Learning by doing: construction and manipulation of a skeletal muscle model during lecture

Active learning, "learning by doing," enhances student performance on examinations and improves student retention of course content. Active learning also provides inquiry-based, collaborative, and problem-solving activities that promote curiosity, skepticism, objectivity, and the use of scientific reasoning. To incorporate active learning into our undergraduate anatomy and physiology course of 70 nursing students, students constructed working physical models of skeletal muscle during the scheduled class time. Our goals were to actively engage students in the process of building and testing their own mental models from the information they were acquiring. During the process, the focus was on the student acquiring knowledge, thinking about the information, testing assumptions, solving problems, and appreciating the joy, excitement, and love for learning. We conclude that the construction of physical models during class is a valuable educational experience.