Improvement of Undergraduate Education through Interdisciplinary Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory Instruction

斯普林菲尔德学院目前向所有将从这种科学体验中受益的本科生提供尸体解剖学的能力有限。目前，只有物理或职业治疗专业的学生才能定期使用人体尸体实验室。 该项目通过将动手解剖与交互式计算机教学相结合的跨学科方法，将这种学习机会扩展到所有就读科学专业以及以科学为基础的专业和预科课程的本科生。学院生物学、物理治疗、职业治疗、运动训练和医师助理课程的学生在实验室研究团队中工作，分享信息、见解和技能。通过这种团队方法，本科生参与跨学科研究，从形态学和生物化学的角度研究身体器官系统的相互关系，并有适合每个学科的不同重点。 要求学生在跨学科团队方法中使用批判性思维技能是该项目的重要组成部分。 学生培养形成跨学科边界的假设、寻求解决方案和捍卫结果的技能。这个跨学科项目是我们本科科学教育的重大改进，因为它汇集了基础科学专业和应用科学专业的学生，​​共同分享学习经验。实践和计算机辅助学习的结合适合所有学生以及非传统学生和具有不同学习风格的学生。学院的科学课程为理科专业的本科生提供了难得的机会，让他们通过人体尸体亲身学习解剖学和生理学。

Springfield College is limited in its current ability to offer cadaver anatomy to all undergraduate students who would benefit from this science experience. Currently, only students majoring in Physical or Occupational Therapy can regularly use the human cadaver laboratory. This project extends this learning opportunity to all undergraduate students enrolled in science majors and science-based professional and pre-professional programs through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates hands-on dissection with interactive computer-based instruction. Students in the College's Biology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Athletic Training, and Physician Assistant programs work in laboratory study teams to share information, insights, and skills. Through this team approach, undergraduate students engage in interdisciplinary study as they study the interrelationships of body organ systems from a morphological and biochemical view, with differing foci appropriate to each of their disciplines. Requiring students to use critical-thinking skills in an interdisciplinary team approach is an essential part of this project. Students develop skills in forming hypotheses that cross disciplinary borders, seeking solutions and defending the outcomes. This interdisciplinary project is a significant improvement for our undergraduate science education as it brings together basic and applied science majors in shared learning experiences. The integration of hands-on and computer-assisted learning accommodates all students as well as nontraditional students and students with differing learning styles. The resulting science curricula at the College provides the unusual opportunity for undergraduate science majors to learn anatomy and physiology hands-on with human cadavers.