Discussions for BIO201 titled "Anatomy of a Superhero" for the purpose of prompting students to think about human anatomy and physiology from a different perspective.
To create a forum for students to apply concepts from the course in a fun, unique way and to support each other's learning.
Students were asked to name or create their favorite superhero and describe at least two of their superpowers. Using concepts covered in each unit, students post to a discussion board of how their superhero’s anatomy and physiology is different that allows them to have their super powers. They must also comment on other student’s submissions providing support or additional thoughts.
Reading the students posts allowed me to assess student's ability to apply anatomy and physiology concepts. The subjective value of these assignments was assessed using a survey. The results clearly demonstrated that students enjoyed and valued applying A&P concepts to super powers and that applying these principles to superheroes and reading other submissions helped them better understand the concepts and improve engagement. See attachment for survey data.
I created a series of discussion assignments for my BIO201 courses titled Anatomy of a Superhero for the purpose of prompting students to think about human anatomy and physiology from a different perspective and to help reinforce the principles of normal human anatomy and physiology.
At the beginning of the course students were asked to name or create their favorite superhero and describe at least two of their superpowers. At the end of each unit, students post to a discussion board an explanation, that applies concepts covered in the unit, of how their superhero’s anatomy and physiology is different that allows them to have their super powers. Students are encouraged to be creative in their explanations as long as they describe how the changes in their anatomy and physiology would enhance the abilities of the superhero. They must also read and comment on other student’s submissions in order to earn full credit for the assignment.
End of course survey results showed students enjoyed and valued applying A&P concepts to super powers in these assignments and that it improved thier understanding.
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 cats-anatomy-superhero-discussion-assignments-bio201.pdf | 134.02 KB |