Anatomy Terms Lists

You may already be familiar with the handy lists of the literal meanings of anatomy terms that you may encounter in a typical human anatomy and physiology course.

These are discussed in the following blog articles:

• Translating Muscle Names
• Learning Bones & Skeletal Features

In addition to the printable handouts that have been available for some time, I've also recently added interactive web versions to the Lion Den website. Here's a preview:

Click the image (at the blog) to enlarge the table to see details.

The muscle names list is found at lionden.com/muscle-names.htm

The list of bone marking types is found at lionden.com/bone-names-2.htm

The list of names of individual bones and markings is found at lionden.com/bone-names.htm

To download the printable handout versions of these lists go to lionden.com/downloads.htm

All of the links above require a free membership in the Lion Den.


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You, Too, Can Join the Lions!

We recently implemented the membership function of the new Lion Den website.

Besides the awesome prestige of being on the membership roster of the Lion Den, you will also have an easy way to access the various resources you may want or need in your learning or teach of human anatomy and physiology. For example, the world famous Lion Den Slide Collection is a free perk of membership.

And did I mention that membership in the Lion Den is free? What a great deal, eh?

Honestly, most of the pages in Lion Den can still be accessed without a membership. Only a few downloadable resources require a membership. But I plan on adding more members-only resources in the future. And if you join now, you'll have bragging rights that you were one of the first to join. And among lions, bragging rights are mighty important!

To join, go to the membership signup page at http://lionden.com/join-us.htm or simply click "Become a member" under "User Guides" in the top navigation menu of any page in the Lion Den.

As always, thanks for your support!

Photo: Winfried Bruenken

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Videos and Pencasts Updated

I recently updated the codes for all the videos and pencasts embedded in pages of the Lion Den.  Most of these are in the Study Tips & Tools section of the website.

The updates were required because they use Flash/Shockwave code, which is now no longer recognized by most major browsers.  The new code work as good or better than the old code, so now the videos will work just fine.

Livescribe has completely changed the way  pencasts are shared, and can no longer function within a webpage.  The good news is that they are still easy to use.  But the new format did require that I recast things on my end where they had appeared on web pages.  Again, these are mainly on the Study Tips & Tools pages.

Here's a sample video on Exam Strategies from the page Taking Tests.




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New Online Orientation for Pre-A&P (BIO 095)

I recently updated the Online Orientation for my online "refresher" course in Pre-A&P Foundations in Science.

Besides updating the content of the orientation to reflect recent changes in our college website, I also replaced the previous audio version with a new video version.  The video version has closed captioning.  So for the hearing impaired (or the sound-sensitive) I have two options: captions in the video or a read-only print version.

The Online Orientation page is found at lionden.com/fis-orientation.htm

Watch the video

If you're not familiar with  my Pre-A&P course and want an overview, please check out lionden.com/fis-overview.htm

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Pre-A&P Syllabus Updates for Spring 2016

Today, I updated the syllabus for Pre-A&P Spring 2016.

The updates include:

• revised list of audit/drop dates
• clarification of extra/special help availability
• updated links/references to resources now available through the new mySCC portal

Also, the copyright date notice for all pages in the Lion Den was updated to reflect the new year.

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New Textbook and Video Content in Pre-A&P Outlines

Today I added some additional mini-icons to the Review Outlines for my Pre-A&P-Foundations in Science course.

The textbook references link to "open" textbooks from OpenStax and textbook content from Kahn Academy.  There is a new "book" icon that identifies these links.

There are also several new links pointing to videos from Kahn Academy, identified by the "video icon."


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PRE-A&P Syllabus Updated

I just did my usual pre-semester update to the BIO 095 (Pre-A&P) syllabus.

There are no changes to the course, but the syllabus as been revised to include a list of learning outcomes for each course objective to better inform readers of the content and learning goals of the course.

A number of sentences or paragraphs were tweaked to better clarify course policies, procedures, and goals.

The list of withdrawal dates for fall and spring offerings of the course was updated. Read More!

