Mastering Anatomy and Physiology: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Surviving, and succeeding in, Anatomy and Physiology We want everyone in this course to do as well as you possibly can. While there is a lot of new material to learn, it can be mastered relatively easily if you approach it in the right way. This Powerpoint tutorial will guide you through the process of finding information which will make this course a lot easier for you. If possible, you might want to open the course webpage (address on the next slide) on one computer while reading this Powerpoint on a second computer. Dr. T (Please continue)

2. From the webpage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmSelect the “Course Syllabus” link for your section andREAD THIS SYLLABUS CAREFULLY! You are responsible for ALL of the information it contains. Pay particular attention to the following: a) How to contact Dr. Thompson & other instructors b) The textbook and other materials you should have c) The types and dates of exams d) How grades will be calculated, including the “curve” e) The course schedule (Please continue)

3. Look carefully at the course schedule in the syllabus. Week by week it lists: a) The lecture topics. We may fall behind, but the sequence will not change. b) The lab topics. You can access the lab exercises through the course homepage. Be sure you read the lab exercise thoroughly BEFORE you come to lab each week or you will waste a lot of time when you get there. c) The required reading assignment for each week. Note that word “Required”. You should complete the ENTIRE reading assignment for each week BEFORE the first lecture that week. You don’t need to master all the details of a chapter in this reading, but you should get a solid grasp of its terminology and general concepts. (Please continue)

4. (Reading Assignments in the course syllabus) Many students claim that they learn more easily by waiting until after the lecture to read the book. That’s wrong, and believing it will have a seriously negative effect on your grade in this class. Millions of years (literally) of evolution have created a human brain which most easily learns new material by correlating it with things it already knows. By reading the book first, you are gaining a basic “framework” of the information we will be discussing in lecture and lab. This includes the major concepts and a first exposure to the large amount of new terminology you will have to learn. We will then use lectures and labs to reorganize and expand on this information. We have designed lectures and labs for this course on the assumption that you have completed the reading assignment, so waiting until after the lecture to read this assignment will make your work in this course a LOT harder. (Please continue)

5. Scroll up the syllabus. Re-read the section about attendance. While there are many courses at WSU which you can pass without attending lectures, this isn’t one of them. You can’t make up for missed lectures by either reading the book or “getting notes” from another student. a) About 40% of the information I present in lecture will not be in the book (remember: I assume you have already read it). Almost all of the remaining information in lecture will be organized quite differently than it is in the book. b) Each person takes notes which make sense to her or him and which will stimulate memories of what he or she heard in lecture (that is, your brain organizes information as you hear it). Someone else’s notes will not allow your brain to do this, so they will be completely out of context for you. In general, getting class notes from another person is of very little value to you. (Please continue)

6. Pay particular attention to what the syllabus says about attendance at exams, and read the linked information. Exams are an important part of helping you learn Anatomy and Physiology. I will post a set of the questions as an answer key after each exam, and I will return your answer sheets so you can compare your answers to that answer key and identify areas you need to study more. That means it is essential that you attend exams when they are scheduled. Since I post an answer key, I would have to write a completely new exam in order to give you a make-up. I will do this if it is evident that missing the exam was completely out of your control, but not if you were simply unwilling to take the necessary steps to be sure you could be there. Excused absences are pretty well limited to things like hospitalization (not just going to the Health Service), death of a close relative, or an event over which you had no control (see http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/specialcircumstances.htm). Note also that you will be required to provide detailed documentation. Note also that a family vacation is not an excused absence. (Please continue)

7. On the syllabus, read the section about classroom etiquette Please note that you may not use your computer, tablet, or cell phone during lectures. There are two reasons for this: a) we expect your full attention to be given to the course material, and you can’t do that if you are online. Your ancestors survived (and thus were able to reproduce) because their brains focused on one thing at a time, so the human brain evolved to be very, very poor at “multitasking”. We want you to do well in this class, and that means paying attention. b) we want you to be taking notes by hand, not on the computer. Many studies have shown that students who take notes on a computer do not really process that information through their brains, so they do much more poorly on exams compared to students who take notes by hand. In fact, they don’t do any better than students who just listen and don’t take any notes at all. We want you to do well in this class, and that means processing the information through your brain as you take notes on it. (Please continue)

8. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmClick on the “Powerpoints” link This provides copies of the Powerpoint slides I will be using in lecture. These include drawings, diagrams, charts, etc. but may not include all of the text information. You should print out these PowerPoints (please select the “grayscale” option to give yourself space to take notes) and bring them to class. You can then add additional information and make other notes relative to them. (Please continue)

