Virtual Physiology Lab

The Virtual Physiology Lab (in moodle) is structured according to the practical courses Praktikum Physiologie 376-0006-01 P (6 experiments) & Praktikum Sportphysiologie 376-0130-00L (12 experiments). Students use its guiding and supporting material 1) for individual preparation of the practical course at home; 2) during the practical training as practical guidance; 3) for revision of physiological concepts taught in the lab course as well as in accompanying lectures (anatomy and physiology and exercise physiology); 4) for broadening knowledge and deepening understanding by clinical examples using techniques taught in the laboratory course; 5) for self-testing.

For each experimental day, the Virtual Physiology Lab contains: learning goals of this practical day, brief summary of physiological concepts of that lab course, 1-3 virtual experiments (video and/or interactive) with a manual for the experiment (interactive with checklist), at least one clinical example of a patient showing pathological results assessed with a similar technique, further reading/visual material including links to external material (e.g. other universities, teaching material of specific academic societies), and self-tests (also counting towards semester performance).

Students are better prepared at the start of their lab work. It gives them more practical time and makes them feel less stressed and rushed through experiments. Assistants can use their time for helping students where difficulties occur, and leading scientific discussions. Satisfaction will be higher on both the side of students and the side of assistants.

• Preparation for the lab courses can be done online, independent of time and place; the module contains a self-test «Am I fit for the lab course?» to double-check preparation success.

• The practical human work is presented in film-form, including critical questions on results shown, enhancing curiosity regarding own data that will be acquired in the upcoming lab course

• Another self-test «Insights from the Lab Course» completes each topic, again performed online, independent of time and place, to reinforce physiological and practical understanding.

With the existence of the Virtual Physiology Lab the lab courses will be transformed into a classic ‹flipped classroom› with the big difference that in the lab courses the classroom work will always be hands-on. The virtualization of hands-on experiments (incl. the possibilities of re-viewing the experiments anytime/anywhere) will be important for future developments.
Students enter the lab course physiologically and particularly also technically well prepared, they can apply newly acquired knowledge and skills in the lab, and after the lab course, they can self-test their additional knowledge acquired in the lab course. Assistants can concentrate on content discussions and technical trouble shooting rather than giving lengthy technical introductions.

No improvements need to be implemented, given the current possibilities of moodle. The two courses showed to be so successful that we generated (largely self-funded) a new, similar course for the new medical students› physiology lab course.

«I felt films were really useful and helpful for the understanding of the experimental setup and the required skills.»

«Thanks to self-tests, I delved deeper into the theoretical and practical requirements of the lab course.»

«The tests supported me to consolidate the knowledge I gained and (if necessary) to fill the gaps in knowledge.»

«I prefer to perform a self-test than to write a lab report», «I perceived the preparation as too time-consuming.»

• Due to the different teaching and learning formats, project management and implementation are very varied, but also demanding and challenging.

• The effort for film productions with the multimedia team requires a lot of preparation and follow-up time which should be planned well.