Help Your A&P Students Get Off to a Good Start

I recently posted an article in The A&P Student called Getting a Good Start in Your Anatomy & Physiology Course. In it, I run down a brief list of practical strategies students can employ from the start of their course to get a solid start in a rigorous course—a course that intimidates many beginners who are not fully prepared.

My suggested strategies are organized under three subheadings:

• Learn to read and raid your textbook
• Brush up on your study skills
• Take A&P seriously

For each of these broad categories, I list several practical and proven tips for A&P students to get a handle on things early in the course.  All have links to more detailed and specific advice from various resources.

What can we use from this in teaching undergraduate A&P?

• Early in your course, mention the importance of getting off to a good start—not waiting until the first test looms to get organized and begin working.
• Link to the article in your syllabus and/or your course web page or LMS course shell.

• Consider putting an unlabeled QR code (shown) in your syllabus or on your classroom wall.  Many students will scan the code and find the article simply out of curiosity.  Just like a snare trap!
• Have a link to the article ready to give to students who contact you about being overwhelmed with the rigor of your course.
• Consider suggesting to your students that they subscribe to The A&P Student newsletter (delivered by email, FB, LinkedIn or Twitter).
• Consider subscribing yourself—a great way to keep up with various tips and strategies you can pass on to your students.
• Even if your course has already started it's not too late to share these strategies with your students!

Want to know more?

Getting a Good Start in Your Anatomy & Physiology Course

• Kevin Patton The A&P Student 26 August 2014
• Outlines several practical strategies to begin the anatomy and/or physiology course on solid footing.  Link to this article from your syllabus and/or course web page.
• my-ap.us/1onII8I

Subscription for The A&P Student

• Choice of FREE delivery by email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
• my-ap.us/1oxkJIM

A&P is the Foundation

• Kevin Patton Lion Den Slide Collection
• FREE animated PowerPoint slide you can use in your introductory course presentation.  The link takes you to information on accessing the entire collection.  Find this one in v2, Study Tips, AP-is-foundation
• lionden.com/slides-form.htm

Free animated slide