Comparison of a computer simulation program and a traditional laboratory practical class for teaching the principles of intestinal absorption
| Autor: | J Hardcastle, P T Hardcastle, E Stuart, D G Dewhurst |
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| Rok vydání: | 1994 |
| Předmět: |
Independent study
Class (computer programming) Higher education Computer science business.industry Physiology Teaching Materials Teaching method Computer-Assisted Instruction General Medicine Animal Testing Alternatives Intestinal absorption Education Test (assessment) Resource (project management) Attitude Intestinal Absorption Evaluation Studies as Topic ComputingMilieux_COMPUTERSANDEDUCATION Mathematics education Computer Simulation business Laboratories Students |
| Zdroj: | The American journal of physiology. 267(6 Pt 3) |
| ISSN: | 0002-9513 |
| Popis: | Here we describe an evaluation of the effectiveness, compared with a traditional laboratory, of an interactive computer-assisted learning (CAL) program, which simulates a series of experiments performed using isolated, everted sacs of rat small intestine. The program is aimed at undergraduate students of physiology and is designed to offer an alternative student-centered learning approach to the traditional laboratory-based practical class. The evaluative study compared two groups of second-year undergraduate students studying a module on epithelial transport: one group worked independently using the CAL program and associated learning materials, and the other group followed a conventional practical class approach, working in the laboratory under supervision. Knowledge gain of each group was measured by means of a test consisting of a range of question types (e.g., short-answer factual, calculation, interpretation) given to students before and after the module. Student attitude to both approaches was assessed by questionnaire, and the resource requirements were also compared. It was found that the knowledge gain of both groups of students was the same, that students had a positive attitude toward using CAL programs of this type, and that the cost of the conventional laboratory-based approach was five times greater. The potential for integrating CAL programs into the undergraduate curriculum is discussed. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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