How We Teach Case studies in a physiology course on the autonomic nervous system: design, implementation, and evaluation

Zimmermann M. Case studies in a physiology course on the autonomic nervous system: design, implementation, and evaluation. Adv Physiol Educ 34: 59–64, 2010; doi:10.1152/advan.00004.2010.—The introduction of case studies on the autonomic nervous system in a fourth-semester physiology course unit for Pharmacy students is described in this article. This article considers how these case studies were developed and presents their content. Moreover, it reflects on their implementation and, finally, the reception of such a transformation among the students as well as the tutor’s perception. Specifically, the following issues were addressed. First, how were the course unit and, within the course unit, case study components organized? Second, how was the transformation of the course unit from an originally interactive but rather teacher-centered lecture to an interactive course module achieved? Third, how were the case studies structured, what questions were asked, and what were the answers expected from the students; what additional information was provided by the tutor? Fourth, how did the implementation of these case studies work out in the actual course, i.e., how did the tutor guide the students in this interactive session and how did the students tackle the problems? Finally, how was the integration of interactive modules received by the students and what was their learning experience (as assessed by questionnaires) and learning success (as assessed through the final course exam)? Equally, the tutor’s perception of this transformation and its implementation is described.