In early 2022, the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society (HAPS) Curriculum & Instruction Lab Survey subcommittee launched the third survey of instructors for introductory undergraduate-level courses in human anatomy and physiology. This manuscript presents analyses of questions regarding the laboratory activities and learning outcomes (LOs)…

In 2022, a subset of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Curriculum & Instruction Committee administered the third offering of the HAPS lab survey. This survey included a three-part framework of (1) demographics, (2) lab activities and learning outcomes, and, (3) the impact of a global pandemic on instruction. Here we report on…

One strategy to transform the high attrition rates among community college (CC) students is for CC instructors to utilize the teaching practices shown to most likely lead to student success. CC students and faculty are underrepresented in biology education research (BER), with only 3% of BER articles addressing CC-specific issues (Schinske et al.…

Pre-clinical community college students represent a unique population with varied academic backgrounds and levels of preparedness. Addressing the needs of this population is important for issues of access, equity, and diversity in higher education. As part of a larger National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Community College Anatomy and…

Writing Intensive (WR) High Impact Practice (HIP), which incorporates Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT), was applied to written assignments in Human Biology and Anatomy and Physiology II (A&P II) courses. As part of our study sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), certified AAC&U Valid…

Community college students come from a variety of backgrounds and have different levels of educational preparedness compared to undergraduates in 4-year undergraduate schools. Historically, retention rates of these students in human physiology courses have been low, often due to non-passing grades. Incorporation of additional active learning…

Guided inquiry is an active learning technique featuring collaborative group learning with a structured set of models and highly structured questions for students to discuss and answer. Moving this technique to an online delivery format presents challenges, leading to questions about the effectiveness of this technique during online instruction.…

While there has been a recent focus on developing programs to support educational research by community college anatomy and physiology instructors, there is not yet an established long-term community of practice (CoPs) in this particular area. Studies of long-term CoPs, particularly in STEM education, are few and far between. This study examines…

We describe a method, Student Self-Tracking, to improve success in the classroom. In the fall of 2016, students in Biology gateway courses completed an assessment form in the first week of class that included a description of expectations, concerns, outside commitments, motivations for doing well and a checklist of twenty-three study strategies…

This narrative study tells the teaching and learning story of the recently retired Dr. Peggy LePage, a longtime member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society with a career as a community college anatomy and biology professor spanning nearly three decades. Drawn from a lengthy narrative interview, this paper describes Dr. LePage's background…

Research has shown that a moderate to high level of Active Learning (AL) is helpful for all students, especially for disadvantaged students. In this study we measured student perceptions of case-based learning (CBL), a type of AL, in anatomy and physiology courses at a four-year university and a community college. We compared perceptions of CBL to…