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Indiana Partnership for Statewide Education Course Development Grant Proposal
Virtual Physiology Lab for Biomedical Students and Assistants
Purdue University

Abstract

This project proposes to develop virtual interactive multimedia instructional programs for teaching a physiology laboratory course to biomedical students, veterinary technicians, and medical assistants in the state of Indiana. A physiology laboratory is crucial for understanding difficult physiology concepts in any biomedical program. Growing concerns over the use of live animals has diminished and in some cases has eliminated wet labs in human and animal physiology courses. Our goal is to help students to simultaneously learn about the function of organs and organ systems and the way these are integrated to allow the body to function as a whole. We are planning to use this program in a discovery oriented teaching mode with supplemental drills and practice to consolidate knowledge. We propose to bring the expertise of faculty and professionals from the medical, veterinary, biomedical engineering, and technicians programs to create a virtual laboratory that will help students understand basic principles of system physiology and help them gain experience in the techniques and instrumentation of experimental physiology. This course will be offered to: a) veterinary students (BMS 511) and b) veterinary technicians. The course will be integrated in two of the physiology courses (BMS 135 and BMS 136) offered for the distance learning veterinary technicians curriculum. Some of the materials may be appropriate for use by medical students in physiology courses in the Lafayette Center for Medical Education as well as centers of Indiana University School of Medicine. It may be custom tailored for use by nursing students and the Ivy Tech State College medical assistants. We will utilize the following instructional materials:

  1. basic text and embedded interactive links to help students use reference material and integrate information;
  2. glossary of terms with audio pronunciations;
  3. concept maps and exploratory review questions;
  4. multiple choice quizzes and tutorials with immediate feedback;
  5. visual aids such as digital images of experiments with live animals, animations, simulations, audio, and digitized video vignettes;
  6. threaded-discussion that allows interactive discussions between students, faculty, and invited presentations; and
  7. practice exams that will provide formative feedback for students.

The instructional design for this course will focus on interactive instruction that motivates students to learn and that promotes retention and ability to apply the acquired knowledge. A series of evaluation instruments will serve to gather formative data during the development and immediately following initial delivery of the course and summative data at the conclusion of the course. The formative data will facilitate content adaptation and enable us to identify and eliminate gaps in the instructional plan and/or provide aesthetic adjustments which will increase the motivation for use of the interactive instructional program. Stand-alone CD-ROM multimedia applications integrated with the World Wide Web will be used for delivery of course materials. The current proposal seeks funding to utilize the expertise we have acquired during development of seven distance learning, Web-based courses in the veterinary technician curriculum and to apply that expertise in development of an integrated virtual physiology lab that would help students understand difficult physiology concepts and develop clinical reasoning skills.

Needs to be addressed:

The curricula in biomedical programs (medical, veterinary, nursing) and in medical assistant and veterinary technology programs have undergone vast revisions in order to accommodate less live animal use in teaching wet laboratory courses such as physiology. Physiology is an essential course in any veterinary or medical program. Based on our experience with medical and veterinary students and veterinary technicians, we have found that students develop a better understanding of physiology if a laboratory is part of the curriculum. Using animals in wet labs is becoming exceedingly unfeasible and socially unacceptable. Since the ultimate goal is to improve understanding of basic physiological concepts and the application of information learned in physiology courses into clinical settings, technology-enhanced means of laboratory instruction are expected to help students maintain interest in basic sciences, acquire factual knowledge, practice and apply information to solving problems, and think creatively. The principle investigator currently teaches two web-based core courses in physiology to veterinary technicians. The investigators teach core courses to medical, veterinary, undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary technician students. Ivy Tech State College is interested in developing, through a partnership with Purdue, a series of distance learning courses in basic and applied medical sciences. Distance learning programs currently offered by community colleges are electronic books at best. These courses offer limited interactivity and students do not interact with the instructor or with each other. They currently lack visual aids. It has been shown that interactive multimedia programs appeal to different learners. On the other hand, the existing physiology courses, taught at Purdue and other institutions, use few if any wet labs. We believe that well-designed and tested interactive multimedia educational material that integrates the basic physiological concepts , can significantly enhance the effectiveness of these courses for in-house and distance learning use. Biomedical students are expected to better apply factual information. They will excel in utilizing their knowledge of the functions of the human and animal bodies and interpret data that can be applied to assessing the condition of real patients. Through a series of carefully designed experiments, we intend to gather video footage and experimental data to develop a virtual physiology course for biomedical students and custom-tailored for veterinary technicians and medical assistants. Such a course has the potential improve students’ learning. The major advantage of this approach is that students will not need to conduct time-consuming surgical preparation and information gathering that can only be obtained from experimental animals. The students will be provided with multiple ‘links’ to databases, devices, images and case history files that are directly related to the elements of the course they are involved in. Additionally, the students will have access to an archived ‘threaded-discussion’ that allows interactive discussions between students, faculty, and invited presentations.

