passive rote learning. To address such notions and enhance student engagement and interest, we included examples and highlighted luminaries involved in major research and advances in endocrinology within the endocrinology component of a compulsory pathophysiology course in a medical and health sciences program [University of La Réunion (France)]. This intervention focused on the historical discovery of key hormones (secretin and incretins), spanning the discovery of secretin during the early twentieth century up to the role of incretins nearly a century later. Here, we included physiologist Ernest Henry Starling's experimental setup that led to the discovery of secretin, as well as original figures from his article. Moreover, we discussed the various research stages from the discovery of secretin to incretins by including examples of eminent scientists who contributed to these major advances. Students were required to complete preclass readings that included historical elements and completed online questionnaires before attending endocrinology lectures. They could also pose questions on a dedicated online forum. The formal lectures provided an opportunity to further discuss questions posed on the online forum, to provide feedback on incorrectly answered questions, and to address questions posed by students present in classes. Our educational intervention was well received by the students as it contributed to the development of their general scientific literacy and enhanced their understanding of potential career pathways in health-related science and research.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> First-year university students must acquire a large amount of information and concepts about the principles of physiology and may find themselves unaware of the underlying discoveries and scholarship that contributed to such knowledge. We recently included historical elements in our classes for first-year medical and health physiology students by highlighting examples of experiments and the contributions of luminaries involved in major research and advances in endocrinology.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"490-497"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147582529","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":"Mutual gains: nonpresenting undergraduate attendance at regional scientific meetings benefits students and scientific societies.","authors":"Alex M Champagne, Sabrina E Dunning, Maryam H Mahmoud, Elissa T Fisher, Sara N Shah, Heidi E Walsh","doi":"10.1152/advan.00213.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00213.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Participation in scientific meetings confers many benefits to undergraduate students and promotes their success and retention in science. However, the cost and time required to attend a scientific meeting is often prohibitive for students, and university funding is often restricted to students presenting research. Small regional scientific meetings offer an opportunity to promote nonpresenting undergraduate attendance because of their reduced registration fees and travel time, but the benefits of attending regional scientific meetings have not been extensively studied. We recruited 45 nonpresenting undergraduate students to attend the annual meeting of the Indiana Physiological Society and provided students with pre- and postmeeting surveys measuring self-perceptions of their professional abilities, sense of belonging in science, confidence in their degree program and career pathway, and reflections on the conference experience. Additionally, because nonpresenting undergraduates made up nearly half of all meeting attendees, we surveyed other meeting attendees to assess the impact of these students on the meeting environment. After attending the meeting, students reported increased confidence talking to other scientists and presenting future research, a greater sense of belonging within the scientific community, more interest in pursuing research after graduation, and increased enthusiasm to attend future meetings. Other meeting attendees felt that the nonpresenting undergraduates had a positive impact on the meeting and enhanced the environment for student presenters. Our results suggest that the attendance of nonpresenting undergraduates at small regional scientific meetings provides mutual benefits to students, universities, and regional scientific societies.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Small regional scientific meetings confer many of the same benefits to nonpresenting undergraduates as large national meetings and regional societies can mutually benefit from the attendance of large numbers of nonpresenting undergraduates.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"352-360"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146144352","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 11th IUPS Workshop for Physiology Education: \"Towards a new global horizon in the teaching of Physiology,\" Löwenstein, Germany, September 14-16, 2025.","authors":"Dee U Silverthorn, Robert G Carroll, Fernanda Klein Marcondes, Rudolf Schubert, Muhammad Irfannuddin, Trevor T Nyakudya, Katrin Schröder, Etain A Tansey","doi":"10.1152/advan.00300.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00300.2025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"335-337"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146094839","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}