Dwyer T M, Fleming J, Randall J E, Coleman T G
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216-4505, USA.
Am J Physiol. 1997 Dec;273(6 Pt 3):S2-13. doi: 10.1152/advances.1997.273.6.S2.
Students seek active learning experiences that can rapidly impart relevant information in the most convenient way possible. Computer-assisted education can now use the resources of the World Wide Web to convey the important characteristics of events as elemental as the physical properties of osmotically active particles in the cell and as complex as the nerve action potential or the integrative behavior of the intact organism. We have designed laboratory exercises that introduce first-year medical students to membrane and action potentials, as well as the more complex example of integrative physiology, using the dynamic properties of computer simulations. Two specific examples are presented. The first presents the physical laws that apply to osmotic, chemical, and electrical gradients, leading to the development of the concept of membrane potentials; this module concludes with the simulation of the ability of the sodium-potassium pump to establish chemical gradients and maintain cell volume. The second module simulates the action potential according to the Hodgkin-Huxley model, illustrating the concepts of threshold, inactivation, refractory period, and accommodation. Students can access these resources during the scheduled laboratories or on their own time via our Web site on the Internet (http./(/)phys-main.umsmed.edu) by using the World Wide Web protocol. Accurate version control is possible because one valid, but easily edited, copy of the labs exists at the Web site. A common graphical interface is possible through the use of the Hypertext mark-up language. Platform independence is possible through the logical and arithmetic calculations inherent to graphical browsers and the Javascript computer language. The initial success of this program indicates that medical education can be very effective both by the use of accurate simulations and by the existence of a universally accessible Internet resource.
学生们寻求积极的学习体验，以便能以最便捷的方式迅速传授相关信息。计算机辅助教育如今可以利用万维网的资源，来传达各种事件的重要特征，这些事件小到细胞中渗透活性粒子的物理性质，大到神经动作电位或完整生物体的整合行为。我们设计了实验练习，利用计算机模拟的动态特性，向一年级医学生介绍膜电位和动作电位，以及整合生理学这个更复杂的例子。文中给出了两个具体例子。第一个例子展示了适用于渗透、化学和电势梯度的物理定律，从而引出膜电位的概念；该模块最后模拟了钠钾泵建立化学梯度和维持细胞体积的能力。第二个模块根据霍奇金 - 赫胥黎模型模拟动作电位，阐述了阈值、失活、不应期和适应的概念。学生可以在预定的实验课期间，或者利用自己的时间，通过互联网访问我们的网站（http./(/)phys-main.umsmed.edu），使用万维网协议获取这些资源。由于网站上存在一份有效且易于编辑的实验副本，所以可以进行精确的版本控制。通过使用超文本标记语言，可以实现通用的图形界面。借助图形浏览器固有的逻辑和算术计算以及JavaScript计算机语言，可以实现平台独立性。该项目的初步成功表明，通过使用精确的模拟以及存在普遍可访问的互联网资源，医学教育可以非常有效。
