A fundamental shift in the traditional mode of delivery of undergraduate physiology education in 2020

From digital technologies to dissections, there is an understanding that a hands-on approach is valuable in creating life-long learning and graduates with a deeper level of understanding. This is supported by the literature and has led to a fundamental shift in the mode of delivery of human physiology education from theory only to the inclusion of laboratory practical classes. Physiology practicals utilising innovative cloud based technology were approved for delivery in Semester 1 this year. This was an exciting development which paved the way for a cohort of >500 of 2nd-year students to experience physiology via laboratory practicals. Despite plans for hands-on practicals, online delivery due to COVID-19 was reactionary and against the primary intention of a hands-on experiential curriculum. The newly introduced practicals switched to online and revealed problems creating authentic learning with missed opportunities to understand problematic data and biological variability. Challenges were recognised which became opportunities with new approaches to overcome concerns in contextualising ‘example data’. Digital supports by way of instructional videos and synchronous interactions with university staff overcame these challenges. I present on new initiatives taken to overcome some of the online challenges and include a brief comparison of two second year physiology cohorts (2019 & 2020) focusing on students’ overall topic grades in a theory-only context compared with theory and practicals. In presenting this shift in curriculum delivery, I additionally highlight the importance of flexibility, understanding, and compassion in our teaching practice for the successful implementation and continued offering of practicals in physiology education.