Keys to Success

Anatomy and Physiology is a challenging course but it serves as a foundation of the knowledge you will acquire during your entire education about the human body, its parts and functions, its ailments, and treatment regimens currently utilized.  Learning the proper study techniques now, will provide a deeper more thorough understanding of the material and serve you well throughout your education and in your future professional life.  This course will require a significant amount of time, dedication, and effort.  Consistent and timely reviewing of the material after each lecture is the key to success along with not only learning the vocabulary, but using the vocabulary properly to describe the structure of parts, how parts work to make processes happen, and how this influences body function as a whole.   A plan or approach to studying for Bio 240-241 and other suggestions on how to study the material are described below.  Use all of the approaches and suggestions to your best advantage.  If you try all of these approaches with an honest effort to do well, but you do not, please do not hesitate for even a day to come see me for help!

Newbies- important info to know with regards to the class.

1.  Print off and read the 12 page syllabus found on the website.  It has a lot of valuable information regarding how to study for the class.  Much more info than I handed out today in class.

2.  Buy the textbook package at the bookstore.  It contains the Saladin text, Ballard lab manual, histology lab manual, written study guide, and DVD revealed.

3.  On the website are the study guide lecture notes.  These are probably the most important thing to print off and bring to class.  My lectures follow along with the notes.  That way you can really pay attention and just write down additional notes in the margins.  Most students buy a 3 ring binder and print off all the notes for each test and bring them to class.  This is a must!

4. Bring your lab manual and histology guide to lab.   Also print off the lab handouts found on the course website and bring to lab.  They will help you tremendously.

5. Last year's tests are found on the webpage.  Use them to review for the test to see if you know the material well enough.  Also, I suggest you take the practice multiple choice tests on your DVD and Saladin student companion site. Some students also use the written study guide that came with your textbook package.

6.  To get an idea of what is expected of you, read the keys to success link on the course homepage. 

7.  In summary, I would print off the lecture notes, lecture handouts and lab handouts required for Test 1, put it in a binder and have all of it at your disposal for all the lectures and labs leading up to Test 1.  You will always need the lecture notes and lecture handouts for class and the lab handouts for lab.  Then print off the next set of notes, handouts etc that you need prior to us covering Test 2 material. 

A MASTERY APPROACH TO STUDYING FOR BIO 240-241

 Let’s say that the first lecture of new material will begin on Friday.

1.         Thursday night – look at the syllabus and see what we are going to do tomorrow.  Print off the lecture notes. Read from the lecture notes and the book only the pertinent material.  DO NOT highlight the text, DO NOT underline, DO NOT outline, DO NOT read all of the other stuff that I will not be talking about.

2.         Friday morning -- Come to class and pay strict attention.  Try to be engaged with me, thinking about what I’m going to say next.  See if I am answering the questions that your initial reading may have brought up.  Take minimal notes in the margins of the lecture notes you printed off that I have provided for you.

3.         Immediately after class (11 am is best), sit down and review what we just did in class.  Take out the vocabulary sheet and highlight only the words that we used in class.  DO NOT TRY TO HAVE A MARATHON VOCABULARY SESSION.  Make minimal flash cards of these words (do something so that you can learn the words and definitions)

4.         Friday night – review lecture material and vocabulary again

5.         Saturday -- review lecture material and vocabulary again

6.         Sunday -- review lecture material again.  Look at the syllabus and see what we are going to do on Monday.  Print off new lecture notes if necessary and read from the lecture notes and the book only the pertinent material.  Think about how this new material fits into the old material from last lecture.

7.         Monday -- Come to class and pay strict attention.  Take minimal notes in the margins of the notes I’ve provided for you.

8.         Immediately after class (11 am is best), sit down and review what we just did in class.  Take out the vocabulary sheet and highlight the new words that we used in class.  Make minimal flash cards of these words (do something so that you can learn the words and definitions)

9.         Monday night – review all lecture material again; review vocabulary

10.        Tuesday – review all lecture material again; review vocabulary.

11.        Tuesday night -- look at the syllabus and see what we are going to do on Wednesday.  Print off lecture notes if neccessary and Read from the lecture notes and the book only the pertinent material.

12.        Wednesday morning - Come to class and pay strict attention.  Take minimal notes in the margins of the notes I’ve provided for you.

13.        Immediately after class (11 am is best), sit down and review what we just did in class.  Take out the vocabulary sheet and highlight the new words that we used in class.  Make minimal flash cards of these words (do something so that you can learn the words and definitions)

Continue to repeat this procedure through the end of the materials for the next test.  In this way, you will invested increasingly more time each day as you approach the test.  You will have gone through the material 14 or more times and will have learned a lot of new words. 

 HOW TO MAKE ALL THE NEW WORDS AND CONCEPTS HELP YOU TELL A STORY:

 As we complete a section, look at the list of objectives in the handouts, or the objectives listed in the text, and the sections of the text called “Before You Go On.”  See if you can answer these questions OUT LOUD.  Write on a chalk board or a white board, use scrap paper, whatever.  Pretend you are teaching that topic to a high school class. Talk it out.  If you stumble over it, study it again, and then talk it out again.

 About 3 days before the next test, take last year’s exam and grade yourself and diagnose what you know and what you do not know.  Study what you DO NOT KNOW.

 Good luck!!!