A Novel Approach to Teach the Generation of Bioelectrical Potentials from a Descriptive and Quantitative Perspective

Autor/in	Rodriguez-Falces, Javier
Titel	A Novel Approach to Teach the Generation of Bioelectrical Potentials from a Descriptive and Quantitative Perspective
Quelle	In: Advances in Physiology Education, 37 (2013) 4, S.327-336 (10 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1043-4046
DOI	10.1152/advan.00064.2013
Schlagwörter	Physiology; Human Body; Electronics; Teaching Methods; Visual Aids; Biomedicine; Engineering Education; Medical Education; Graduate Students; Student Surveys; Satisfaction; Science Tests; Science Achievement; Instructional Effectiveness; Foreign Countries; Spain + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Physiologie; Menschlicher Körper; Elektronik; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Anschauungsmaterial; Biomedizin; Ingenieurausbildung; Medizinische Ausbildung; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin; Schülerbefragung; Zufriedenheit; Unterrichtserfolg; Ausland; Spanien
Abstract	In electrophysiology studies, it is becoming increasingly common to explain experimental observations using both descriptive methods and quantitative approaches. However, some electrophysiological phenomena, such as the generation of extracellular potentials that results from the propagation of the excitation source along the muscle fiber, are difficult to describe and conceptualize. In addition, most traditional approaches aimed at describing extracellular potentials consist of complex mathematical machinery that gives no chance for physical interpretation. The aim of the present study is to present a new method to teach the formation of extracellular potentials around a muscle fiber from both a descriptive and quantitative perspective. The implementation of this method was tested through a written exam and a satisfaction survey. The new method enhanced the ability of students to visualize the generation of bioelectrical potentials. In addition, the new approach improved students' understanding of how changes in the fiber-to-electrode distance and in the shape of the excitation source are translated into changes in the extracellular potential. The survey results show that combining general principles of electrical fields with accurate graphic imagery gives students an intuitive, yet quantitative, feel for electrophysiological signals and enhances their motivation to continue their studies in the biomedical engineering field. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10