Integration of active learning and the desired impact on teaching and learning:

The simultaneous development of comparable instructional materials for different organ systems is expected to help in building bridges between the different systems and to help the learners better integrate their understanding of both structure and function. In the real world, scientific disciplines are interrelated. Therefore, the integration of structure and function instruction should enhance the learning process and aid students in applying their knowledge. Development of this interactive multimedia program is expected to help us extend our existing modes of teaching and help motivate students to learn. This multimedia program that integrates structure and function with its tutorials and animation, will help students learn at their own level and pace. It can also motivate students to learn. It will help us assess differences between students learning styles and is expected to provide us with an insight into new ways for classroom organization and management, such as communication with students, forms of assignments, and grouping of students. By providing for individual learning needs and opportunities to observe students work, this program will help in improving both the effectiveness and the quality of teaching and learning. Application assessment will be used to determine if the integrated course actually helps students to gain skills in structure and function. The virtual lab course will be delivered using two technologies, Hybrid CD-ROM Delivery along with Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) publications on the Internet. We intend to design a practice environment with a core activity that is geared towards understanding a clinical case and the different procedures needed for making a diagnosis. In this environment, the students will recognize the utility and merits of understanding concepts rather than memorizing fact. This approach will help us cooperate to emphasize concepts and processes and to generate free time that will allow us to observe students and guide the learning process.

Instructional design plan:

The instructional design for this virtual physiology course will focus on interactive instruction that motivates students to learn and that promotes retention and ability to apply the acquired knowledge. We plan to use an integrated approach that will help students understand the different functions of the body and become adept at problem-solving. Our goal is to help students to simultaneously learn about the function of organs and organ systems and the way these integrated to allow the body to function as a whole. We are planning to use this program in a discovery oriented teaching mode with supplemental drills and practice to consolidate knowledge. The material will be presented as a complete system and the learning steps will ensue from the logical relationships within the system. This will be extremely useful in teaching functions of different organ systems in the body. For example, to teaching the cardiovascular physiology lab, we will use a discovery-oriented approach wherein a student must create his/her own knowledge. The supplemental practice exercises will be presented as follows: present the question, accept an answer, evaluate the answer and provide feedback in form of “correct” or “try again”. A detailed explanation will be provided as part of the feedback. In the drill, practice, and tutorials, we will use graphics, videodisplay, and text. An electronic bulletin board, utilizing threaded discussions, will allow students to work on group projects. The course will be developed based on the following objectives. After completing the course, students will be able to: 1) to demonstrate some of the basic principles of systems physiology through the use of models, experimental animals, and human subjects; 2) practice the techniques and instrumentation of experimental physiology; 3) to practice the proper handling, restraint, anesthesia, surgery, and catheterization of experimental animals through virtual simulations; 4) to gain experience in documenting observations in the laboratory and then correlating observations to theoretical expectations through scientific writing; 5) work as a team in a laboratory situation; and 6) develop problem-solving skills.

Examples of virtual experiments that can be developed

  1. The Measurement of Physiological Events

Students will watch a digital video of anesthetic administration and surgical implantation of catheters into the jugular vein and carotid artery of a rat and then blood pressure recording from the arterial catheter. Then, after a brief introduction on how to use the computerized physiological equipment, they learn how to calibrate a pressure transducer using a mercury manometer. Following the procedure demonstrated on the video, they will perform a virtual incision, and using drag and drop web technologies, identify and tag the vagus nerve, and implant catheters into the carotid artery and jugular vein. Diastolic, systolic and mean arterial pressures are measured as well as venous pressures. Students present their data for the transducer calibration and direct blood pressure measurements in on-line lab reports and are asked to answer questions about anesthetic administration and problems related to transducer and catheter performance. Discussion of the lab results will be conducted using threaded discussion on the electronic bulletin board.