9. Be careful! Do NOT assume that having copies of these Powerpoint slides is the same as “taking notes”. It isn’t. Since most of the test questions for this course will be taken from what I say, not what I project on the screen, you will also need to be sure to take good notes of that information as well (yes – this will be very difficult to do if you haven’t completed the reading assignment before coming to class) (Please continue)

10. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmClick on the “Chapter Reviews” link This leads you, as you might expect, to a review of each chapter in the Saladin text. While these summarize what I think are the important concepts of each chapter, they are most useful after you have studied the material to help you identify areas in which you are still weak. They are less useful as “study guides” before you study, and your grades will sink like a large rock if you limit your studying to the things which are in these reviews. (Please continue)

11. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmClick on “How to Study Effectively For This Course” Read this page carefully. It includes a number of things which will make this course a lot easier for you. Humans learn different types of information in different ways, so the things which work for studying in your other courses may not work for this one. There has been a lot of good research into how the brain learns the type of material contained in an Anatomy and Physiology course, and I have incorporated that information into this page. By the time you reach college, you have developed different strengths and weaknesses in how you learn things. The earlier you find out what things work for you and set up effective study habits using those, the easier this course will be. (Please continue)

12. How to Study Effectively For This Course • Interestingly: you use the same parts of your brain to learn A&P as you do to learn a new language or to learn to play a new musical instrument. • Thus: you should do well if you study the • information in this course using some of the • same skills and techniques as you would to • learn a new language or to learn a new • instrument: • Start with small amounts of relatively easy information • Add additional and more difficult information to that • Practice and repetition are essential • Practice/study small amounts of information each time (Please continue)

13. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm Notice that links to the laboratory exercises are provided. We will not be using a published (and expensive) lab manual in this course. Instead, we have prepared a series of lab exercises which will be posted here. Before each week’s lab you should print this out, read it ahead of time, and then bring it to lab. These often contain references to your Saladin textbook, so you should bring that book to lab as well. (Please continue)

14. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmClick on the “Lab Safety Contract” link We require safety in the laboratory at all times. Print out that contract, read it, sign and date it, and return it to your lecture instructor or lab instructor. Failure to follow this policy typically results in your being asked to leave that laboratory session for the day, but serious violations can result in a failing grade for this course. (Please continue)

15. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmClick on the “Cadaver Use Agreement” link We have two cadavers on loan to us from the University of Minnesota and we require all students, staff, and faculty to follow certain procedures. During the first week of lecture we will view an orientation video from the University of Minnesota explaining the use of cadavers and possible problems which may arise. After you view that video you will need to print out that agreement, read it, check the appropriate boxes, sign and date it, and return it to your lecture instructor or lab instructor. Failure to follow the policies outlined in that agreement may result in your being asked to leave that laboratory session for the day or it may result in your permanent removal from the course with a failing grade. (Please continue)

16. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmClick on the “How Dr. Thompson Writes Exams” link in which I describe the types of questions I use and the ways in which I use each type. Sample questions of each type are given. This will be most useful to you as an exam approaches, but it would be a good idea to read through it before then to get an idea of what you should expect to see on exams. (Please continue)

17. Return to the course homepage http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htmClick on the links to the WSU Academic Integrity Policy and How to Avoid Plagiarism All students at the university are expected to understand the Academic Integrity Policy and follow it in all of their courses. Failure to do so can result in lower scores, lower grades, and even suspension from the university for serious or repeated violations. (Please continue)

18. Anatomy and Physiology can be a difficult course – not because the information is difficult to understand, but because there is a lot of it and it is not the type of information which you brain is used to studying. The bottom line is that everyone in this class can get an “A”. Your grade will be the result of hundreds of decisions you make during the next four months.Please make the right decisions: Do the reading assignments before lecture Come to class each day Take good notes from the book, lecture, and lab Study early and study often until you understand it Study effectively, using many different techniques Don’t fall behind for even a single day (Please continue)

19. That’s the end of this introduction to this tutorial to help you find information on the course homepage and to help you succeed in this course.Please refer back to it as often as necessary.The next slide summarizes some of the keys to success in an A&P course. Many more are found in those resources just discussed on the course homepage.Once again, we want you to succeed in this course and we will do everything we can to help, but the bottom line is that your success depends on how much and how well you study, and how well you use your time. (Please continue)

20. Keys to succeeding in A&P • 1. Study in relatively short blocks, 30 - 40 min, with breaks between • 2. Use different methods of study: reading, writing, discussing, etc. • 3. Be sure you understand concepts - don’t just memorize • 4. Constantly ask yourself “how does structure relate to function? • 5. Go back-and-forth frequently between notes and the textbook • 6. You can’t fall behind - even for a day • Repetition, repetition, repetition! • You have studied a subject enough when you can explain it completely to someone else without using notes. If you can’t do this, you haven’t studied enough.