HAPS Web 15- Partnering with the LifeSciTRC!

January 19, 2015 comcomgroupLeave a comment

APS Life Science Teaching Resource Community — Access HAPS resources from the Life Science Teaching Resource Community directly from the HAPS website!

Welcome back from the holiday! The Communications Committee (responsible for maintaining this blog) took a restful break and we’re fired up and ready for a new set of fun blog posts.

Not surprisingly, while the Communications Committee (fondly known as the ComCom) was enjoying good food, the rest of the HAPS leadership was hard at work maintaining this great organization. True to the theme describing all the amazing resources HAPS has to offer its members, today’s post is about a new partnership garnered over the break.

HAPS works hard to provide its members with high quality teaching resources and the intention of this blog theme is to make sure HAPSters know what is available to them. And true to form, instead of sitting back and admiring the good work that has been done, the HAPS leadership has been busy pursuing additional resources and conveniences for its membership. This is evidenced by a recent addition to the HAPS website.

HAPS enjoys a strong partnership with the American Physiological Society (APS). This is the society that maintains the Life Science Teaching Resource Community (formally known as the APS Archive of Teaching Resources), which was featured in a series of HAPS blog posts last year. HAPS has always been a partner with APS and has actively contributed resources to the LifeSciTRC. For example, materials developed in HAPS-I courses have always been published in the LifeSciTRC. However, in the last few weeks, HAPS Executive Director Peter English has taken this partnership a step further. Peter put together a page within the HAPS website that explicitly brings together the materials from these HAPS-I courses since 2012! The resources are organized into collections that put all course content in one easy to access link.

So check out this latest addition to the wealth of resources found on the HAPS website.

HAPS-I: Rational Course Design

August 10, 2014August 10, 2014 Wendy RiggsLeave a comment

Image from http://www.zazzle.com/rational_as_pi_tshirt-235552823010272068 — Maybe I need some lessons on being RATIONAL.
(Tshirt available at Zazzle.com)

I am sometime surprised by the way I can squeeze time out of an apparently packed week. But just like students often “need” the pressure of a quiz to remain diligent in their studies, I find tasks easier to complete if they are linked with looming deadlines.

So! In a moment of brilliant justification, I decided to sign up for Margaret Weck’s HAPS-I course on rational course design. Ready for the justification? It is simple. I will be teaching Human Physiology in the spring semester and have already decided to re-work the entire course. I’ve taught Physio many times in the past and feel it needs a giant overhaul. This means new labs, new lectures, new projects…the whole deal. And of course, I’ve been wondering where I would come up with the time to DO this overhaul—(insert heroic music here!)—HAPS and Dr. Weck to the rescue!

The course description states: Participants will produce syllabi for new or existing courses that demonstrate the principles of rational course design. As part of this process sample assignments and assessments will also be developed that could be used in any course to demonstrate student achievement of the A&P Learning Outcomes. Clearly, this is the perfect opportunity to learn from the amazing Margaret Weck, complete a comprehensive overhaul of my course, and take advantage, yet again, of all the ways HAPS helps me become a better teacher.

So join me! This will be a fun class! You can earn two graduate credits for the course, or just take it for professional development. And remember—you can still apply for a HAPS-I scholarship to help you pay for the course. The deadline to apply for this generous award is Friday August 15.

HAPS-I Scholarships

August 4, 2014 Wendy RiggsLeave a comment

The HAPS Institute offers working Anatomy and Physiology instructors the opportunity to earn graduate credits or just gain Professional Development in a variety of flexible formats tailored to their busy schedule.

This might surprise you (!) but we Anatomy and Physiology instructors are usually pretty busy people. HAPS, as usual, aims to support us by offering opportunities for professional development via HAPS Institute (HAPS-I) courses. These courses are designed to broaden our understanding of our subject by enabling us to participate in interactive learning communities made of peers who are also teaching anatomy and/or physiology. HAPS-I courses include both subject-specific content as well as practical teaching and learning methodology and in this way exemplify the mission of HAPS as a whole. Additionally, each course provides participants with the opportunity to publish their work in the peer-reviewed Life Science Teaching Resource Community. Courses are available in two separate tracts to maximize flexibility for participants, allowing them to earn graduate credits or simply participate in the course for professional development.