2. Techniques and Interpretation of Blood Pressure Readings and ECG Patterns

Students will learn how to apply ECG electrodes, finger pulse transducers and heart sound microphones and are shown how to use the computer to record ECG from a virtual patient. They will determine heart rate and compare the time course of the electrocardiogram with the cardiac cycle and heart sounds. Students will learn how to examine and interpret ECG for abnormalities using graphic examples and written descriptions. They will learn how to use both the Einthoven triangle method and Bailey’s hexaxial reference system to calculate the mean QRS vector of electrical activity of the heart using ECG records. Working in pairs, students will follows a video instructions on how to use a sphignomanometer and stethoscope to measure arterial blood pressure in supine, standing and sitting positions before and after exercise and during the Valsalva Maneuver. Students will incorporate their data their interpretations of ECG samples in electronic lab reports, together with their answers of questions about the effects of body posture and exercise on cardiovascular function.

3. Factors Influencing ECG Conduction; Ventricular Fibrillation in the Dog:

Using a set of descriptive notes and accompanying questions, students will view two digital video presentations. The first video shows the anesthesia and surgical preparation of a dog for ECG and cardiac fibrillation experiments and allows students to compare ECG from different lead configurations and assess the effects of respiration on ECG conduction. The second digital video clips demonstrates how tissue mass, direction of wave propagation, distance from active tissue, and impedance of the conduction pathway all influence volume conduction and modify the shape of ECG signals. The last segment of the video shows the characteristic ECG changes during ventricular fibrillation and show how these changes are converted back to normal by application of current from a defibrillator. Students are required to use reference materials, available on-line or acquired through the search engines, to answer questions. They are expected to explain in their lab reports the underlying physiological mechanism and electrical activities of myocardial tissue that were observed. Lab reports are submitted electronically.

4. Neurological Examination: Cranial Nerve Functions

The purpose of this lab session is to familiarize students with the function and dysfunction of cranial nerves in domestic animals. This is accomplished by observing examples of normal and abnormal responses to cranial nerve function tests in small (dog) and large (horse) animals. Examples of these tests are currently viewed from laser videodisc that was made at Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine by Drs. Michel Levy and Fred Roesel. We plan to use this video footage and other neurological examples to create a virtual environment that students can use to assess the functions of cranial nerves. Students will progress through all 12 cranial nerves and then will be asked to test their diagnostic skills with an unknown case presented on-line. Students will then be organized into groups to give a PowerPoint presentation on-line to the class.

  1. The Measurement of Pulmonary Function by Spirometry

Students will learn to calibrate and use an open circuit interpretive spirometer to measure and interpret their own pulmonary function parameters. They will compare their rate and pattern of breathing at rest in standing and supine positions and following exercise. Multiple pulmonary parameters will be selected including, tidal volume, vital capacity, forced vital capacity and maximum voluntary ventilation. Students evaluate the accuracy of their measurements and use their data to determine whether their pulmonary function is healthy. They will also be given the opportunity to measure the effect of a bronchodilator medication in an asthmatic male (faculty instructor) before and after administration of the medication. Evaluation of personal pulmonary function and explanations for the effects of body posture and exercise on pulmonary parameters is required in each lab report. Students must also explain how bronchodilator medication works to relieve pulmonary dysfunction.

6. Clinical Evaluation of Renal Function

Students will begin experiment by selecting virtual voided urine sample for a 12 hour excretion baseline. Students will collect fresh urine and take a venous blood sample from a virtual patient at the start of the lab session. The blood sample will be taken to perform urea and creatinine clearance assays in Biochemistry lab the following week. A fresh urine sample will be examined using standard dipstick tests for pH, protein, glucose, ketones, occult blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen, and nitrate. After centrifugation, stained urine sediment will be examined under a virtual microscope for blood cells and epithelial cells, crystals, bacteria, yeast, casts and spermatazoa. After voiding the fresh sample, each of the virtual subjects will consumes one liter of either saline, distilled water, Mello Yellow or Gatorade. Students will then select appropriate vitual urine samples voided at 1, 2, and 3 hour intervals and using a Na/K/Cl analyzer, they will assay this urine for sodium, potassium, and chloride and measure osmolarity with a Wescor vapor pressure osmometer. Students will use their individual data to determine glomerular filtration and excretion rates and renal clearance of ions to compare the impact of different (ionic, glucose, caffeine content) drinks on renal function. They will analyze and present their group data in reports and are expected to explain the fundamental renal physiology behind observed differences in renal function.

