Given the recently proposed three-filament theory of muscle contraction, we present a low-cost physical sarcomere model aimed at illustrating the role of titin in the production of active force in skeletal muscle. With inexpensive materials, it is possible to illustrate actin-myosin cross-bridge interactions between the thick and thin filaments…

Using pop icons in the science classroom represents a creative way to engage often-distracted students in a relevant and, perhaps more importantly, fun way. When the pop icon is as universally known as Captain America, the pedagogical stage is set. However, when the movies can also be employed to link dramatic references to the science concepts at…

Students have specific learning style preferences, and these preferences may be different between male and female students. Understanding a student's learning style preference is an important consideration when designing classroom instruction. Therefore, we administered the visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic (VARK) learning preferences…