The highly interactive program is designed to teach the basic
physiology of the hormones involved in the regulation of plasma
calcium. It covers:
- location and structure of the parathyroid glands
- synthesis, release, transport and action of parathyroid hormone,
calcitonin and vitamin D on bone, kidney and gastrointestinal
tract,
- physiological role of calcium,
- structure of bone and bone remodelling,
- principal abnormalities of calcium metabolism - hyperparathyroidism,
hypoparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis.
High quality colour graphics are used extensively throughout the
program and features such as animation and a Hypertext facility
are used to enhance student learning. The program uses several features
to promote interactivity e.g. students are required to:
(i) label diagrams by "dragging" labels from a list and
"dropping" them into the appropriate box on the diagram,
(ii) answer a variety of self-assessment questions (multiple choice,
selecting correct phrases from a list to complete a statement, and
true/false questions with feedback). |