Toddlawson1994

College biology courses commonly use diagrams to convey information. These visual representations are embedded in course materials with the expectation that students can comprehend and learn from them. Educational research, however, suggests that many students have difficulty understanding diagrams and the conventions (e.g., labels, arrows) they contain. The present study evaluates biology students' ability to comprehend scientific diagrams and the diagram characteristics that affect this comprehension. Participants were students in a physiology course who completed a multiple-choice test of diagram comprehension ability (DCA) (Cromley JG, Perez TC, Fitzhugh SL, Newcombe NS, Wills TW, Tanaka JC. J Exp Educ 81 511-537, 2013). We coded the conventions used in each test diagram and used these codes to capture the diagram characteristics of conventions and complexity. Descriptive analyses examine students' ability to understand scientific diagrams and which diagram characteristics cause the most difficulty. We also compared groups with low and high DCA scores to evaluate how students at different levels of comprehension ability are affected by diagram characteristics. Results show relatively poor DCA; the average total test score was only 69.5%. The conventions used in a diagram also affected diagram comprehension, and results show students had the most difficulty comprehending diagrams using a letter or numbering system, where arbitrary letters/numbers were used to signify objects and diagrams using cut-outs that showed cross sections and magnified interior views. Additionally, students' comprehension was higher on diagrams with higher complexity (i.e., more types of conventions used), potentially indicating students are able to take advantage of the supports that different conventions provide. Implications for instruction are identified.Blood flow through the cardiovascular system is governed by the same physical rules that govern the flow of water through domestic plumbing. Using this analogy in a teaching laboratory, a model of the cardiovascular system constructed of pumps and pipes was used to demonstrate the basic interactions of pressure, flow, and resistance in a regulated system, with student volunteers providing the operational actions and regulatory components. The model was used to validate predictions and explore solutions prompted by student discussion. This interactive teaching laboratory provides an engaging experiential exercise that demonstrates regulation of flow and pressure in an intact cardiovascular system with apposite changes in heart rate and resistance. In addition, the system provides strong clinical correlates and illustrates how that regulated system responds to challenges such as heart failure, inappropriate vasodilation, and hemorrhage. The results demonstrate that, with limited practice, the instructor can effectively guide the students to reliably reproduce physiologically appropriate results.This work describes the educational game "Integrating Synapse, Muscle Contraction, and Autonomic Nervous System," which was developed to assist students in understanding and integrating concepts related to the physiology of synapses, muscle contraction, and the autonomic nervous system. selleckchem Analysis was made of the effect of the game on learning and the students' opinions about it. Dentistry students were divided into control and game groups. They attended lectures about the topics, after which the control group students were submitted to a test, whereas the game group performed the game activity before undertaking the test. The mean score was significantly higher for the game group, compared with the control group (P less then 0.05). Pharmacy students also attended lectures about these topics; in the next class, the students performed a pretest and the activity with the educational game. After the game, a posttest was applied. The mean scores were significantly higher for the posttest than for the pretest (P less then 0.05). Students of medicine attended the lectures and performed the activity with the educational game, without the learning assessment. All of the students answered a question, using a 5-point Likert-type scale, concerning whether they thought the activity with the game was useful for learning. The mean scores obtained by the dentistry, pharmacy, and medicine students were 4.7 ± 0.6, 4.9 ± 0.3, and 4.3 ± 0.1, respectively. The educational game increased the learning of the undergraduate students, in agreement with their opinions of the strategy.Nurse education in the UK has undergone a radical change over the past 30 years. The integration of nursing students within practice has evolved from an apprenticeship style to bespoke mentoring support. To act as mentors, registered nurses must have met stage 2 outcomes of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice, which clearly stipulate that mentors should have a reduced clinical commitment when supporting students, with one hour per week being protected, in addition to the 40% of time through direct or indirect supervision with their mentor/sign off mentor when facilitating a student on their final 12-week experience. However, this does not seem to be the case in reality. A qualitative study comprising six semi-structured interviews was undertaken across one health and social care trust. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. A number of themes and subthemes were identified engagement (barriers versus strategies), support (inclusivity versus exclusivity), and lack of recognition (strategic versus organisational). Due to the expected changes of supervising and assessing nursing students in practice, it is imperative that an innovative, collaborative and engaged approach is facilitated from all key stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of supporting and assessing students by registered nurses and the safeguarding of the public within clinical practice.The tone of research has changed, says Janet Scammell, Associate Professor (Nursing), Bournemouth University, and it is important that nurses consider the extent of user involvement when undertaking or citing research.