Okay, so I guess I should have thought about the fact that Anatomy and Physiology would involve, you know, anatomy–and physiology. It should have occurred to me that one does not learn how the body looks and functions just by reading books or listening to lectures. The best way to learn these things is to dig right in, to get your blue-gloved hands slimy with pig juice.

I learned this after visiting Tammi Coleman’s BIO 228 class today as I took advantage of Open Classroom Week.  I was so struck by her energy as she strode around the lab and the enthusiasm she showed about students’ good answers on a quiz. Her passion was echoed by the engagement I saw in the bodies and heard in the voices of her students. Then, as the fetal pigs came out, I was also reminded of how much experiential learning is going on around campus. There is nothing more experiential than poking around a pig looking for its pancreas!

You, too, can get a taste of all the cool things your fellow instructors are doing from Scholars Hall to Beckett. Just click here to sign up to watch a class (or part of a class–I actually had to leave Tammi’s class before I fainted!) or to get access to a Moodle shell. I know we’re all busy, but you won’t regret taking an hour or two to get inspired by a colleague!

Kristen, Sarah, and a pig