Abstract
Background: Electrophysiology has a wide range of biomedical research and clinical applications. As such, education in the theoretical basis and hands-on practice of electrophysiological techniques is essential for biomedical students, including at the undergraduate level. However, offering hands-on learning experiences is particularly difficult in environments with limited resources and infrastructure. Methods: In 2017, we began a project to design and incorporate electrophysiology laboratory practicals into our Biomedical Physics undergraduate curriculum at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. We describe some of the challenges we faced, how we maximized resources to overcome some of these challenges, and in particular, how we used open scholarship approaches to build both educational and research capacity. Results: We succeeded in developing a number of experimental and data analysis practicals in electrophysiology, including electrocardiogram, electromyogram, and electrooculogram techniques. The use of open tools, open platforms, and open licenses was key to the success and broader impact of our project. We share examples of our practicals and explain how we use these activities to strengthen interdisciplinary learning, namely the application of concepts in physics to understanding functions of the human body. Conclusions: Open scholarship provides multiple opportunities for universities to build capacity. Our goal is to provide ideas, materials, and strategies for educators working in similar resource-limited environments.
Highlights
Electrophysiological techniques, like electromyogram (EMG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and electroencephalogram (EEG) recording, are commonly used in both clinical settings and biomedical research
We describe the techniques and tools we used to make the most of the grant funds in a limited-resource environment, and how open scholarship practices helped us broaden our impact and build not just educational and research capacity
The single-channel SpikerBox, and the later two-channel version, have been used to design practicals for undergraduates to record from cricket sensory organs[68], grasshopper neurons responding to visual stimuli[69], and to study action potentials (APs) conduction velocity in earthworms[70]
Summary
Electrophysiological techniques, like electromyogram (EMG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and electroencephalogram (EEG) recording, are commonly used in both clinical settings and biomedical research. We share examples of some of these practicals, their use in biomedical physics education, and how we integrated them into our curriculum. We describe the techniques and tools we used to make the most of the grant funds in a limited-resource environment, and how open scholarship practices (open data, open education, open hardware, open protocols, open source) helped us broaden our impact and build not just educational and research capacity. Education in the theoretical basis and hands-on practice of electrophysiological techniques is essential for biomedical students, including at the undergraduate level. Our goal is to provide ideas, materials, and strategies for educators working in similar resource-limited environments
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