One of the most challenging and inspiring courses I had as an undergraduate was a course in physiology. What I found most challenging yet most stimulating were the laboratory exercises - preparing for the practical examinations in anatomy provided my first glimpse of how collaborative learning could help with the mastery of difficult material. Later in graduate school studying social psychology, I sought out the resident biopsychologist and asked to work in his lab to address what I thought had been a neglected area of my undergraduate study. The minute I started working in the laboratory I was hooked. Doing research, applying what was learned in class ignited my passion for the field of neuroscience and set me on a new career path.
Scientists approach a problem by asking questions.
I'd also like them to see how well the students are willing to tackle very challenging material because there are collaborative, active learning opportunities in lectures and the laboratory. The kaleidoscopic metaphor means, on one level, that everything is connected, that as effective new programs, policies and practices are introduced in one arena, it affects the whole system. My field of neuroscience is arguably among the most interdisciplinary scientific areas. Cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research is the norm. The goal of approaching a thorough understanding of the neural basis of consciousness and behavior transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.