The next round of HAPS-I courses are scheduled to begin between August 24 and September 15. I’d personally like to take all of them. Dr. Margaret Weck’s course on Rational Course Design “briefly reviews the major concepts associated with the “backwards design” model of rational course development, which stresses the value of thinking through the ultimate outcome goals (both in content mastery and cognitive skill development) for a course as a first step the course design process.” I want to take that class! And Dr George Ordway’s course on Advanced Cardiovascular Physiology will “provide college-level instructors with an opportunity to develop their understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system, including key cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for function of the heart and blood vessels.” Oooh! I want to take that class too! And then Dr. Chad Wayne will be offering THREE classes on reproductive physiology. Whaaaat?!?!?! I want to take ALL of those classes!

And not only does HAPS offer these amazing courses, they also offer scholarships to support you in TAKING these cool courses. In fact, the next scholarship deadline is August 15. To be eligible for this scholarship, you need to be a HAPS member in good standing, you must be a regular full-time employee teaching anatomy and physiology, and you must have a teaching load that includes at least one section/class of anatomy and/or physiology.

So pick the fall HAPS-I course you’d like to complete, and apply for that HAPS-I scholarship by August 15. And then vote on which class you think should I take!

25- HAPS and Social Media

July 7, 2014 Wendy Riggs5 Comments

I am the chair of the HAPS Communication Committee (affectionately known as the HAPS ComCom). Our committee’s task is to promote HAPS via social media. This is a really interesting task. HAPS currently has active accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. We are exploring Instagram as well.

Wow...there are a lot of ways to share your thoughts via social media. But who's listening? — Wow…there are a lot of ways to share your thoughts via social media. But who’s listening?

But when I think about all the possible social media outlets, it is easy to become overwhelmed. How can we increase our audience? And how many HAPSters participate in social media anyway? It actually became a rather amusing quest for me at the annual conference in May to find HAPSters who tweet…let me just say tweeting HAPSters were few and far between. Thankfully, we did find Sarah Balizan, (also known as the HAPS Twitter Queen), who’s doing an inspirational job of keeping the HAPS Twitter account active.

Right now, and for the next couple of weeks, we will be engaged in a bit of a social media experiment with the Anatomia Italiana crew while they are on their exciting Italian field trip starting this week. Team leader Kevin Petti has generously agreed to provide us with lots of social media fodder to share. He will be writing posts for this blog, as well as doing daily updates via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Our Communications Committee is mobilized to re-tweet, favorite, and otherwise share his Italian updates. I’m excited to see if our team can generate some increased interest in our social media presence.

So I’m curious. How do HAPSters use social media? Are you interested in following Anatomia Italiana around Italy? Do you tweet? Do you use Facebook? Have you explored Google+ or LinkedIn?

So weigh in on this poll and follow the hype for the next couple of weeks. Then let us know what you think. In the meantime, happy communicating!

HAPS Leadership (#25): 2014 Annual Conference preparations

April 30, 2014 tplehmanLeave a comment

HAPS 2014 is in 24 days! The Annual Conference for the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society starts in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, May 24th. If you haven’t yet, start making plans. It’s a great week, full of incredible events and people. Let’s listen in on two new HAPS members planning for their first conference.

P. Langerhans: Frank, I’m excited to attend my first HAPS conference this next month. I’ve lurked on the list-serv for a few years and read the HAPS-EDucator, but otherwise I haven’t been too involved. However, I’ve always wanted to visit Florida, so I decided to sign up for the Jacksonville conference. I’ve never been to the area, so tell me what it’ll be like.

F. Netter: Paul, The Jacksonville area is gorgeous. We’ll be staying at the Hyatt Regency, which is right on the Riverfront. There’ll be a lot of neat places to see within walking distance. Best of all, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival will be just a few blocks away. Live music to sample throughout the weekend. The Marketplace is next door, with lots of great restaurants. There’s a water taxi that can easily take you to restaurants and parks across the river.

