Photoblog: Institute on Teaching and Learning 2022

The end of a successful Institute of Teaching and Learning. Credit: Victoria Halperin Kuhns The 2022 American Physiological Society (APS) Institute on Teaching and Learning (ITL) was held at the Madison Concourse Hotel in Wisconsin last month, where attendees were greeted by a friendly and colorful badger. ITL offered a multitude of lectures and workshops … Continue reading Photoblog: Institute on Teaching and Learning 2022

Talk It Out: Discussion Boards Could Help Students See Through Muddy Scientific Concepts

Credit: iStock You may have heard or used the phrase “as clear as mud.” This idiom is often used—sometimes in a deadpan way to convey humor—to mean that the topic you’re discussing isn’t clear at all. If you’re talking to someone one-on-one, it’s easy to ask questions about what you don’t understand. But when you’re … Continue reading Talk It Out: Discussion Boards Could Help Students See Through Muddy Scientific Concepts

Studying for Your Next Exam? Write a Song.

Credit: iStock Let’s pretend you hear the opening kick of “I Want You Back” by the Jackson Five. As the piano slides into the first verse and you hear: “Find the concentrations of ions out and in; Figure out the quotient, and take the log (base 10).” You can’t believe your ears. The Nernst Equation—a … Continue reading Studying for Your Next Exam? Write a Song.

Reckoning with Diversity and Equity Problems in U.S. Research and Clinical Trials

Credit: iStock Long simmering racial tensions across the U.S. have bubbled to the surface again. This is especially true on the heels of the recent police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. The fallout resulted in protesters taking to the streets around the nation to call for an end to racism and declaring “Black lives … Continue reading Reckoning with Diversity and Equity Problems in U.S. Research and Clinical Trials

Teaching and Learning through Retrieval

Credit: iStock Four summers ago, I read “Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning” by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel. This book changed my life by teaching me how to use a teaching and learning tool called “retrieval.” Retrieval means putting away study resources such as books and … Continue reading Teaching and Learning through Retrieval