PHYS20008: Human Physiology

5% PRS; 15% CALs; 2 Mid-semester tests 15% each; 50% 2hr exam

One of the most enjoyable subjects I have done so far. For PRS 5%, you simply need to attend at least 50% of lecturers and answer some multiple choice questions with provided clickers. This helped me commit to going to lectures. The lectures are also great as the slides are excellent and Charles, who lectures 80% of the time is fantastic. Arianne had 2 lectures and Gabby did 2 weeks on kidneys. The lecture notes are also extremely thorough and easy to follow. From week 6 once kidneys are covered, the difficulty definitely ramps up as Charles tries to put the various systems covered together. A bit of memorisation is required but nothing substantial. There are 10 CAL tasks, 1 each week alternating between blogs and "concept checks." The concept checks are based on that week of lectures and can be done progressively over the week and are relatively easy. The blogs involve some question you must discuss with a bunch of people in a group online. I found them to be very annoying and time consuming. The tutors are also not generous with marks but just do the best to make a few constructive suggestions. The first midsem is on neuro and muscles and most people sail through it. The second is much more challenging. Both had their fair share of very tricky questions demanding application of the concepts. The exam has changed this semester to a complete multiple choice format (130 in total) so I found past exams quite useless. Be prepared for many diagrams and very small details to be assessed here. I would definitely suggest managing time well as most people ran out. Again, not easy but interesting and doable nonetheless.

Yes, with screen capture

Charles Sevigny, Arianne Dantas and Gabriella Farries

Yes, lots but they format has now changed.

5 Out of 5

Physiology by Silverthorn is recommended. Not necessary as lecture notes are great.

3x1 hr lectures a week

2013 Semester 2

H1

Lecture attendance/PRS (5%); CAL (15%); 2 x MST (30%); Final exam (50%)

I felt the need to write this review because this year the Exam has changed drastically. As of 2011, lecturers have decided that since Human Physiology is a pre-requisite for many of the graduate health science courses, the exam will be adapted to suit. In past exams, there has been alot of flexibility as students are able to have choice (from a selection of questions) in the questions that they want to answer. The exam has now been set up in a way where there are no longer MC questions and no longer any choice with questions. All questions must be answered and all material covered in lectures/CAL is assessable. (Although, the questions are still similar to the past exams (Short Answer Questions), so it is still a good reference)

Here's the structure of the exam:
INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS :

SECTION A: Cardiovascular system & Respiratory system
Short Answer Questions. Suggested time - 30 minutes. 25% of total marks. All questions are of equal value.
Answer both questions in the space provided.

SECTION B: Homeostasis, CNS, autonomic NS & endocrine; Digestion & Reproduction
Short Answer Questions. Suggested time – 30 minutes. 25% of total marks. Answer THREE (3) of the questions in the space provided.

SECTION C: Neural Integration, Muscle & Kidney
Long Answer Questions. Suggested time 60 minutes. 50% of total marks. Answer THREE (3) questions in the space provided.

Therefore, it is integral that you do not fall behind. Although, the 2 MST are there to motivate you to keep up to date anyway. What I didn't like about the exam was that, they didn't put point allocations for each question so it was kind of hard to determine how much detail you had to write down.

What i would have done differently? I think maybe doing the Past Papers during the semester as each topic was covered (Past MCQ would have helped for the MST's) and practicing answering short answer questions in detail. I felt that leaving Past Exam Questions to the last minute when I was under the stress and tiredness of having studied other exams caused me to be more focused on getting them done rather than trying to go through each question logically and methodically. This was probably my downfall in the exam. Finally, contribute more to the Discussion Boards and make use of your fellow eager beaver peers.

In addition to the CAL sessions that Edmund mentioned, the subject now has fortnightly MCQ submissions and Blog Discussion which formed part of the 15% CAL grade. The MCQ involved making up a question relevant to the most recent lectures; which I think lecturers used to stock up on good PRS questions for the prospective PHYS20008 cohort. The Blog Discussion (open for a week) involved the Lecturer posting up a Past Examination Question (which they felt was problematic) whereby your CAL group(s) and Demonstrator will then discuss the question. It is also a good forum to post up any queries. Completion of the MCQ and Participation towards the blog form part of your fortnightly CAL assessment grade.

I don't think Human Physiology was a difficult subject to grasp. Although I feel that this subject has set up more hurdles for students to pass in order to achieve a H1 (Hence, all the more reason to keep up to date). I know alot of people who got there Final Result and received a lower score than they expected because of this. Overall, the content made sense, extremely relevant to the workplace (prospective) and enjoyable.

Yes, with screen capture.

Dr Genevieve Morris, David Williams, Charles Sevigny and Arianne Dantas

Alot of Practice Exams

4.5 Out of 5

Silverthorn, D.U., Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach 5th Ed., 2010 - Pearson

3 x 1hr lectures; 1 x 2hr CAL sessions fortnightly

Semester 1 2011

H2A (75%)

Lecture attendance/PRS (5%); CAL (15%); 2 x MST (30%); Final exam (50%)

This subject is one of the prerequisites for a Physiology major and postgraduate health science courses. It covers the basic Physiology concepts required for third year Physiology subjects - cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, muscular, renal and some neurophysiology. The lectures were engaging and interactive. Attendance is compulsory and is worth 5% of overall marks. You will be required to lease a PRS clicker at the start of the semester for about $10. You will need this to record lecture attendance and participate in 'poll-the-audience' style questions during the lecture which makes it so fun.



The fortnightly CAL sessions involved working in a group of 3 to complete a question sheet or going through a computer program. At the end of each session there will be a past exam question which you will complete. Your demonstrator comes around and gives a mark for it.

For the final exam, study the lecture notes very thoroughly as everything in them will be examined. They could just take numbers of a diagram and make you fill them in - easy marks for anyone who remembers such as this
http://vce.atarnotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,34453.msg360716.html#msg360716 It was a short answer question so you had to do this in about 12 minutes

Yes, with screen capture

Various

Yes, lots

5 Out of 5

Human Physiology by Silverthorn

3 x 1hr lectures; 1 x 2hr CAL sessions fortnightly

2010 Semester 2

H2A