P. Langerhans: Well, I’m glad that I found you as a roommate. I don’t know any other HAPS members, so I was worried about finding a roommate. However, the HAPS website has a Roommate Finder forum as well as a Guide for First-timers. Man, that was really helpful in figuring out what to expect. I just read that the HAPS Foundation has organized a 5K Fun Run for Monday morning. We’ll be running along the Riverwalk and over the Main Street bridge. It’ll be an early morning – race starts at 7:00 a.m. – but that gives us time to make the Business meeting.

F. Netter: I’ve been reading the Sneak Peeks at the Update Seminar speakers. There’s a great diversity of topics, so I’m curious to see how they go. I’ve also signed up for one of the HAPS-I courses, so that’ll be another great way to meet HAPSters and explore the conference.

P. Langerhans: Which course did you sign up for? I was curious, but was too late. I need to learn more about those courses.

F. Netter: All HAPS-I courses are graduate credit level courses and can be applied towards a Master’s or Ph.D. program. They’re run through Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can find the list of courses on the website. New courses are announced on Facebook and Twitter. They even have financial aid available. They accept applications four times a year and the awarded scholarships may be used anytime up to 12 months after receipt, so you might as well apply now.

P. Langerhans: Good idea. I’ll check it out and apply. I’m curious to check out the Saturday reception. President-elect Tom Lehman has mentioned the Shirt Swap for that night. Bring a shirt from your institution and be prepared to swap it for someone else’s shirt. I guess he’s into tie-dye something fierce and will be bringing several tie-dyed shirts to swap. Sunday morning, we’ve got the First-timers breakfast with the Presidents Emeriti, where we get to learn about the “ins and outs” of HAPS and realize how much we can get out of a conference and the Society as a whole.

F. Netter: You mentioned that you’re presenting a workshop. The workshops will be at Florida State College – South Campus. I’ve checked their website; it looks like an incredible campus. I can’t wait to see the labs. I’ve checked the workshop schedule and realize that I’m going to have a hard time choosing which to go to. There are so many cool ones!

P. Langerhans: I know. I was scared to present, but I’ve talked with other workshop presenters and they say it’s a great experience. The attendees are excited to learn and share. Several people said they came away with pages of new ideas to take home and try. That sounds amazing to me. I’ve even downloaded the HAPS 2014 Annual Conference app to keep track of the workshops and seminars that I want to attend. Say, are you taking the Thursday trip to St. Augustine?

F. Netter: You bet. That place sounds incredible. The restaurants look amazing! I was able to squeeze it into my travel itinerary, so I’m excited to see what the day trip is like. Man, I can’t wait for the conference and join the ranks of HAPS minions!

How about you?

14- HAPS-I Courses

April 14, 2014 Wendy RiggsLeave a comment

AES_Workshop WIKIsmall — It is always fun to see how OTHER people teach! This “Adventures in Engineering and Science” instructor looks interesting…

Professional development is a key component of maximizing your success as a teacher. I feel lucky to be able to take advantage of many opportunities for professional development provided by HAPS, such as the Annual Conference and the email listserv, for example. But HAPS offers other opportunities for professional development that perhaps you weren’t aware of. For example, we all have access to graduate level courses through the HAPS Institute (aka HAPS-I).

There are three new HAPS-I courses beginning April 18. The majority of each course takes place online, though all three courses have a face-to-face component that will happen at the Annual Conference in Jacksonville FL at the end of May.

Current Topics in Anatomy and Physiology is being taught by Jason LaPres from Lone Star College in Houston TX. The one unit course focuses on the specific research presented in the update seminars at the Annual Conference in FL.
LaPres is also teaching a course called Teaching Respiratory Physiology I- Functional Anatomy and Ventilation. This two credit course requires participants to create lesson plans that facilitate the teaching of respiratory topics to undergrads.
Dr. Bryan Schmeafsky, also from Lone Star College, will teach Physiology of Death and Senescence. This is another two credit course that explores the physiology of these two inevitable conditions.

