Aging and Metabolism Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Adv Physiol Educ. 2021 Mar 1;45(1):67-70. doi: 10.1152/advan.00174.2020.
University-level physiology courses are considered challenging. Postsecondary instructors indicate the top three reasons that make physiology courses difficult for student are ) the need for the learner to reason mechanistically, ) the belief among students that memorization is equal to learning, and ) the need to think about the physiological systems as dynamic systems. One topic that encompasses all three aforementioned challenges is membrane potential and its determinants in living organisms. Membrane potential is the mechanism that underlies numerous physiological processes; memorization of these processes does not equate to understanding, and its very nature is highly dynamic. Unfortunately, students find the topic challenging, and even students who have learned and practiced the topic in previous terms, fail to retain the conceptual understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Importantly, understanding many systemic physiological processes relies on students' mastery of concepts related to membrane potential. Stephan H. Wright rightfully wrote that "It would be difficult to exaggerate the physiological significance of [membrane potential]". Therefore, to more effectively facilitate students' learning of additional topics, educators must ensure that students can build on, understand, and appreciate the complexities of membrane potential determination. This article presents a tool to aid instructors of all level in teaching the topic of membrane potential.
大学水平的生理学课程被认为具有挑战性。高校教师指出，使生理学课程对学生来说困难的三个主要原因是：（1）学习者需要进行机械推理，（2）学生认为死记硬背等同于学习，以及（3）需要将生理系统视为动态系统。涵盖所有上述三个挑战的一个主题是生物体内的膜电位及其决定因素。膜电位是许多生理过程的基础机制；记忆这些过程并不等同于理解，而且其本质非常动态。不幸的是，学生发现这个主题具有挑战性，即使是那些在前几个学期已经学习和实践过这个主题的学生，也无法保留对潜在机制的概念理解。重要的是，理解许多系统生理过程依赖于学生对与膜电位相关的概念的掌握。Stephan H. Wright 曾正确地写道：“[膜电位]的生理意义再怎么强调也不为过”。因此，为了更有效地促进学生对其他主题的学习，教育者必须确保学生能够在膜电位决定的基础上建立、理解和欣赏其复杂性。本文提供了一种工具，帮助各级教师教授膜电位这一主题。
