This course presents the microscopic structure of cells, tissues, and organs along with function and a presentation of the structural basis for cell growth and multiplication. Emphasis is placed on the intimate relationship of structure to function at all levels of organization, i.e., from macromolecular to organ.
Didactic material is presented in lectures and through text reading assignments.
The presentation of images for the practical aspects of learning structure is done in a laboratory setting in which a large library of microscopic structures stored on videodisc are made accessible through bar code technology which facilitates interactive learning. After subcellular, cellular, and tissue structure function are learned with the aid of videodisc stored images, the light microscope is used to examine the microscopic structure of organs in conventional slides. To further facilitate learning, computer-linked videodisc workstations are employed to enable library searches of images on videodisc for interactive reviews and group discussions. Small group discussion format is employed in each laboratory session in which one teacher meets with 16 students to assist the fitting of the course detail into major concepts and principles of structure- function design.