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A multiyear approach to student-driven investigations in exercise physiology
Kathleen A FitzPatrick1, Jay Campisi
1Department of Health Sciences, Merrimack College, North Andover, Massachusetts 01845, USA. Kathleen.FitzPatrick@Merrimack.edu
Advances in Physiology Education
|December 2, 2009
Summary
Undergraduate exercise physiology students collected data over 10 years, enabling statistically significant findings impossible in single courses. This multiyear approach enhanced scientific skill development and database contribution.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Human Performance
- Undergraduate Education
Background:
- Traditional undergraduate research opportunities are limited in scope and student numbers.
- Incorporating student-directed research into standard courses offers broader benefits.
- Single courses often lack sufficient subjects for robust human performance investigations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate student-directed investigative experiences into an exercise physiology laboratory course.
- To leverage a multiyear data collection approach to enhance statistical power and pedagogical outcomes.
- To enable students to practice essential scientific skills through hypothesis testing and data analysis.
Main Methods:
- Students enrolled in an exercise physiology course over 10 years participated as both testers and subjects.
- Data were collected on body composition, maximal oxygen consumption, and anaerobic/aerobic power.
- Students worked in groups to analyze a cumulative dataset of 217 subjects, forming and testing hypotheses.
Main Results:
- The multiyear database allowed for the observation of statistically significant differences between test groups, which were not apparent in single-course analyses.
- Students successfully generated and statistically tested hypotheses using a large, cumulative dataset.
- Collaborative writing and peer review were integral to the process, culminating in formal scientific papers.
Conclusions:
- A multiyear, student-directed research approach in exercise physiology provides significant pedagogical advantages.
- The accumulation of a large database enhances statistical power, enabling the detection of significant findings.
- This model effectively cultivates essential scientific skills, including hypothesis formation, data analysis, and scientific communication.
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