BIOL305L Session 1: Human Factors and Human Anatomy Laboratory

Class Icebreaker & Student Introductions

• Instructor Background:

  • The lab instructor is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Human Factors.

• Icebreaker Exercise:

  • Students were asked to share their name, hometown, and either their favorite kitchen tool or a TV show they are currently watching.

  • Jacob:

  • Hometown: New Hampshire.

  • Favorite Kitchen Tool: Spatula (classic tool).

  • Opinions on Utensils: Considers knives cool, but views spoons and forks as overrated; discussed the safety and utility of a spork.

  • Tyler:

  • Hometown: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

  • Favorite Kitchen Tool: Silicone spatula used for baking.

  • Mia:

  • Hometown: Melbourne (local area).

  • Favorite Kitchen Tool: Butter knife (noted for its versatility, including opening containers).

  • Maya:

  • Hometown: Connecticut.

  • Favorite Kitchen Tool: Cast iron skillet (classic tool that enhances food flavor over time).

  • Anna:

  • Hometown: Naples, Florida.

  • Favorite Kitchen Tool: Fork (simple, versatile for general meals, soup, and shrimp).

• Discussion on Appliances & Local Establishments:

  • Air Fryer: Debated whether an air fryer qualifies as a kitchen utensil or a full appliance.

  • Trader Joe's: Discussed as a popular local grocery store carrying unique organic goods and linked conceptually to Aldi.

  • Greenwise: Formerly located near Granada; carried organic, imported, fresh produce, and grass-fed products prior to closing.

Course Overview & Syllabus Guidelines

• Primary Course Leadership:

  • Primary Course Instructor: Dr. Fleming.

• Grading Scale:

  • Standard academic scale applies across the course, with a minimum threshold of $90\%$ required for an A grade.

• Participation & Absence Policy:

  • Participation is the single largest component of the final lab grade, calculated primarily through attendance and active lab completion.

  • Missed lab activities cannot be made up under any circumstances.

  • Mandatory Notification: Absences require an email to the lab assistant or Dr. Fleming at least $24\,\text{hours}$ prior to class. Dr. Fleming retains sole authority over absence excusals.

  • Unexcused or unnotified absences disqualify a student from participating in or receiving credit for the lab report corresponding to that specific lab activity.

• Pre-Lab Quizzes:

  • Pre-lab quizzes must be completed online prior to attending class.

  • Failure to complete the pre-lab quiz prohibits the student from participating in that day's lab session.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & Dress Code:

  • Required Attire: Lab coat, long pants, and closed-toe shoes.

  • PPE is mandatory for all functional lab sessions.

• Laboratory Safety & Rules:

  • No food, drinks, or chewing gum are permitted inside the laboratory room.

  • Closed water bottles are permitted in the room, but consumption requires stepping outside the room (bottles should be left on the designated outside table).

• Course Manual / Lab Manual:

  • The manual was rewritten and restructured by Dr. Fleming and is accessible via Canvas or the campus print shop.

  • Correct Manual Cost: Approximately $\\$20$. Students should be aware that bookstore erroneous charges (such as$\$65$) are incorrect.

Anatomical Practical Examinations & Study Resources

• Midterm Lab Practical:

  • Scope: Skeletal system (bones and labeled bony structures) and histology (identification of cell slides).

  • Format: Station-based exam around the room. Labeled structures correspond to numbered stations; students write down exact structural names on answer sheets.

  • Grading Metric: Exact spelling is strictly enforced; misspelled structural terms receive no credit.

  • Histology Requirements: Correctly identify specific cell slide types and record proper anatomical nomenclature.

• Final Lab Practical:

  • Scope: Cumulative assessment covering both the skeletal system and the muscular system (utilizing anatomical muscle models and torsos).

  • Format: Station-based evaluation consisting of comprehensive identification questions.

• Office Hours & Student Support:

  • Schedule: Wednesdays from $9:00\,\text{AM}$ to $11:00\,\text{AM}$ in the laboratory classroom (beginning the second week of the semester).

