Using simple animations in physiology teaching: ventilatory patterns. A case in point.

Abstract

Constructing diagrams to explain certain physiological concepts can be challenging. There is a whole class of physiological topics, represented here by the neural generation of respiratory rhythm, that are best taught using "dynamic diagrams," a series of diagrams generated through simple animations and based on user-provided inputs. The theory of neural generation of respiratory rhythm discussed here is not necessarily correct or widely read accepted. It continues to find a place, however, in some of the most widely read textbooks of physiology, which obligates the teacher to devise effective methods of putting it across to the students. Selected criteria can be defined for identifying areas in which dynamic diagrams would be effective as a teaching tool. Unlike those animations that are used to provide a debatable alternative to wet laboratory, dynamic diagrams explaining certain theoretical concepts should have few rivals.