Using round table labs to complement didactic lectures and experimental labs.

In an effort to teach the volume of material needed by physiology students as well as to enhance the student's understanding of physiological mechanisms, a combination of teaching methods is being used at the undergraduate level. Didactic lectures are used to convey the mass of information needed, experimental labs are used to aid the student in visualizing concepts, and situational labs [called round table labs (RTLs) here] are used to provide an opportunity for the student to learn, in a risk-free setting, how to answer application questions. The RTLs utilize discussion, writing, verbal communication, and analytic thinking. The major emphasis of the RTLs is on the integrative nature of physiology. Use of the RTLs bridges, the gap among the facts learned in the didactic lecture, the hands-on learning of the experimental lab, and the need to be able to apply what is being learned. Using this combination facilitates student learning such that the student reaches a level of proficiency with the subject beyond that which can be attained with the more traditional lecture-exam format.