Advances in Physiology Education, Vol 260, Issue 6 32-S33, Copyright © 1991 by American Physiological Society
The physiology teacher, a facilitator of learning at all levels
T. K. Akers
Department of Physiology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks 58202.
Academic physiologists in universities have three jobs: teaching, research,
and service. They also operate at many levels of education: undergraduate,
graduate, and medical. Each level carries special problems and special
rewards. It is argued in this paper that teachers should be facilitators in
learning no matter what level or what aspect of the job. If physiologists
behave as facilitators of learning at all levels, then they will be able to
help undergraduates by the most appropriate choice of textbooks and
handbooks; to develop case histories, scenarios, and summaries; and to show
students how physiology got to where it is, developing in the students a
healthy concept of skepticism. This can be expanded when the students are
graduate students and the teacher acts as an advisor and is still
facilitating the students' learning.
