Understanding data collection in the modern physiology laboratory

IN A RECENT INFLUENTIAL REPORT by the National Research Council (2), the role of the laboratory was introduced as follows: Science courses and the laboratories associated with them should cultivate the ability of students to think independently. They should provide students with exposure to realistic scientific questions and highlight those aspects that are inherently interdisciplinary. They can also provide opportunities for students to learn to work cooperatively in groups. Our role as educators requires that we facilitate the students’ journey toward independent learning in accordance with current standards in science pedagogy, but we must also remain alert as to what students actually learn and how they learn it. The incorporation of digital data-acquisition systems into the human physiology curriculum has provided wonderful opportunities for student-centered investigative activities in the laboratory. With funding from the National Science Foundation (Division of Undergraduate Education Grant 0309546), we equipped our laboratory with eight complete data-acquisition systems (Biopac) to accommodate several small groups of students in the Human Physiology course working together (the class is capped at 16 students). The equipment was easy to set up and has high reliability, two elements that facilitate student learning by removing apprehension regarding their ability to collect and analyze data of high quality. Through these experiences, students gain confidence and are certainly more accepting of the possibility for independent research and discovery. In the experience of this instructor, these systems have successfully transformed the physiology laboratory. Students are now more willing than ever to work cooperatively in designing and carrying out their experiments. In accordance with modern science pedagogy guidelines, they collect, analyze, and present their own data while being careful to interpret their findings using established physiological principles. However, it has become apparent that students seldom gain an understanding of the process by which data are collected. In addition, more often than not, students could not interpret the values on their screen in real time. In other words, they accepted the data generated by these devices at face value without ever questioning the accuracy or application of these values. This realization, unexpected and unpleasant as it may have been, should not have been surprising as, up to that point, there was no place in our curriculum to discuss issues of instrument reliability and validity. The only prerequisite for this course is a semester-long course in Human Anatomy, where the emphasis is on dissection and identification of structure and form. The brief exercise described below is administered during the fifth week of our semester-long, sophomore-level Human Physiology course. By that time, students have become familiar with the data-acquisition systems and have even performed experiments of their own design using the EMG module (which includes a basic calibration). For a complete description of all laboratory activities and objectives, the reader is referred to the course website at www.willamette.