Teaching anatomy and physiology? Find the equipment you’ll need to run efficient and effective physiology lab experiments.
The importance of physiology lab practicals
As a physiology educator, you are pulled in all directions. You’re teaching lectures and labs, and time and resources are tight.
Meanwhile, your administration is pushing you to integrate technology into your teaching. Post-pandemic, your students arrive in the lab underprepared, and they struggle to understand key concepts in human physiology.
<40% of students who start a STEM course graduate with a degree in their chosen field.
- Stevens Institute of Technology, 2023
In a hands-on field like physiology, active learning opportunities in practical lab classes are key to learning. We can see this importance in the transition from online classes back to hybrid or fully in-person models at many colleges and universities around the world.
Hybrid classes give students flexibility, but also ensure that students gain experiential learning that can only take place in the lab environment.
Skills that students develop in a hands-on physiology lab course include:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Pipetting
- Procedural set up e.g. 12-lead ECG
- Lab safety
Students work together in the lab and develop technical and soft skills.
The rise in skills-based education
Skills are important in our competitive job market, and students know it.
“Nearly half (47%) of students reported selecting their institution for career prospects, but only 11% felt very prepared for work. Students who feel well-prepared are four times more likely to have a great university experience.”
- Connected Student Report, 3rd Edition | Salesforce.org
It’s obvious that physiology courses that teach hands-on skills will be favored by today’s savvy students. However, sometimes a physiology lab course isn’t equipped to provide these skills…
Problems you face as a physiology educator
There are some common problems found in physiology labs that can lower student satisfaction and achievement - and make your life harder as an educator.
62% of A&P 1 students scored lower than a C (Hopper, 2011).
Problem 1: No or old equipment
Some new physiology educators inherit a lab that’s full of old, flaky equipment - or a lab that has zero technology at all! It’s pretty hard to engage students using only pen and paper in the current attention economy.
Active learning lets students connect theory with practice.
Modern devices that record a wide range of physiology data mean your students can link theory to practice, and build confidence that will serve them in their eventual careers.
Practical, easy-to-use sensors also engage students by empowering them to measure their own physiological activity - discovering the magic of physiology in real time!
Once students are confident, there are so many possibilities - like using Lt Sensors to build and test their own experiments.
“It was great fun. I find that Lt really provides a simple way for us to unleash our creative potential.”
- Katie Robertson, Third-year Neuroscience student, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Related: What’s it like to use Lt as a student? “Great fun…the hands-on side of it really accelerates the learning” »
Problem 2: Incompatible devices
Asking students to “bring your own device” (also known as BYOD) is becoming more common. This is often a way for institutions to save on costs.
However, a BYOD policy can cause headaches if existing hardware in the human physiology lab is only compatible with a specific operating system.
Many students use Mac. Fortunately, our new Lt Sampling app means that your students can sample powerful, good-quality physiological data on both macOS® and Windows devices. If your students bring their own device to the lab (BYOB), that’s not a problem - simply plug in our hardware via USB and you’re good to go.
Students get an authentic human physiology lab experience using their own laptop - and your school cuts costs. Win-win!
Contact us to start using Lt Sensors on macOS® »
Problem 3: Troubleshooting
Trouble-shooting has its place - physiology students need to learn how to deal with knotty, unexpected problems. However, undergraduate students are often learning in short lab periods - sometimes as short as 45 minutes.
In this situation, it’s better to use equipment that is accurate and powerful - and that doesn’t require a lot of troubleshooting. Keep reading and you’ll discover the exact equipment you can use in 10 common physiology lab experiments.
Problem 4: Lack of support
How many times have you used an old bit of equipment and discovered that the company that created it was obsolete - or worse, exists but can’t be reached by telephone or email?
As a company built by scientists for scientists, we’re well aware of this frustration. We pride ourselves on the best customer support in the business. You can contact us via your dedicated representative, our website, or our social media channels.
How to collect hassle-free and accurate physiology data
The solution to these many frustrations in your physiology course is simple.
We’ve condensed the power and accuracy of the traditional teaching PowerLab into our range of Lt Sensors.
These Sensors let you achieve the same learning outcomes as the teaching PowerLab with fewer cables and complications.
With these compact, single-cable sensors, your students can conduct flexible data sampling via USB on both macOS® and Windows.
Tackle the most common labs in the human physiology curriculum by picking and choosing across the comprehensive range.
“Very easy to use - I would 100% recommend Lt Sensors for undergraduate physiology.”
- Dr Mike Gill, Professional Practice Fellow, Physiology, University of Otago, New Zealand
