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Conference Report

WORKSHOP ON TEACHING PHYSIOLOGY

Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John’s, NF Canada A1B 3V6

Abstract

This is a report of a workshop presented at the Third Congress of the African Association of Physiological Sciences, Pretoria, South Africa, September 7–8, 2000.

The workshop was attended by approximately 35 participants, about half of whom were from Africa and half from elsewhere, primarily North America and Europe. The program was organized by Kayode Adeniyi, Ph.D. (AFRET, Durban, South Africa); Dee U. Silverthorn, Ph.D., University of Texas; and Penelope A. Hansen, Ph.D., Memorial University of Newfoundland with the support of the Physiological Society of Southern Africa, the American Physiological Society, and the International Union of Physiological Sciences.

Preregistered participants responded to an electronic needs assessment, the results of which assisted in planning the workshop program. The principal barriers to implementing active learning identified by respondents were the large number of students compared to teaching staff; lack of knowledge about and experience with active learning methods; and lack of physical resources such as small group rooms, lab space and equipment, and computer facilities. Respondents were also asked to state their personal objectives for participation and, at the workshop closure, evaluated their success in achieving these.

The workshop goal was to explore opportunities and obstacles for the enhancement of active learning of physiology. The objectives were:

• to identify the current status of African physiology education programs with respect to active learning
  
• to clarify the rationale for active learning and its underlying research background
  
• to share practical information about options for active learning in lectures, small-group discussions, and student laboratories
  
• to develop model curricula emphasizing active learning for three physiology topics
  
• to formulate ways to create and sustain linkages among physiology teachers interested in active learning.
  

The workshop format was designed to allow presenters and discussion facilitators to model approaches to active learning. Participants not only experienced active learning first-hand, but left the workshop with specific ideas for creating active-learning environments they can implement in their physiology courses. Each participant selected one of four aspects of active learning to focus on during breakout group discussions.

The following plenary presentations were spread out over the 2 days of the workshop. Some presentations were interactive; all were followed by time for questions and discussion.

• Introduction to active learning: what it is and why it is desirable (Penelope Hansen, Canada)
  
• Constructing learning objectives to direct student learning (Robert Carroll, USA)
  
• Evaluating learning in a PBL pathophysiology curriculum (Antonio Rendas, Portugal)
  
• A problem-based approach to teaching renal physiology (L. Gabriel Navar, USA)
  
• Active learning and assessment methods in physiology for nurses (Sue Higgins-Opitz, S. Africa)
  
• Teaching human physiology offers stimulating basic education to support primary prevention (Emil Monos, Hungary)
  
• Results of a world-wide survey on physiology education (George Somjen, USA)
  
• The role and position of physiological sciences in the medical curriculum of the 3^rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague (Richard Rokyta, Czech Republic)
  
• Hippocrates as a teaching resource (Kenneth Dormer, USA)
  
• AFRET and basic science medical education: a doorway to economic development (Kenneth Dormer, USA)
  
• Overview of AFRET and physiology education in Africa (Kodwo Abaidoo, Nigeria)
  

One of the plenary sessions was devoted to a roundtable on practical laboratories, facilitated by Dee Silverthorn. The roundtable discussion was stimulated by four brief presentations:

• International Council of Laboratory Animal Sciences and promotion of research sources (Osmo Hanninen, Finland)
  
• The African perspective on using animals (Premjith Gathiram, S. Africa)
  
• Comparative physiology experiments (Dee Silverthorn, USA)
  
• International Union of Biological Sciences: activities and prospects (Osmo Hanninen, Finland)
  

There were three periods for small group discussion in which participants selected one of four groups: 1) active learning in large classes, 2) active learning in small groups, 3) active learning in student laboratories, or 4) the role of AFRET in supporting active learning in Africa. The first three groups were encouraged to follow these steps:

• identify opportunities and obstacles for enhancing active learning
  
• plan an active learning curriculum for a specific physiology topic, incorporating ideas from the plenary lectures
  
• prepare a report including description of objectives, active-learning activities, and assessment for the selected topic; identify obstacles to active learning for this topic and describe ways to overcome or circumvent them.
  

At the final plenary session of the workshop, a reporter from each group presented a brief oral summary of their discussion. The participants then discussed ways to follow up the workshop. It was agreed to arrange for a website to be established and for participants to provide their contact information for E-mail distribution. Participants were invited to provide URLs for relevant websites to be linked from the workshop website. There were volunteers to carry out these follow-up activities. At the closure of the workshop, the organizers thanked the participants and requested them to evaluate their satisfaction with the workshop and the extent to which they were able to address their personal objectives for participation.

The workshop website can be accessed at http://www.afret.nethop.com.

This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hansen, P. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hansen, P.