The Autonomic Nervous System Review Module

Abstract

Abstract Introduction There can be disconnect between the level or breadth of content covered in undergraduate coursework, and the expectations of professional-level faculty of their incoming students. This is particularly evident in a team-taught course, in which individual faculty expectations can vary greatly. Some basic science faculty members may assume that students have a good knowledge base in the material and neglect to appropriately review, while others may spend too much class time reviewing basic material. We hypothesized that the incorporation of online review modules into the dental physiology curriculum would allow students to review basic concepts, and would allow faculty members to analyze student preparedness and save valuable class time. This online review module provides a review of the autonomic nervous system. Methods The Neurophysiology Review Module was created using custom-designed PowerPoint animations and Camtasia video editing software. The interactive video, entitled The Autonomic Nervous System, elucidates the role of the ANS in physiological processes through custom-made flow charts, diagrams, animations, and real-life examples. The video begins with three multiple-choice questions that allow students to self-assess their prior knowledge of the ANS. It then explains major concepts about the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions of the nervous system, including their central location of cell body of origin, receptors, neurotransmitters, general effects on target tissues, and contribution to homeostasis. The video is accompanied by a worksheet that allows students to formatively assess their progress in understanding the content. At the conclusion of the video, three case-based questions allow students to assess not only their baseline understanding of the video's content, but their ability to apply that information to new, clinical scenarios. Results The effectiveness of this video was evaluated with first-year dental students. On the pretest, the neurophysiology average was a 66% (SD = 23, n = 114). After experiencing the resource, the average was significantly increased to a 93% (SD = 14, n = 114, p < .0001, Student's t test). Discussion We hypothesized that the incorporation of online review modules into the Dental Physiology curriculum would allow students to review basic concepts, and would allow faculty members to analyze student preparedness. The positive findings during resource implementation suggest a need for a restructuring of the basic sciences curriculum to incorporate review units and revise introductory course material tailored to students' strengths and needs.

Keywords

• Neurophysiology
• Review Modules