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Using peer teaching to enhance problem‐solving skills in undergraduates

The ability to conceptualize problems, to brainstorm, and to question ideas within a group are fundamental to the discipline of physiology, yet undergraduates typically have few opportunities to practice these skills in a traditional curriculum. One solution to this quandary is to require introductory work outside of class, so that lecture time can be used to tackle problems in groups. A supplementary approach, which has shown great success when paired with the in‐class group work, is offering an adjunct course in physiology problem‐solving. At California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), a special 1‐unit adjunct course has recently been offered to students concurrently enrolled in Systemic Physiology. While there is faculty supervision for the course and creation of course materials (problem sets, case studies, etc.), the small problem‐solving sessions are led by pairs of undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) who are recruited by faculty. The TAs are given supervisory academic units (and, generally, letters of recommendation) for their work. Enrollment is voluntary, and has grown considerably, with over 50% of current lecture students enrolled. Attendance and participation in the 2‐hr weekly sessions is mandatory, and together with occasional writing assignments (to gauge reasoning skills) are the basis for pass/fail grading. Initial assessment of student approaches to solving exam problems shows increased success for those enrolled, and anecdotal evidence (student commentary, nature of student‐posed questions, and anonymous evaluations) suggests the course is meeting its goal. Recent advances include an emphasis on quantitative skills and raw data interpretation, small steps in the goal of fulfilling its course designation of “Advanced Problems in Physiology”.