Design Your Online Anatomy & Physiology Course with Connect® Based on the Quality in Online Learning Certification

We interviewed Nash Community College instructor, Nahel Awadallah about best practices for planning your anatomy & physiology course with Connect and your Quality in Online Learning Certification.

How would you recommend a new faculty member get started?

“New McGraw Hill Connect® users can enroll in a one-hour Connect resources overview presentation. Initially, new faculty members can start by assigning SmartBook® assignments and chapter assessments. Instructors will learn to use Connect’s test bank for chapter assessments. In addition, it allows them to use the performance feature to provide feedback. Connect generates valuable reports that help faculty assess students’ mastery of the content.

Connect is a one-stop-shop for Anatomy and Physiology, as it offers the content and lab tools needed for a formative and summative assessment in the online course. The new Connect Virtual Labs and Anatomy & Physiology Revealed allow instructors to create the in-person classroom, online with realistic simulations and dissection. It’s both interactive and engaging for students. My recommendation as a new faculty member is to utilize all these tools and understand where they fit in your syllabus.”

What are some of the standards you need to keep in mind?

"1. Learning objectives should be clearly stated for each chapter.

2. Course content is structured consistently and progresses sequentially.

3. The course schedule is presented via a weekly learning module or weekly lessons.

4. Connect course should offer access to a variety of engaging resources that facilitate communication and collaboration, deliver content, and support participant learning and engagement.

5. Provide at least three types of assessments. It should include formative and summative assessments. For example, for the muscular system, you may assign the Practice Atlas, which provides images of the anatomical models and allow them to practice matching the name of the structure to the image. A second formative assessment may include a virtual lab on electrical stimulation. A third assessment, more formative, would be a series of applicable questions assigned for points from the question bank.

6. Course provides activities that emulate real-world applications of the topic, such as experiential learning, case studies, and problem-based activities. Anatomy & Physiology Revealed is a virtual dissection that provides a real-life application for anatomy. Case studies within the question bank allow students to think critically and apply what they’ve learned.

7. The course content and learning activities are directly related and in support of the achievement of the stated learning objectives."

What specific Connect tools would you recommend using?

"1. SmartBook.

2. Connect questions and test banks for assessments.

3. Anatomy & Physiology Revealed (Use videos and 3D animations).

4. Virtual Labs.

5. Practice Atlas.

6. Tegrity for exam proctoring and lecture capture."

How would you use Connect Virtual Labs in your online A&P Course?

“Connect Virtual Labs can be used as a pre-lab, substitute for the traditional labs, or post-lab experiment.

As resources become limited, the virtual labs are an excellent resource. One example, and one of my favorites, is the ‘Effects on Blood Glucose’ lab. This simulation is sometimes a challenge in-person due to the goldfish not always performing as they should. Doing it virtually, it works every time!

I recommend using it as a standard lab experiment for the courses. All virtual labs are textbook agnostic. Labs align with the learning objectives listed in the lab manuals. Virtual labs are designed to include formative and summative assessments. Faculty can use the virtual lab test bank to make a pre- and/or post-lab assessment.”