Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://biore.bio.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4510
Title: Core concepts in physiology: teaching homeostasis through pattern recognition
Authors: Chirillo, Michael
Silverthorn, Dee U.
Vujović, Predrag 
Keywords: core concepts;homeostasis;interactive teaching;misconceptions;physiological reflexes
Issue Date: 15-Aug-2021
Rank: M22
Journal: Advances in Physiology Education
Abstract: 
Homeostasis is a core concept in systems physiology that future clinicians and biomedical professionals will apply in their
careers. Despite this, many students struggle to transfer the principles governing homeostasis to concrete examples. Precourse
assessments conducted on 72 undergraduate biology students enrolled in an introductory systems physiology course at the
University of Belgrade during the February–May semester of 2021 revealed that students had a vague, fragmentary understanding
of homeostasis and its related concepts that was often conflated with topics touched on during their previous coursework.
We formalized and implemented an approach to teaching homeostasis that focused heavily on consistent reinforcement of physiological
reflex patterns throughout the course. To that end, we employed a variety of activities aimed at getting students to
view organ system integration holistically. After the semester, postcourse assessment demonstrated that students were better
able to provide concrete examples of organ system contributions to homeostasis and were more adept at applying basic principles
to novel physiological scenarios. Comparison of final grades with previous semesters revealed that students outperformed
their peers who had taken the course previously. In this article, we summarize the findings of pre- and postcourse assessments,
describe the general approach we took to teaching homeostasis as well as the specific techniques used in the classroom, and
compare student performance with previous semesters.
URI: https://biore.bio.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4510
ISSN: 1043-4046
1522-1229
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00106.2021
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

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