Use of role play and LEGO™ to teach first year physiology: Does active learning really work?

Meaningful engagement within biomedical science subjects continues to be an obstacle to success for students enrolled in allied health professional courses. Historically, the perception that these subjects are difficult has contributed to a relatively high fail rate often accompanied by subsequent course withdrawal. To address this we designed creative and innovative student centred interactive learning activities that give learners the required confidence to engage with complex physiological mechanisms. To assess the impact of these learning activities we analysed subject fail rates, exam performance and numbers of positive responses in subject experience surveys over a four year period. Our results show an overall 7% decrease in subject fail rates accompanied by improved exam performance in questions aligned with learning activities and an increase in positive responses from subject experience surveys. We have shown that these learning activities promote active learning in a challenging environment and promote a deeper learning experience for students.