Other experiments may include:

  1. Intestinal Motility in the Rat as a Model of the Properties of Smooth Muscle
  2. Regulation of Blood Glucose Levels in Normal and Diabetic Rats,

The target areas for development shall be the following:

  1. Text materials: Existing texts will be converted to electronic format. Additional materials will be added in a hypertext format to allow for in-depth exploration and understanding of the material and to serve as a reference.
  2. Glossary of terms: These will be developed for anatomy and for physiology. Audio pronunciations of important anatomical and physiological terms will be provided.
  3. Visual aids: Gross and basic microscopic anatomy (histology) images and artist illustrations, compressed audio and video, and animation will be used to enhance understanding of anatomy and physiology of different organ systems in the body.
  4. Using digitized video vignettes that will be created to introduce complex concepts and to help students visualize the function of different organ systems.
  5. Development of tutorials that allow each student to learn the material covered at his/her own pace.
  6. Creation of drill and practice questions (review questions) and frequently asked questions (FAQs) that reinforce understanding the material presented in each lesson.
  7. Creation of a central question bank and electronic grader. This will allow generation of different quizzes and exams virtually on demand as instructors desire. Because of concerns regarding copyrights and the slow transfer of visual databases on the Web, a CD-ROM containing visual databases will be available at each distance learning site. However, these databases will be available on our server.

Use in the curriculum and in other existing courses:

This course will be offered to: a) veterinary students (BMS 511) and b) veterinary technicians. The course will be integrated in two of the physiology courses (BMS 135 and BMS 136) offered for the distance learning veterinary technicians curriculum. Some of the materials may be appropriate for use by medical students in physiology courses in the Lafayette Center for Medical Education as well as centers of Indiana University School of Medicine. It may be custom tailored for use by nursing students and the Ivy Tech State College medical assistants. In the new course, we intend to organize and manage threaded discussions on-line to help the students. Tutors will be available to help the students work in group, initially, and later individually. Electronic communications with the instructors and tutors will be available to answer questions. Other courses that we benefit from this course are : undergraduate physiology course ( BMS 300), and graduate students (physiology, BMS 520. Students in the new BS veterinary technician curriculum will benefit from integration of multimedia instruction in anatomy and physiology courses. Currently, 30 students per year are trained on campus in our 2-year technician program. 33 students are enrolled in our on-linedistance learning physiology courses. This number is expected to dramatically increase. Approximately 300 per year are expected to benefit from the virtual physiology lab course.

Use as a distance learning course

Nationally, and within Indiana, there is a rapidly growing demand for distance learning programs for health care practitioners, including veterinary technicians and medical assistants. The School’s Distance Learning Program, modeled after the very successful on-campus veterinary technology program, begins with two foundational physiology courses. The virtual physiology lab developed though this project will be integrated in the two physiology courses being taught on-line. The course will be available to distance learners. CD-ROMs with most of the material needed and a built-in ability to contact Purdue when needed, will be the medium of delivery of instruction. As knowledge of the program spreads, a wider audience of students would be involved each year as more colleges use this program to supplement their physiology courses in the medical and medical assistant programs, veterinary technology, animal science, and biology. Use of the program in high school biology and vocational courses provides an additional market of several hundred students each year. The fact that veterinary corporations, community colleges, and existing distance learning institutions are developing veterinary technician and veterinary assistant distance learning curricula underscores the serious demand for this foundation course.

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Evaluation of educational effectiveness:

a) Evaluation during development and initial delivery of the course: A series of evaluation instruments will serve to gather formative data during the development and immediately following initial delivery of the course, and summative data at the conclusion of the course. The formative data will facilitate content adaptation and enable us to identify and eliminate gaps in the instructional plan and/or provide aesthetic adjustments which will increase the motivation for use of the CD-ROM. The summative data will provide a framework for perfecting the final product. A Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) administered at the half-way point of the course will focus on learning and solicit students' perceptions of strengths and weaknesses of the course in addition to suggestions for improvements. At the end of the semester, faculty and students will complete a questionnaire consisting of both close-ended and open-ended items that will serve as feedback on the materials, activities, and content of the course. Such feedback will be carefully analyzed so that revision can be made prior to further implementation.

b) Evaluation of students' performance: Evaluation for in-house use will include the evaluation strategy identified in the evaluation during development and initial delivery of the course section, however, achievement tests and interviews will be added and a variety of assessment methods and clinical application tests will be used. These methods include (1) written assessments (including applied laboratory exercises and case-based problem solving), (2) oral presentations, (3) progress evaluations by other faculty members, (4) student interviews and written evaluations (during their entire training period), (5) follow-up evaluations during clinical training, (6) self-evaluation by taking drills and practice (7) frequent feedback provided orally and through electronic mail, and (8) student self-evaluation of progress made during the course.

c) Evaluation of course: The criteria for evaluation of this multimedia course will include user interface, quality of the program, and the pedagogical structure and function (level, subject, objectives, methods, and feedback). Assessment of the program will include concepts, processes, instructional strategies, and factual information. In addition, physiology and anatomy modules on CD-ROM and on the World Wide Web will be sent to anatomy and physiology instructors in selected institutions for evaluation using the following criteria: quality of the material being presented; organization ; educational approach and reinforcement of the material presented; educational design; feedback and interactivity; ability of the program to motivate students to learn; and delivery methodology (CD-ROM vs Internet, whenever there is access).