HAPS Leadership (#18): Marketing Committee

February 19, 2014 tplehmanLeave a comment

“Hi, you’re on the air with Elizabeth Hodgson, chair of the HAPS Marketing Committee!”

I laugh and explain that I’m calling to find out the latest and greatest about the HAPS Brand and what we’re doing to expand our image. I ask what tasks currently face the Marketing Committee on a weekly basis.

“Well, that’s an interesting and surprising complex question. We post on our Twitter account about items and events that promote HAPS as a society. We post items such as conference deadlines, HAPS-I information, scholarship details, and Blog updates. We also promote individual members making headlines, such as President Valerie O’Loughlin giving the keynote address at an international conference!”

Do you have plans for HAPS brand merchandise to sell on the HAPS website? Many people are clamoring for the Lumbar Mugs to come back.

“Ha, yeah right. Kevin Petti is finally over his night terrors about finally getting rid of all of those. I suppose we could try Cervical Shot glasses…hmm. Actually, we are addressing that issue and looking at our options. Determining an inventory and storage location are two details that we need to iron out.”

Are the rumors true about our hostile takeover of Nestle Purina?

“Yes, we plan to take over the chocolate branch, but will leave the dog food production untouched. Chocolate is WAY more important.”

Where were you on the morning of January 15^th, when a silver blur saved 27 commuters trapped on the elevated train?

“Wait, I WAS that silver blur! Did you miss the tweet?”

Are there any questions that I missed?

“For the answer to that and other thought-provoking questions, check out the HAPS twitter account. Until then, aloha!”

HAPS Leadership (#17): Southern Regional Director

February 12, 2014 tplehmanLeave a comment

We’re checking in with Jason LaPres this week to learn what is so gosh-darn special about the HAPS Regional Conferences. Jason is our Southern Regional Director, as well as an attendee and/or committee member at a few of our Regionals.

“The Regional Conferences are a little more intimate than the Annual Conference. Usually just over a weekend, they are a little more low-key. Most people are close enough to drive and a lot know each other before reaching the conference. There are fewer vendors, only 1 or 2 update lectures, but most of the focus is usually on the workshops.”

Uh…gee, Jason, that sounds somewhat “less” than the Annual Conference.

“Heck, no, Tom. It’s just different. As I said, the Regional Conferences tend to be more intimate than the Annuals. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Annual Conferences. The night and day energy at those is incredible. Meeting so many new people and experiencing so many new things is absolutely breath-taking. But, what makes the Regional Conferences a jewel is their focus.”

“See, each Regional Conference tends to develop a bit of a theme for itself. We’ve had Regional Conferences that were built around cadaver dissection, around online courses, around high school educators, the list goes on. The Annual Conference is a chance to explore a whole bunch of – SQUIRREL!

“Sorry, lost my train of thought. Oh yeah, the Regional Conferences are a great way to really roll your sleeves up and immerse yourself into a tight group of educators who are just as passionate as you. We have an Eastern Regional Conference in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 15 of this year. I’ve spoken to a number of people are very excited to attend that one.”

Are there other Regional Conferences in the works?

“Yes, Murray Jensen is working on a Central Regional Conference for October of this year. We’ve had proposals from a number of other HAPSters who want to host a Regional Conference in their neck of the woods. Hosting a Regional Conference is a great way to see if your location could serve as a future site for an Annual Conference. For more information on hosting a Regional Conference, feel free to contact Ellen Lathrop-Davis, Chair of the Conference Committee or check out their committee’s web page.

Thanks, Jason. That gives me a lot to think about. I’m going to check out the Regional Conference web page and think about attending.

Excitement at the Southern Regional in Texas this past year!

Vendors, Workshops, and Seminars..oh my!

HAPS Leadership (#16): HAPS-Institute

February 5, 2014February 5, 2014 tplehman2 Comments

Are you looking for graduate credit in the field of Anatomy & Physiology? Are you looking to share your expertise on a specific A&P-related topic with peers who are as passionate as you about the subject matter? If the answer to either question is “yes”, then the HAPS-Institute is the place for you.

