Advances in Physiology Education, Vol 267, Issue 6 95-104, Copyright © 1994 by American Physiological Society
Comparison of a computer simulation program and a traditional laboratory practical class for teaching the principles of intestinal absorption
D. G. Dewhurst, J. Hardcastle, P. T. Hardcastle and E. Stuart
Faculty of Health and Social Care, Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom.
Here we describe an evaluation of the effectiveness, compared with a
traditional laboratory, of an interactive computer-assisted learning (CAL)
program, which simulates a series of experiments performed using isolated,
everted sacs of rat small intestine. The program is aimed at undergraduate
students of physiology and is designed to offer an alternative
student-centered learning approach to the traditional laboratory-based
practical class. The evaluative study compared two groups of second-year
undergraduate students studying a module on epithelial transport: one group
worked independently using the CAL program and associated learning
materials, and the other group followed a conventional practical class
approach, working in the laboratory under supervision. Knowledge gain of
each group was measured by means of a test consisting of a range of
question types (e.g., short-answer factual, calculation, interpretation)
given to students before and after the module. Student attitude to both
approaches was assessed by questionnaire, and the resource requirements
were also compared. It was found that the knowledge gain of both groups of
students was the same, that students had a positive attitude toward using
CAL programs of this type, and that the cost of the conventional
laboratory-based approach was five times greater. The potential for
integrating CAL programs into the undergraduate curriculum is discussed.
