Meeting Kick-Off

Lucas Tigges - General Manager, ADInstruments North America

Blending Lt Lab Content in Lectures to Create Active Learning Instances

Kaushik Dutta, M.S.  - Teaching Professor, University of New England

• Student Connectivity Between Lecture Content and Lab Activities
• Integrating Live Data Acquisition
• Active Learning Opportunities & Enhanced Engagement

Full Abstract: I teach a gateway course in anatomy and physiology for our Health Sciences majors. The class size and mixed major pose a unique challenge for student engagement and concept comprehension. Furthermore, it is difficult to estimate how well students (in different lab cohorts) are 'connecting the dots' between lecture concepts and lab activities to increase comprehension. Lt sensors are portable and versatile. They could easily integrate with the existing course structure and enhance student connectivity between lecture content and lab activities. Live data acquisition with integrated content could be useful in creating an active learning strategy during a lecture topic. Simple in-class interactive lessons could further improve student engagement. In this presentation, I will share how to use Lt sensors, lessons, and implementation strategies for A&P lectures to provide more active learning opportunities. 
 

Kaushik is a Teaching Professor who specializes in and coordinates digital pedagogy for the undergraduate pre-professional curriculum in Anatomy and Physiology. In 2017 he was awarded the Digital Learning Innovation Award (a national award funded by the Gates Foundation) by Online Learning Consortium to recognize his exemplary work in blended curriculum design and the use of digital courseware to improve student learning outcomes. He is also listed as a Fulbright Specialist in Digital Learning and is currently on the roster through 2022. Kaushik maintains a strong interest in technological innovation, digital pedagogy, and teaching excellence in pre-professional undergraduate education. 

 Students as Emerging Scientists - Student Led Research Projects Embedded Within a Course Experience

Dr. Barbekka Hurtt, PhD - Teaching Associate Professor, University of Denver

•  Integrative Learning and Signature Work Experiences for Undergraduate Students
• 6 Week Research Experience
• Integration of ADInstruments Hardware & Software

Full Abstract: The ability for undergraduate (UG) students to meaningfully engage in the process of science and better understand how scientific research occurs has traditionally been limited to those who had the opportunity work in a research lab with a faculty member. While that serves a limited number of students, it presents challenges for those students who are not aware of, do not know how, or are uncomfortable seeking out these opportunities; it also limits those students who are on university sports teams, those who may not be able to volunteer time, or those who need some type of paid employment during their UG tenure. At the University of Denver we are deliberately seeking to expand opportunities for UG students to engage in integrative learning and signature work experiences that expand and enhance their learning. As part of this aim, I redesigned our Advanced Anatomy & Physiology course (run every fall quarter) to include a 6 week research experience embedded into the lab portion of the course. In this revision, students identify a specific topic of interest, generate their own hypothesis/study purpose, design a research study, and collect, analyze and interpret their data; they present their findings at the end of the quarter to the rest of their course peers. Students are able to use any of the ADInstrument’s LabChart hardware and software resources we have. Through this strategy, students have been able to investigate questions of interest related to neurophysiology, cardiovascular physiology, neuromuscular physiology, respiratory physiology and biomechanics thus far. It has allowed some students to work with community members (such as physical therapists) to investigate adaptations in therapeutic interventions and understand the impact of the adaptations through the lens of neuromuscular physiology. Overall, student feedback indicates that they have enjoyed this opportunity to move away from “pre-packaged” labs and design and conduct their own studies; feedback also indicates, however, that it gives them a better appreciation for the “pre-packaged” labs earlier in their academic experiences that teach them techniques, skills, and resources necessary to do appropriate scientific work. Integrating this lab research study component into the class experience has also allowed students who otherwise would not be able to engage in a meaningful scientific research experience to gain that experience. The major concern that exists in this design is how to scale it meaningfully in a way that preserves the integrity of the experience for students without overwhelming faculty or graduate teaching assistants.

