Come to class. I will use class time to tell you about the systems we are studying, not to dictate notes. I will give you examples, and try to help you create mental images of the body structures and functions we are discussing. I will tell you which things I feel are most important for you to learn and which things are nice to know, but not essential. Feel free to record class sessions if that would be helpful.

Keep a glossary of terms. Learning the language of anatomy and physiology is essential to learning the concepts of anatomy and physiology. The physical act of writing or typing unfamiliar words, and adding your own definitions will help you become familiar with this new language more rapidly.

Fill in the lecture outline before class. Use the class web site and textbook to fill information into the outline before we discuss the subjects in class. The outline is your road map to the course. It will show you what I consider important, and how the subjects are organized. If you add information to the outline before class, you will be able to spend more time in class listening & learning, and less time furiously trying to write down what I am saying.

Recopy/rearrange notes after class into a format that is helpful for you. That may take the form of flash cards, or paragraphs, or bulleted lists, or something else that will help you make sense of the material. Copying and rearranging the information will help you learn it more rapidly.

Do the review questions as we go along. All the answer blanks are numbered, so you can fill in your answers on a separate sheet of paper. That will allow you to go over the questions more than once, and use them to confirm that you are remembering and understanding the material.

Read advice from past students. There are a lot of great ideas in there that have helped past students in this class learn anatomy and physiology. Look for things you may not have tried before.

Don’t get behind. This is not a class that lends itself to cramming. The concepts are not that difficult, but there are a lot of things to learn. If you try to cram them all into your memory right before an exam, you are more likely to raise your stress level than your exam score.

Ask questions. If you are not sure about something class-related, please ask me – either in class, or out of class, in person or via e-mail. I check and respond to e-mail messages several times a day. If you would like to reserve some time for us to talk, sign up for an appointment on my office door – Robinson Hall 104. I don’t bite – honest!