Updated Teaching Resources and RSS feeds

Today the pages focused on resources for A&P teachers were updated. Links to these pages can be found at lionden.com/ap_teacher_resource.htm

Also updated are the RSS feeds that are found near the bottom of most anatomy & physiology related pages.  The posts from feeds now shows up in a different format that is more compatible with the overall design of the Lion Den website.

The feeds are also categorized as "for A&P students" or "for A&P teachers" to better focus the user.  Teacher-related content appears only on pages that are specifically directed to teachers.  Student-related content appears on all A&P-related pages.

The change in feeds also represents a move to a different feed aggregator than used previously. Read More!

Handbook of Anatomy & Physiology

Last week I added a new page in the Lion Den describing a new tool for your A&P learning toolbox:

Mosby's Handbook of Anatomy & Physiology

First introduced a decade ago, this popular pocket guide has been completely updated with newly revised content and an almost complete redraw of the illlustrations.

Many A&P students have found this guide useful in their first A&P course.  But they've also found that it's a great tool to have in their pockets during later courses, especially clinical experiences, and even in their jobs, as they've needed a quick refresher on essential structures & functions of the human body.

Many clinicians find the Handbook of A&P to be a great tool for patient teaching.  The diagrams and tables often help explain basic anatomy or physiology to a patient trying to understand their health condition or a medical procedure.

The handbook is also useful in other professions such as insurance, art illustration, law enforcement, fashion, fitness,  and business, when knowing about the structure or function of the body (or its parts) is helpful to getting the job done right.

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New edition of Survival Guide for A&P

Over the past weekend, I updated the page regarding the Survival Guide for A&P, which has recently come out in a second, expanded edition.

Some of the new features include: 

• Two additional sections on key study skills, bringing the total to 12.
• Expanded tables on muscles and bones that include pronunciation guides and literal translations of each structure listed.
• More of those popular cartoons highlighting principles and analogies covered in the guide.
• More analogies and models to help student get some of the common sticky points in the A&P course.
• New sections on text anxiety, using digital tools for learning, and English as a second language.
• A lot more!

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BIO 095 pages updated

I recently updated the navigation menue, Syllabus (lionden.com/fis.htm), and other course pages for BIO 095 to reflect the change in name of this course.

BIO 095 will now be called Pre-A&P Foundations in Science.

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Updated "Bone Names" page

I recently added additional advice to the page Bone Names in the Field Guide to the Body series:

Plain Latin

Yeah, I know it would be SO much easier if bone names were in plain English. But they're not, and no amount of whining (I've discovered) is going to change that.

But bone names are in plain "everyday" Latin. Meaning that most bone names are simple—and I meanreally simple—Latin words and phrases. For example, the bone name tibia sounds weird to us but it's simply "shin-bone" in Latin. Likewise, humerus is "arm," sternum is "breast-bone," and femur is simply "thigh."

And some terms you know already, because the Latin name is also the English name. For example, you already know rib, skull, and pelvis.

The point is that it makes learning bone names far easier if you approach it as simply learning new names for things you (pretty much) already know.

Let's look at this approach a little more closely . . . click Bone Names for more

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Learning bone names

I recently added a new page in The Field Guide to the Human Body™ series:

Bone Names

This page has a variety of hints on how to get started learning the human skeleton by getting a handle on the terminology of bones and bone markings.

There are also links to handouts that can be used a reference to employ the suggested methods of study.

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Added page on mnemonics for A&P

Today I added a new page in the Study Tips & Tools section of the Lion Den.  This one outlines the use of mnemonic devices (memory aids) in studying A&P.

Mnemonics are particularly useful for remembering lists.

Check it out at lionden.com/mnemonics.htm Read More!

Reading strategies

Today I added a new video to my Reading Strategies page at lionden.com/reading.htm

Or you can view it here.

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Confusing test deadlines and broken SCC links

Because Moodle cannot post both the ORIGINAL deadline for an online test and an EXTENDED deadline for an online test, some students have become confused.