Hi, I’m Peter English. As the Executive Director of the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society, I serve as the Director of the HAPS-Institute. I oversee the curriculum that we develop, the schedule of courses that we offer, and the enrollment of great individuals such as yourself.

At HAPS-I, we have maximized salary and minimized tuition to make this the best possible service to the HAPS community. With all of the issues surrounding accreditation, it is becoming increasingly important that faculty have graduate credit in A&P, and our credit is earned through Alverno College in Milwaukee. HAPS-I is one way in which HAPS is helping members meet the evolving needs in the changing landscape of higher education.

Every HAPS member has his or her specialty, and HAPS-I is taking advantage of this. In most cases, HAPS-I courses center around an educator teaching the class of his or her dream: a specific, incredibly rich understanding of a topic being taught by an expert with an amazing depth of knowledge. Courses can be completely online or can be a mix of online and in-person instruction. Many of the in-person components are tied to Regional Conferences or the Annual Conference. For 2014, we are offering four courses. Looking ahead, we will have our first traveling course with participants studying A&P in Italy this summer.

Future groundbreaking of our western campus.

In order to attract the best instructors, we pay an above average $2,500 per course based on an enrollment of 6 students (enrollment above this number pays more and pro-rates compensation for fewer students so that low-enrollment courses can still run). All HAPS-I courses have end-of-course surveys to ensure that we continue to hire only the best instructors.

For the students, tuition is just $550 per credit hour for HAPS members ($750 per credit hour for non-HAPS members), which is less than one-third the cost of some other graduate credit programs. Most HAPS-I courses are 2-credits, but between now and this summer, we’ll be offering 1-credit, 2-credit, and 3-credit courses to meet everyone’s demands.

The HAPS Foundation has recognized the importance of this sort of continuing education and offers HAPS-I scholarships four times per year. The scholarships cover the cost of 1-credit of instruction and the next due date for applications is February 15.

So, what do you say? Ready to be part of something incredible? The HAPS-Institute is ready for you!

HAPS Leadership (#3): Foundation Oversight Committee

November 6, 2013 tplehmanLeave a comment

The Human Anatomy & Physiology Society (HAPS) is dedicated to helping you learn. We’re working ourselves to the bone to help you gain valuable learning experiences.

The HAPS Foundation Oversight Committee offers a number of sources of financial aid to HAPS members and students. Their aims are to encourage attendance and participation at the HAPS Annual Conference, to support student and faculty research, and to encourage participation in HAPS-Institute courses. The HAPS Foundation was created in 2009 to build a financial pool of money that could make these efforts a reality.

The Committee currently administers the following grants and scholarships:

The Robert B. Anthony and Adjunct Faculty Scholarships and the HAPS Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Travel Award, which provide support for new members to attend the HAPS Annual Conference;
HAPS-I Scholarships, which cover the cost of tuition for these graduate-level courses;
The Sam Drogo Technology in the Classroom Awards, providing financial support for members presenting workshops at the Annual Conference; and
Faculty and Student Grants, providing financial support of research by HAPS members and students.

They’ve been working on improvements to our review and approval procedures. These include development of an electronic application process that will make submission and review of applications easier and more efficient and the adoption of uniform application submission deadlines. In addition, they have recently begun to consider and grant HAPS-I Scholarships on a quarterly basis, reflecting the increasing number and varying start dates of HAPS-I courses. Submission deadlines will be announced to the membership and displayed on the website.

Ask Bob about the shower caps in Las Vegas.

Look for more information on Grants and Scholarships in the near future. You can email the co-chairs if you have any questions. Don Kelly is a Professor in the Center for Life and Health Sciences at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New York and is a past President of HAPS. Bob Crocker is a Professor at Farmingdale State College and Director of the Human Anatomy & Physiology Instruction Program at the New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, New York. Check out the web page for the Foundation Oversight/Grants and Scholarship Committee.

The deadline for the next quarter of HAPS-I scholarships is Nov. 15, so check it out quickly.

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Category: HAPS Institute