Timeline for development and implementation:

Key personnel responsible for course development:

The Development Team includes from the Department of Basic Medical Sciences: A. Y. M. Nour, DVM, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physiology.( Project Director) , Gordon L. Coppoc, DVM, Ph.D, Professor of Pharmacology and Director of Lafatette Center for Medical Education, and Assistant Dean of IU School of Medicine; Dr. Elwood Walls, Ph.D (Neuroscientist who teaches Physiology Lab. to medical students) ; Dr. A. Gumaa, Postdoctoral Associate in Physiology Education; In Collaboration with: . Peggy Ertmer, Ph.D., (Instructional designer and educational evaluator) Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, Curriculum and Instruction, School of Education, and Bill Schoenlein, Biomedical Engineering Research Associate, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University.

Budget: (attached)

The equipment that will be used for this project include computers, scanners, and digital camera. These will be provided by the department. The requested amount ($11,060) will be used mainly for:

  1. Experimental dogs will be purchased ($1,060) and experiments will be conducted and videotaped ($3,000);
  2. Peer review and students’ evaluation workshop, ($2200);
  3. communications and CD-ROM publishing ($1,800).
  4. Students labor including artists @ $8/hr ($3,200).

Additional technical support (other than computer programming, $3,000). Salaries and wages are calculated based on 0.10 FY for Dr. Nour and Dr. Gumaa; 0.03 FY for Dr. Coppoc, and 0.05FTE for Mrs. Reppert (secretary). The total fringe benefits are $4,517.

Appendix :

Dr. Nour is Associate Professor of Physiology at the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and Director of International Programs, School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Nour received his DVM from University of Khartoum in 1971 and M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1982. He did his postdoctoral training on computer data management and analysis. Dr. Nour has twenty seven years of experience in teaching in Sudan and the USA. He was Associate Professor and Head of the Animal Science Department of the University of Gezira, Sudan. Dr. Nour joined Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine in 1988 as Visiting Associate Professor of Physiology. He was appointed in 1994 as Director of International Program In Veterinary Medicine and Assistant Professor of Physiology. Dr. Nour is now instructor of record for Physiology of Domestic Animals (BMS300), Physiology for Veterinary Technicians (BMS 140); DVM Systemic Mammalian Physiology I (BMS 511, and Graduate Physiology Course (BMS 520). He is also instructor of record for two on-line physiology courses (BMS 135 and BMS 136). Dr. Nour is the Coordinator of the United Nations Educational and Cultural organization ‘s (UNESCO) Biological Sciences Network that assists Universities in upgrading biological sciences teaching through dynamic use of computer multimedia and networking technologies. His international collaboration with UNESCO and Universities overseas has resulted in development of multimedia programs to enhance biological sciences education. Dr. Nour has been active in development of computer-assisted instruction and multimedia programs, including the on-line physiology courses for veterinary technicians which was launched on January 1999. Currently, he is co-investigator of Purdue-on-line project and a multimedia Distance Learning project for development of Web-based courses for teaching physiology to veterinary technicians.. Dr. Nour is a member of Purdue’s Information Technology Working Group (ITWG) and a member of The School of Veterinary Medicine Information Services Advisory Board. Dr. Nour attended continuing education workshops on distance learning, multimedia development, and HTML programming.

Multimedia Development and Distance Learning (dr. Nour):

Peggy A. Ertmer, Ph. D., Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, Purdue University
Academic Degrees:

Professional Experience: Elementary classroom teacher (1973-74); Teacher of children with learning disabilities (1975-1983); Consultant to DowBrands, Inc. on Office Professional Development Project (1992) and on the redesign of the Employee Orientation Process (1993); Administrative assistant to division coordinator of Educational Computing and Instructional Design (1991-1995); Visiting assistant professor in Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University (1995-1996) and in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (1996-1997); Assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Purdue University (1997-present)

Selected Publications:

Ertmer, P.A., & Dillon, D.R. (Fall, 1997). “Shooting in the dark” vs. “Breaking it down”: Understanding students’ approaches to case-based instruction. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.

