Realizing the actual magnitudes of aortic diameter and cardiac output: a multisensory learning approach

The conventional physiology courses consist of theoretical lectures, clinical application seminars, numerical exercises, simulations, and laboratory practices. However, in subjects that involve relevant physical quantities, even students who successfully pass exams may be unable to realize the actual quantities involved. For example, students may know what the values of the aortic diameter and cardiac output are, and they may be skilled at calculating changes in variables without being able to realize the actual physical magnitudes of the variables, resulting in limited understanding. To address this problem, here we describe and discuss simple practical exercises specifically designed to allow students to multisensory experience (touch, see, hear) the actual physical magnitudes of aortic diameter and cardiac output in adult humans at rest and exercise. The results obtained and the feedback from a student survey both clearly show that the described approach is a simple and interesting tool for motivating students and providing them with more realistic learning.