Development of a Simulation-Based Application for Teaching Human Physiology through Guided Discovery, Pure Discovery, and Authentic Research

佛罗里达大学获得了NSF改进本科STEM教育探索跟踪奖，以开发一个网络应用程序，本科生可以使用引导和纯发现来学习人体生理学。主要研究者（PI）团队将设计，进行和分析真实的，基于模拟的研究结果。与许多现有的用于人体生理学教学的商业模拟相比，构成该项目基础的系统模型是为基础和应用生理学研究而创建的。最新的迭代称为HumMod，是最全面的人体生理学模型，有超过6,000个变量描述心血管，呼吸，肾脏，神经，内分泌，骨骼肌和代谢生理学，这些变量是根据同行评议的生理学文献的经验数据构建的。 HumMod可准确预测临床和实验反应的定性和定量变化，并可模拟急性和慢性临床情况。基于使用以前的工作，涉及使用HumMod在生理课，它被认为是一个有价值的指导发现工具，真实的，基于模拟的研究本科生理学课程。然而，这项工作表明，使HumMod成为杰出研究工具的综合性也使其作为教育工具令人生畏。为此，PI团队将设计一个用户界面，简化HumMod，使其可以作为一个有效的工具，在课堂上进行学生引导或纯粹的发现研究。 PI团队还将研究如何优化模拟的教学策略，以促进灵活和可推广的推理。学习理论在如何管理学习者的努力方面存在直接冲突。 认知负荷理论家（CLT）强调需要引导发现，以尽量减少额外的负荷，而错误管理理论家（EMT）建议纯粹的发现，以促进更高层次的认知过程和主动学习。PI团队将通过实验比较这两种方法，以确定一个有效的应用设计和教学策略，为本科人体生理学教学。 该项目由生物科学理事会，生物基础设施司和教育和人力资源理事会，本科教育司共同资助，以支持应对本科教育中的愿景和变革所带来的挑战：行动呼吁http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/。

The University of Florida has received an NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Exploration Track award to develop a web application with which undergraduate students can learn human physiology using both guided and pure discovery. The Principal Investigator (PI) team will design, conduct and analyze the results of authentic, simulation-based research. In contrast to many of the existing simulations commercially-available for human physiology instruction, the systematic model that forms the foundation of this project was created for basic and applied physiology research. The most recent iteration, called HumMod, is the most comprehensive model of human physiology, with over 6,000 variables describing cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, neural, endocrine, skeletal muscle, and metabolic physiology constructed from empirical data from peer-reviewed physiological literature. HumMod accurately predicts qualitative and quantitative changes in both clinical and experimental responses, and can simulate both acute and chronic clinical scenarios. Based on the use of previous work involving the use of HumMod in physiology classes, it was recognized that it is a valuable guided-discovery tool for authentic, simulation-based research undergraduate physiology courses. However, the work demonstrated that the comprehensiveness that makes HumMod an outstanding research tool also makes it daunting for use as an education tool. To that end, the PI team will design a user interface that will simplify HumMod so that it can be used as an effective tool for student guided- or pure-discovery research in the classroom. The PI team also will investigate how instructional strategies for the simulation can be optimized to promote flexible and generalizable reasoning. Theories of learning are in direct conflict on how to manage the learner's efforts. Cognitive load theorists (CLT) emphasize the need for guided discovery to minimize extraneous load; while error management theorists (EMT) suggest pure discovery to promote higher-level cognitive processes and active learning. The PI team will experimentally compare the two approaches to determine an effective application design and teaching strategy for undergraduate human physiology instruction. This project is funded jointly by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education in support of efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A Call to Action http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/.