  • Academic Research: Hunt Library portal should be accessed via Canvas for peer-reviewed literature required for lab reports.

  • Additional Campus Services: Food Pantry and Health Services.

Comprehensive Laboratory Report Guidelines

• Grading Weight & Frequency:

  • Lab reports account for $15\%$ of the total course grade.

  • A total of $3$ formal lab reports will be assigned across the semester.

• Submission & Group Rules:

  • Submitted online through Canvas.

  • Deadline: Due at $11:59\,\text{PM}$ on the day before the next scheduled lab session.

  • Completed in designated student groups ($2$ to $3$ members per group). Only $1$ group member submits the report file on Canvas for the entire group.

• Mandatory Peer Review Form:

  • Each student must individually submit a peer review form on Canvas for every lab report.

  • Required Content: Member names, explicit description of individual contributions (specific sections completed), numerical contribution score, and written feedback.

  • Mandatory Scoring Rule: Each group member MUST be assigned a different numerical score (e.g., assigning all group members a $5$ or all a $0$ is strictly prohibited).

• Structural Requirements & Word Counts:

  • Title / Header: Must contain accurate titles, member names, and bolded structural section headings.

  • Abstract: Placed directly on the first page for undergraduates (no separate title page required). Must NOT contain tables, graphs, figures, cited references, or granular methodological details. Must explicitly state the hypothesis and primary findings.

  • Introduction: Minimum word count of $500\,\text{words}$. Requires extensive background information, experimental purpose, theoretical context, in-text citations, and an explicit hypothesis statement. Must be written in complete paragraphs (no bullet points).

  • Materials & Methods / Procedure: Written as a third-person narrative paragraph detailing step-by-step procedures. Equipment and materials must be introduced organically within the narrative flow as used. Must contain sufficient detail to allow exact replication.

  • Results & Discussion: Target length of $350$ to $500\,\text{words}$. Presents raw and processed data in formatted tables and figures. All figures and tables must include descriptive titles, column/axis labels, numerical data, and standard units of measurement. Requires narrative interpretation of data, hypothesis evaluation, and identification/impact analysis of potential experimental errors.

  • Conclusion: Target length of $100$ to $200\,\text{words}$. Summarizes key findings, confirms whether the hypothesis was supported or rejected, and outlines real-world applications and broader scientific implications.

  • References: Formatted according to strict APA style with hanging indents. Only peer-reviewed academic sources are permitted (sources like Wikipedia are strictly forbidden). Must correlate perfectly with in-text citations.

Analysis of Simulated Mock Lab Report

• Mock Paper Context:

  • Students evaluated a mock sample report written on Mjolnir (Thor's hammer), attributed to the "God of Mischief" at the "University of Asgard".

• Identified Structural & Formatting Errors:

  • Title & Headers: Title was phrased as a question rather than a statement; proper nouns were uncapitalized ("mjolnir"); title list lacked semicolon punctuation between names and titles; missing course code and institutional affiliation; misspelled author name ("Tony" vs "Tony").

  • Abstract: Failed to include an explicit hypothesis statement, omitted experimental summaries, and provided no quantitative results.

  • Introduction: Failed the $500\,\text{word}$ minimum requirement, lacked an explicit hypothesis statement, and omitted mandatory in-text citations.

  • Materials & Methods: Written incorrectly in second-person narrative ("your"); listed equipment never mentioned in the procedure (e.g., $12\,\text{oz}$ hammer vs $8\,\text{oz}$ rubber mallet); failed to detail actionable experimental steps.

  • Results & Discussion: Contained no numerical data values, metrics, or units of measurement; figures (Figure 1 and Figure 2) lacked descriptive labels and legends; recorded irrelevant parameters (such as bicep circumference) without explaining biological relevance; dismissed experimental error with superficial statements ("we did everything right"); cited Thor as a primary personal reference source.

