The initial step to producing a series of interactive Hypercard packages for laboratory instruction will involve developing a template program based on the Physiology of striated muscle. The flexibility inherent within the software programs will permit students to learn at their own level. QuickTime video sequences will be developed to display the experiment on the computer screen together with data accumulation using a MacLab data acquisition unit. If students are unable to perform the laboratory experiment, they will have the option of analyzing the original (software driven) Chart data file or performing a slmulated experiment and analyzing their own data. The video sequences will demonstrate the use of delicate instruments and walk students through surgical procedures to prepare them for the lab. The software programs will be developed for use by students in High School through upper division University. The instructor will customize the program to determine the level to which the students will learn and the laboratory experiments to be performed. In this way, the instructor will determine how much students are expected to learn, while the student controls the depth and pace of the learning experience.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:The products resulting from the proposed research will significantly improve the quality and efficiency of teaching physiology by shortening the time required to prepare for the laboratory practicals thereby allowing more labs to be completed in a given semester.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
