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
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From the webpage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Select the “Course Syllabus” link
and
READ 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
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Look carefully at the course schedule in the syllabus.
Week by week it lists:
a) The lecture topics. We may fall behind a bit as the course
continues, 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 appropriate 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.
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(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 if you believe it I could
probably sell you some property in Iowa with a great view of the Pacific
Ocean.
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.
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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, notes taken by another person are
worthless to you.
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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.
(Please continue)
Return to the course homepage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Click on the “Powerpoints” link
This provides “bare bones” versions of the Powerpoint slides I will be using
in lecture. These include drawings, diagrams, charts, etc. but do not
include most of the text information.
For example: I will project
this slide:
While the one through the
webpage looks like this:
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You should print out these abbreviated PowerPoints (please
select the “grayscale” option to give yourself space to take
notes) and bring them to class.
You can then add the textual information and make other
notes relative to them.
Be careful!
Do NOT assume that just filling in the additional material from the slides
which are projected 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)
Return to the course homepage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Click 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.
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Return to the course homepage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Click 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.
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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 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:
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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
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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)
Return to the course homepage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Click 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.
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Return to the course homepage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Click 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)
Return to the course homepage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Click 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.
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Return to the course homepage
http://course1.winona.edu/ethompson/211.htm
Click 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.
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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.
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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
7. Repetition, repetition, repetition!
8. 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.