Voluntary participation in an active learning exercise leads to a better understanding of physiology

Abstract

Students learn best when they are focused and thinking about the subject at hand. To teach physiology, we must offer opportunities for students to actively participate in class. This approach aids in focusing their attention on the topic and thus generating genuine interest in the mechanisms involved. This study was conducted to determine if offering voluntary active learning exercises would improve student understanding and application of the material covered. To compare performance, an anonymous cardiorespiratory evaluation was distributed to two groups of students during the fall (control, n = 168) and spring (treatment, n = 176) semesters. Students in both groups were taught by traditional methods, and students in the treatment group had the option to voluntary participate in two additional active learning exercises: 1) a small group discussion, where students would discuss a physiology topic with their Teaching Assistant before running BIOPAC software for the laboratory exercise and 2) a free response question, where students anonymously responded to one short essay question after the laboratory exercise. In these formative assessments, students received feedback about their present state of learning from the discussion with their peers and also from the instructor comments regarding perceived misconceptions. As a result of the participation in these activities, students in the treatment group had a better overall performance [χ(2) (degree of freedom = 1) = 31.2, P < 0.001] on the evaluation (treatment group: 62% of responses correct and control group: 49%) with an observed difference of 13% (95% confidence interval: 8, 17). In conclusion, this study presents sufficient evidence that when the opportunity presents itself, students become active participants in the learning process, which translates into an improvement in their understanding and application of physiological concepts.

A comparison of professional-level faculty and student perceptions of active learning: its current use, effectiveness, and barriers

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Can medical students teach? A near-peer-led teaching program for year 1 students

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Use of Dramatization to Teach Cardiac Cycle Physiology to Medical Students

“…In many institutions the traditional lecture continues to be the most used method, despite evidence showing that students who are taught primarily by traditional lecture have higher failure rates in science, engineering, and mathematics (Freeman et al, 2014). When provided with the opportunity to engage in active learning exercises, students assume responsibility for the material to be learned and are more likely to be able to apply that knowledge (Carvalho & West, 2011).…”