Today, I expanded the explanation for this and further emphasized the need to NOT rely on the deadlines seen in Moodle.

As always, I strongly suggest checking my MOODLE HELP pages when you become confused about anything experienced in Moodle.

Here's the updated entry at lionden.com/moodle-test-not-available.htm

The test asks for a password, what's that about?

The end date of the test has not passed, but I cannot enter the test.

After a test ends, a student may request that their one-time Free Parking pass be used to re-open the test. When any student is allowed to use their Free Parking pass, the test date is extended to the end of classes for that semester and only those students who have been granted their Free Parking will be given a unique password that allows them to re-enter the test.

If you encounter a test that seems to be open (because of its date) but asks for a password, that means that it is open only to those students who have redeemed their Free Parking pass and have received their unique password. That test will remain closed to all other students.

The official online test dates are found in your printed syllabus. They are also available at:

• A&P 1 online test dates
• A&P 2 online test dates
• Also check for changes in the NEWS FORUM section of the course home page in Moodle
  • These changes are also sent to your SCC CougarMail inbox.

Do NOT rely on the end dates appearing in Moodle quizzes, as they may reflect extensions for those who have redeemed their Free Parking pass.

Broken SCC links for Moodle help 

Because SCC keeps changing the URL of it's own MOODLE HELP pages without informating faculty who use these links, I've removed most of the links to SCC's Moodle help. However, I have updated the main link to SCC Moodle help and you can access the the most current links there.

I have also updated all links to the SCC Help Desk.

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A&P 1 Learning Outlines

I just finished updating the Learning Outlines for Anatomy & Physiology 1 (BIO 240) to better reflect the updated content of our textbook, Anatomy & Physiology, 8e.

Although all course documents are now updated and ready to use for the Fall 2012 semester, please be aware that individual pages are continually updated as needed.  Major updates are announced in this Lion Den blog.  However, it is recommended that students use the "Watch this Page" button to register for alerts to particular pages important in their course(s).

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Fall 2012 syllabi (sort of) ready

Updated syllabi for BIO 240 and BIO 242 are now live.

These are essentially ready to roll for the fall semester--but expect a few tweaks in the next couple of weeks. Read More!

Why test answers are not automatically provided

Today, I added a new item in the FAQs for my A&P courses regarding the value of not automatically providing test answers when an online test is graded. 

Here's my answer:

When online tests are graded, you are provided with information on which items are marked as incorrect. You are then expected to FIND THE ANSWERS on you own. This is an active form of learning and is a vitally important part of the whole concept of online testing and learning.

Your test is a LEARNING EXPERIENCE as much as it is an evaluation of progress. If I provide the correct answers automatically, you will have no reason to go back to your resources and find the answers. You'll thus miss out on a critical learning opportunity! And, most importantly, you'll have no long-term recollection of the correct concept!

Visit lionden.com/ap-faq.htm#online-answers to see this item on the FAQ page. Read More!

What's a SECTION grade in Moodle?

In some of my Moodle courses, I have an entry in the gradebook called Section.  Moodle reports a percentage for that grade and it has caused some concern among students when looking at the gradebook.  To explain what's going on, I've added an explanation at lionden.com/moodle-course-grade.htm#section

Here's the story found at the new item in Moodle Help in the Lion Den:

In some "meta" courses where there are more than one course section all rolled into one Moodle course shell, a grade called Section may appear in the grade book. This is usually in the "miscellaneous" grade category. This is NOT a grade.

The Section entry is merely the number assigned to the course section in which you are enrolled for a course. For example, in BIO 240 01, then "1" is your section number. If you are enrolled in BIO 240 80, then "80" is your section number. It's merely there to help me figure out where you belong when I submit grades to the registrar.

Moodle, however, being a silly computer program and not a real person, does not understand this. So Moodle assigns you a percentage for Section, as if it's a real grade. Ignore that percentage. It's meaningless.

Ordinarily, NOTHING in the "miscellaneous" grade category is part of your course grade.

Not all courses have a Section grade. Read More!