Barbekka (Barb) Hurtt is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences; she is also the Director of the Clinical Exercise Physiology M.S. program and Faculty Director for Signature Work. She earned Bachelor degrees in Kinesiology (B.S.) and Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology (B.A.) and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, all from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She conducted post-doctoral work at the Harvard Locomotion Lab and School of Public Health. Her career has included faculty positions in undergraduate biology programs and graduate health professions/medical schools, along with non-academic roles. At DU she teaches a mix of courses including Physiological Systems, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Neuroscience of Movement. She is currently working on a Running-Healthy Aging-Sociocultural Change research study which comes out of her passion for running, and which has involved 8 students over the past 3 years. In 2020, she and two students founded the STEM Mentor Partnership between DU and a local high school, which provides year-long mentoring opportunities for high school students from historically underrepresented backgrounds interested in STEM and health professions careers. One of her favorite things about being a faculty member is teaching and working with students, as well as the creativity involved in creating her class experiences.

The Effective Use of Independent Small Projects in Lab

Dr. Burhan Gharaibeh, PhD - Teaching Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

• Independent Student Projects
• Expanded Skill Development
• Technology Integration

Burhan Gharaibeh, PhD, is a Teaching Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also an active member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) and co-host of the HAPS 2025 annual meeting. He participates professionally as a reviewer of several journals in his field and contributes to community outreach by presenting popular scientific lectures in Pittsburgh. Burhan has been the recipient of the Discipline-based Science Education Research Leader Award (2021-2024) and the Innovation in Education Award (2023).

15 Minute Break

A Regional Approach to Musculoskeletal Anatomy with Integrated Human Physiology Experimentation

Dr. Nanette Tomicek, PhD - Course Director for A&P, East Falls Campus Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University

• Reorganized Curricula
• Transition from Systems Based to Regional Approach
• Integration of PowerLab Activities 

Full Abstract: Since a curricular revamp in 2020 we have had success utilizing a novel approach to teach musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology (A&P) in the Thomas Jefferson University undergraduate laboratories. Traditionally, introductory A&P is taught with a systems-based approach. We found that the content and study skills needed for success on systems-based exams varied to end that students struggled to find a formula for consistent success across major assessments in the A&P I laboratory course. To mitigate this challenge, curriculum was reorganized to take a regional approach to musculoskeletal study. Moreover, we also integrated Lt Powerlab activities, reflexes, and electromyography (EMG) at appropriate points to reinforce physiological concepts related to the
anatomy.

Nanette Tomicek, PhD, is the Course Director for Anatomy & Physiology at Thomas Jefferson University. Nanette is is engaged in work with the international Human Anatomy and Physiological Society (HAPS) and sits on committees for Curriculum & Instruction, Testing, and participates in an expert panel to author Learning Objectives for Anatomy and Physiology curricula. Her current work focuses on pedagogy, active learning, laboratory, and excellence in anatomy and physiology education.

AI as Your Teaching Assistant: Practical Strategies for Enhancing Lab Instruction

Dr. John Zubek, DPT - Associate Professor, Michigan State University

• Scaffolding AI for your Students
• AI Tutors: Best Practices for the Classroom
• AI to Enhance Professional Skills Development

John Zubek, PT, MS, DPT, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at Michigan State University, where he teaches and directs courses in physiology for pre-health students. With a background in exercise physiology and physical therapy, his work focuses on integrating professional skills development, including AI tools, into education. He has presented nationally on AI-driven student engagement, chatbot-assisted learning, and the role of AI in assessment and feedback.

Using and Developing Patient Resource Packs with Health Career Students

Dr. Barbara Goodman, PhD - Professor of Physiology, University of South Dakota

• Use in Advanced Human Physiology
• Use in Medical Physiology for Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students
• Development of Case Mrs. Berguson

Dr. Goodman is active in the American Physiological Society as Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Physiology Education and serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Physiology Education. She has been involved in numerous Teaching Section and education initiatives with the APS for decades. She currently teaches undergraduate and occupational therapy students in physiology. Her research focuses on improving student learning using innovative and active pedagogy, and review articles of scientific concepts for the lay public.