Amy


 * McWhorter, //Reflective Activity//: Organ Journal**

//Course//: Human Anatomy //Task//: Ongoing reflective exercise to be completed for each unit/module. //Objective//: To promote recall of material previously learned and encourage students to make connections between units as they take this Anatomy course. //Author//: Amy McWhorter, Ph.D., Saddleback College, amcwhorter@saddleback.edu //Method//: Asynchronous

//Instructions//: In week 1, we have reviewed the organization and function of the cell and its various organelles. You now understand how cells are organized together to form tissues. Throughout the remainder of this course we will explore the organization of the human body one organ system at a time. Your task is to maintain a weekly organ journal. 1. As you learn about the structure and function of the major organs of the body, you are to compile these into a list. 2. Below each organ, include a description of the tissue types found within. Included in this description should be a statement on how each tissue contributes to the function of the organ. 3. Finally include any special characteristics of the cells within each tissue that are important for organ function. 4. You will submit your organ journals at the end of each unit.

//Activity Author’s Note//: In Anatomy, often students are focus on memorizing material. This activity is meant to assist them in making connections between anatomical form and function. As a bonus, in completing the organ journal, students will have successfully designed their own study guides!

Amy, I really like the idea of an ongoing journal to keep all of the organ sysems organized as a study guide. We don't currently have blog capabilities within Blackboard, but the new version we are updating to in the fall will have it. The blogs can be private, or they can be shared. Sharing, of course, often gets students upset because they do not want to share their work with others who might not have done it on their own. Another option is to make it more interactive by having students work together to do a Wiki where each student (or perhaps a pair or even larger group) is responsible for completing a page on an organ. You can assign the different components of each page. By the end of the unit, each student or group will have completed an in-depth page on each organ and compiled the study guide for the unit. To meet Conrad's criteria for an effective peer partnership activity, you might want to include a way for students to correct the information that might be incorrect in a student's or group's page. This could happen just within a group, or for the class as a whole.
 * Critique of Amy McWhorter's Journal Activity above by Claire Cesareo-Silva:**
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 * Critique of Amy McWhorter's Journal Activity by Angela Plunkett **
 * Amy, **
 * I really like the idea of keeping a journal. Conrad and Donaldson say that this kind of reflective activity is important for “formative and summative self-assessment.” (p.31) I know from doing art history that I remember things better when I have to write it out, review, draw, and make connections to the “bigger picture.” I was curious to know if you have them keep an electronic journal? I guess because I’m old school, I retain the information better when I write it out by hand as opposed to typing. **** Wonderful study guide! **


 * Critique of Amy McWhorter's Journal activity by Monique Coombes: **

I love this activity. I agree with the person above that it would also serve as a wonderful study guide as well. I think this is a VERY effective assignment the way it is written.

Amy,

Beautiful! And they could include diagrams and images as well, no? Now a challenge-- can you think of how the students might be able to leverage their learning through sharing somehow with this?

LeeAnn