  • Conclusion & Appendix: Conclusion was extremely brief ($80$–$100\,\text{words}$) and deferred mentioning hypothesis rejection until the end; speculated on non-tangible personal attributes and electromagnetism; appendix graphs were unlabelled and illegible.

  • References: Cited Wikipedia as the primary source, violated APA formatting guidelines, and lacked peer-reviewed journal sources.

  • Final Assessment: Assigned failing grades ($0$s and $2$s out of standard rubric criteria) due to complete non-compliance with scientific documentation standards.

Anatomical Regions & Body Systems Review Activity

• Anatomical Regions Identified:

  • Acromial: Point of the shoulder.

  • Patellar: Anterior surface of the knee (kneecap).

  • Oral: Mouth cavity.

  • Antebrachial: Forearm (region between elbow and wrist).

  • Cervical: Neck region.

  • Carpal: Wrist joint (associated with carpal tunnel syndrome).

  • Lingual: Tongue.

  • Pedal: Foot (e.g., depressing a foot pedal).

  • Tarsal: Ankle region.

  • Axillary: Armpit region.

  • Occipital / Cephalic: Base of the skull / general head region.

• Human Body Systems & Associated Features:

  • Endocrine System: Regulatory system governing hormones (e.g., testosterone, estrogen, insulin).

  • Cardiovascular System: Circulatory network encompassing the heart, blood vessels, and blood movement.

  • Reproductive System: Facilitates gamete production, meiosis, and egg/sperm development.

  • Integumentary System: Derived from Latin integumentum ("to cover like a shell"); includes skin, sweat glands, epidermal layers, and cutaneous protection.

  • Muscular System: Enables skeletal movement, posture maintenance, and cellular oxygenation demands during metabolic exertion.

  • Nervous System: High-speed electrical and chemical signaling network, neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin), and spinal/brain regulation.

Anatomical Planes, Directional Terms, & Abdominopelvic Regions

• Anatomical Cut Planes:

  • Sagittal Plane: Longitudinal cut dividing the body into right and left portions.

  • Frontal (Coronal) Plane: Longitudinal cut dividing the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions.

  • Transverse Plane: Horizontal cut dividing the body into superior (top) and inferior (bottom) portions.

• Abdominopelvic Division Systems:

  • Four Quadrants:

  • Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)

  • Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)

  • Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)

  • Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

  • Nine Regional Divisions:

  • Epigastric Region: Superior central region located above the umbilical zone.

  • Umbilical Region: Centrally located region surrounding the navel.

  • Hypogastric Region: Inferior central region located below the umbilical zone.

  • Hypochondriac Regions (Right & Left): Flanking the epigastric region.

  • Lumbar Regions (Right & Left): Flanking the umbilical region.

  • Iliac / Inguinal Regions (Right & Left): Flanking the hypogastric region.

• Organ Mapping to Abdominopelvic Quadrants & Regions:

  • Stomach & Spleen: Located in the Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ) / Epigastric region.

  • Appendix: Located in the Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ) / Right Iliac region.

  • Small Intestine: Extends across central umbilical and lower abdominopelvic regions.

  • Bladder: Located in the Hypogastric region (lower midline pelvic cavity).

  • Left Ovary: Located in the Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ) / Left Iliac region.

• Directional Terminology Definitions:

  • Proximal: Positioned closer to the point of origin or trunk of the body.

  • Superficial: Situated near or on the surface of the body.

  • Cephalic: Relating to or located near the head.

Post-Lab Quiz & Recommended Study Strategies

• Closed-Note Evaluation:

  • Covered anatomical cut planes, directional terms, anatomical region identification, and abdominopelvic organ placement.

• Recommended Learning Strategies:

  • Atlas Slide Review: Study the Atlas slide presentations available under the Lab Canvas module.

  • Digital Flashcards: Utilize Quizlet sets to master complex muscle names, bony landmarks, and anatomical nomenclature.

  • Weekly Self-Testing: Re-test anatomical region diagrams and physical station setups weekly to build cumulative recall prior to practical examinations.