Practical application of fundamental concepts in exercise physiology

Abstract

The collection of primary data in laboratory classes enhances undergraduate practical and critical thinking skills. The present article describes the use of a lecture program, running in parallel with a series of linked practical classes, that emphasizes classical or standard concepts in exercise physiology. The academic and practical program ran under the title of a particular year II module named Sports Performance: Physiology and Assessment, and results are presented over a 3-yr period (2004-2006), based on an undergraduate population of 31 men and 34 women. The module compared laboratory-based indexes of endurance (e.g., ventilatory threshold and exercise economy) and high-intensity exercise (e.g., anaerobic power), respectively, with measures of human performance (based on 20-m shuttle run tests). The specific experimental protocols reinforced the lecture content to improve student understanding of the physiological and metabolic responses (and later adaptations) to exercise. In the present study, the strongest relationship with endurance performance was the treadmill velocity at maximal aerobic power (r = +0.88, P < 0.01, n = 51); in contrast, the strongest relationship with high-intensity exercise performance was the mean power output (in W/kg) measured during a 30-s all-out cycle ergometer sprint (r = +0.80, P < 0.01, n = 48). In class student data analysis improved undergraduate indepth or critical thinking during seminars and enhanced computer and data presentation skills. The endurance-based laboratories are particularly useful for examining the underlying scientific principles that determine aerobic performance but could equally well be adapted to investigate other topics, e.g., differences in the exercise response between men and women.

Fisiologia do Exercício para alunos de graduação: uso de estratégias de ensino baseadas na metodologia dialética

“…No estudo de RAMSBOTTOM et al 3 foram utilizadas duas estratégias de ensinagem semelhantes a duas das utilizadas no presente estudo (estudo de texto científico e aula prática) na disciplina de Fisiologia do Exercício da Universidade de Oxford Brookes (Oxford, UK) ao longo de três anos consecutivos. Os alunos reproduziram protocolos clássicos da literatura para mensurar a capacidade e/ou potência aeróbia e anaeróbia uns nos outros.…”

“…consumo máximo de oxigênio) e o desempenho em testes físicos. Os autores reforçam que o fato de coletar, analisar e interpretar esses dados fez com que os alunos se apropriassem melhor dos conceitos abordados previamente na disciplina 3 . Como podemos observar, essas estratégias foram utilizadas em um momento da disciplina em que a construção (análise) e…”

“…Embora esse modelo de ensino ainda vigore na maioria dos cursos de graduação e tenha sido vivenciado pela grande maioria dos docentes que hoje atuam no ensino superior, o mesmo parece não ser o mais efetivo para o processo ensino-aprendizagem. Em contraste, o uso de estratégias pedagógicas que tratem a ação de ensinar em sua abrangência, que vai desde a intencional de ensinar do professor até a de apreensão e apropriação do conhecimento por parte dos alunos, tem sido utilizadas para a efetivação do ensino [1][2][3] . O termo "ensinagem" propõe uma situação de ensino na qual o professor considera em suas estratégias…”

10 Ways to Improve Instructor Effectiveness in an Undergraduate Exercise Physiology Course

“…T he research on strategies to improve instructor effectiveness in exercise physiology is not exhaustive, but there have been some useful findings related to determining the best methods to bridge the theory-practice gap (Bulger & Housner, 2007;Bulger, Mohr, Carson, Robert, & Wiegland, 2000), addressing the most common misconceptions (Morton, Doran, & MacLaren, 2008), and applying fundamental concepts in a practical manner (Ramsbottom, Kinch, Morris, & Dennis, 2007). As a result of limited resources for exercise physiology instructors, many could use additional teaching principles to improve the overall quality of an undergraduate course, whether it be for in an Undergraduate Exercise Physiology Course an exercise science major or another major that may require this course.…”

Exercise- and hypoxia-induced anaerobic metabolism and recovery: a student laboratory exercise using teleost fish

“…Most published laboratory experiments aimed at investigating this physiological process are either designed to use human subjects (17) or are limited to the effects of exercise with little, if any, discussion of the effects of hypoxia exposure (4,11). Although the use of human subjects and the focus on the effects of exercise is preferred and justified under some pedagogical contexts (e.g., courses specifically dedicated to human exercise physiology), courses designed to cover a broader range of organisms and environmental stresses can benefit from having students perform experiments investigating the effects of hypoxia (in addition or as an alternative to exercise) on anaerobic metabolism and recovery in nonmammalian vertebrates or invertebrates.…”