Discussions about death, dying, and dissection during the first-year curriculum were initiated at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to deal with personal questions and emotions evoked by cadaver dissection. The evolution of these discussions, their timing, the present content of the sessions, and student response are described.…

A coordination between first-year courses in human behavior or behavioral sciences and gross anatomy at the University of Vermont College of Medicine seems to enhance student learning and to improve student and faculty satisfaction in both courses. Details of the innovative integrative steps are provided. (LBH)

Details the experiences of a physiologist introducing kindergartners to the basics of cardiorespiratory physiology including pulmonary ventilation and circulatory transport of oxygen. Describes the demonstration and how it enables children to participate in scientific inquiry. Contains 17 references. (DDR)

Presents activities for K-4 students that explore two areas of body mechanics--bones and joints--with an emphasis on the human hand. Relates knowledge of how the body functions to comparable examples in robotics such as the "hand" of the Canadarm of the space shuttle. Activities are geared for students in pairs. (AIM)

Presents a real life shark attack story and studies arm reattachment surgery to teach human anatomy. Discusses how knowledge of anatomy can be put to use in the real world and how the arm functions. Includes teaching notes and suggestions for classroom management. (YDS)

The construction of a wooden model of the musculoskeletal system which can be used to investigate the physical properties of muscles without sacrificing laboratory animals is presented. Six activities are included with answers. Additional activities are suggested. (CW)

Activities are included that acquaint students with the parts of birds and the structure of feathers; that identify the prey of owls by opening owl pellets; working with information about threatened and endangered species of birds; and follow-up activities for bird study. A list of state and provincial birds of the United States and Canada and…

Proposes the use of a series of 11 casts of fossil skulls as a method of teaching about the theory of human evolution. Students explore the questions of which skulls are "human" and which came first in Homo Sapien development, large brain or upright stance. (MDH)

Describes students' (n=175) understandings of the structure of animal (including human) skeletons and the internal organs found in them. Finds that older students have a better knowledge of animals' internal anatomies, although knowledge of human internal structure is significantly better than knowledge of rat, bird, and fish internal structure.…

Presents the results of a cross-age study of 7- to 15-year-old children on their thinking about vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Suggests experiences that could be included in the school science curriculum and argues for more classroom work relating structure with function in order to address students' conceptual difficulties. (Contains 18…

Discusses normal anogenital anatomy in children in relation to the medical evaluation of child sexual abuse and summarizes state of current knowledge. Suggestions for further research, including cross-sectional studies comparing normal and abused children, and cross-sectional and longitudinal studies comparing different racial/ethnic groups.…

The goal of this study was to determine if on-line out-of-class quizzing would lead to increases in (a) classroom engagement (b) academic performance and (c) preparation perception of college students. Twenty-four sophomore level students enrolled in a required functional anatomy course participated in this study. Results from this study indicate…

The human brain contains an estimated 100 billion neurons, and browsing the Web, one might be led to believe that there's a Web site for every one of those cells. It's no surprise that there are lots of Web sites concerning the nervous system. After all, the human brain is toward the top of nearly everyone's list of favorite organs and of…

The Integrative Themes in Physiology (ITIP) project was a National Science Foundation-funded collaboration between the American Physiological Society (APS) and the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS). The project goal was to create instructional resources that emphasized active learning in undergraduate anatomy and physiology classrooms.…

This case involves a couple deciding whether or not their son should undergo brain surgery to treat a severe seizure disorder. In examining this dilemma, students apply knowledge of brain anatomy and function. They also learn about brain scanning techniques and discuss the plasticity of the brain.