536-202 Physiology (General Practical)

Note

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Chemistry 610-141 and 610-142 or 610-161 and 610-162 (before 1998:610-121 + 610-122); and Biology 600-141 and 600-142.

Corequisites

Physiology 536-201.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Experiments will be undertaken that lead to an understanding of experimental design, report writing and the acquisition of data for testing physiological concepts. Teaching will be computer based for experimental design, recording and computer-aided analysis.

Emphasis is given to comprehending:

• the way experimental methods can be used to answer physiological questions;

• the methods needed to study physiological mechanisms at the level of an individual organ;

• the design of experiments to analyse the mechanisms that maintain normal physiological behaviour in humans.

Students will develop:

• skills to accurately record physiological observations, and the ability to draw appropriate conclusions from the results of physiological experiments;

• the ability to write clear and concise descriptions of experimental data and the conclusions that can be drawn from them.

Discussions in workshops will:

• place experimental data into the context of theoretical knowledge;

• explore the difference between experimentally and theoretically derived knowledge;

• cover ethical issues;

• cover reasons why some experiments are carried out on isolated tissues and why other experiments are performed on living subjects; and

• explore the importance of relating results obtained in living subjects to those obtained from isolated tissues and vice versa.

Assessment

Continuous assessment of report writing, assignment and a 1-hour examination at the end of semester.