Ertmer, P.A., & Quinn, J. (Eds.). (in press). The ID CaseBook: Case studies in instructional design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.

Ertmer, P.A., Newby, T.J., & MacDougall, M. (1996). Students’ approaches to learning from case-based instruction: The role of reflective self-regulation. American Educational Research Journal, 33(3), 719-752.

Ertmer, P.A. (1997). Common qualitative research designs. In P.D. Leedy, Practical research: Planning and design (6th ed.), pp. 155-172. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall.

Ertmer, P.A., Newby, T.J., & MacDougall, M. (1996). Students’ responses to case-based instruction: The role of perceived value. 1996 Conference Proceedings of Selected Research and Development Paper Presentations. Indianapolis, IN Research and Theory Division, AECT.

Ertmer, P.A., & Newby, T.J. (1996). The expert learner: Strategic, self-regulated, and reflective. Instructional Science, 24(1), 1-24.

Gordon L. Coppoc, DVM, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Head Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purde University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1246

Education: Kansas State University - BS (cum laude) 1961, D.V.M. 1963; Harvard University - 1963-1968, Ph.D. in Pharmacology; University of Chicago - 1969-1971, Research Associate in Biochemical Pharmacology. Laboratory of H. Guy Williams-Ashman.

Research/Scholarly Interests: His PhD training was in endocrine pharmacology with minors in physiology and biochemistry and oncology. He trained as a post-doctoral fellow in the Ben May Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Chicago. During his early years at Purdue, he was an active participant in the planning and development of the Purdue University Cancer Center. His interests are in food safety and safe administration of drugs to animals with impaired elimination, he developed research projects in pharmacokinetics with an emphasis on gentamicin. He developed web-based material for teaching his pharmacology courses. Dr. Coppoc visited with Dr. Nour has visited Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, as a part of a two-man team, where he gave fourteen presentations on applications of multimedia in education. In recent years, in addition to administrative and teaching, his scholarly activities have been primarily dedicated to international programs, distance education, and the development of computer applications for veterinary medicine and education. Currently, he is co-investigator of Purdue-On-line project for distributed learning.

Recent publications/presentations:

  1. Local and Distance Education and the Web: "Opportunities and Issues, Tuskegee University, 13 September, 1995.
  2. The Web, Alternate (Alternating) Realities, and International Education: Opportunities & Limitation, Fecultad de Medicina Veterinaria Zootechnia, Zacatecas, Mexico, 14 October, 1996. March 3-6, United Arab Emirates and Qatar).

Elwood Walls, Ph.D. Dr. Walls is a Lecturer in Physiology in the department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. He holds a B.Sc in Medical Physiology and M.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan and received his Ph.D in Regulatory Physiology from LaTrobe University in Melbourne in 1989. His Ph.D. research was on the regulatory physiology and behavior of diabetic animal models. His postdoctoral training in Medical Physiology at the University of Calgary, examined the neuroendocrine and metabolic controls of food intake. He has 28 years of small animal research experience and more than 10 years of teaching experience in Canada and the USA. Dr. Walls joined the Basic Medical Sciences Department in August, 1998 and has lectured in DVM Systemic Mammalian Physiology I (BMS 511), and Graduate Mammalian Physiology Course (BMS 520). He became the course coordinator for the Lafayette Center Medical Physiology Laboratory course in January 1999 and has been instrumental in modernizing this physiology course from conventional analog (physiograph) recording and data analysis to fully computerized operation for instrumental control, and for computerized data recording and analysis.

Mr. William E. Schoenlein. Mr. Schoelein works as a research associate in the department of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. He has participated in the teaching and ongoing development of a laboratory course in "Problem in the Measurement of Physiological Events". This interdisciplinary course which is intended for both engineering and life science students stresses the application of engineering principles to biomedical applications. He has also participated in and directed numerous projects in biomedical device development and testing. Some areas of study have included atrial and ventricular defibrillation, cardiac pacing, measurement of cardiac output, magnetic stimulation of tissue, CPR and vascular devices. He also serves on the University Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

A. Y. M. Nour (Basic Medical Sciences), Gordon L. Coppoc (Lafayette Center for Medical Education), Elwood Wall (BMS), A. Gumaa (BMS), Bill Schoenlein (Biomedical Engineering), Peggy A. Ertmer (Educational Technology, School of Education)



Last updated: June 21, 2006