SCS2159 - Welcome to Online Human Physiology Course

With the explosion of user-friendly computer technology and availability of digital media, widely available the world over, the time is right for the development and delivery of an online physiology course to meet the needs of 100s of students across the country who need to or want to take a basic human physiology course. Our online Basic Human Physiology course was created to give students more flexibility in terms of time and location, to allow self-directed learning within a semi-structured frame-work, and to give opportunity to many non-University of Toronto students from across Canada and indeed any part of the world to complete the course. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the overwhelmingly positive feedback for the course so far, and also by the excellent standards that students have maintained in their coursework and exams. It is our experience that the grades and learning outcomes for students in Physiology SCS2159 are equivalent to or better than those of students who physically attend classes here on campus.

Who is taking the online course?

The course is open to Canadian and international students, professionals, and individuals with an interest in human physiology. This course is intended for any students who require a credit-equivalent course in Human Physiology as a prerequisite for entrance into Health Science professional programs (including nursing, dentistry, speech and language pathology, occupational and physical therapy, etc...) and Individuals who simply have an interest in understanding how the body works will also benefit from the course as it provides a working knowledge of various systems in the human body.

Why take the online Human Physiology course?

This is a survey course designed to provide a general coverage of all major areas of human physiology. This course is taught by the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, and administered through the School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto. It is intended for any students who require a credit-equivalent course in Human Physiology as a prerequisite for entrance into Health Science professional programs and Individuals who simply have an interest in understanding how the body works will also benefit from the course as it provides a working knowledge of various systems in the human body. At the completion of the course, students receive an official Grade Report from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. Before registering, students planning to use this course for admission to any academic program or as a prerequisite to any other course are strongly advised to get confirmation from the institution to which they are applying that this course will meet the expected requirements.

AIKINS AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING (Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto)

The W. T. Aikins awards - named after our first Dean, Dr. W.T. Aikins - are the Faculty's most prestigious awards for commitment to and excellence in undergraduate medical education. All Faculty of Medicine academic staff who teach undergraduate students in Arts and Science, Applied Science and Engineering, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Radiation Sciences, and Physical and Health Education are eligible for the Awards. The Award winners are selected from nominees in a Faculty-wide process that requires extensive support from both faculty and students.

Listen to what former students have said about the course

Hundreds of course survey comments from former students:

  1. I think it is an amazing course. It is really well taught, and the information is brought to you in a clear, "easy to understand" manner. I'd reccommend this course to anyone, anyday.
  2. I would suggest this course for anyone - everyone should know more about their own equipment and read the operating maual. The lecturers are clear and easy to understand. The course material is fascinating. The TA is very helpful.
  3. I think this is a well-administered course. I find the Physio-Ex lab exercises very useful i understanding the concepts. I enjoy the course material and look forward to learning more. I would love if UofT offered more courses of this kind for an even larger foundation for application to MD programs.
  4. Thank you - this was my first online science course and although it was quite challenging to balance with the rest of my busy life, the format did make it possible for me to complete it in good time. The lecturers and TA, particularly Dr. K and DS were all very knowledgeable and helpful. And Dr. K is hilarious - I laughed out loud many, many times during his lectures!
  5. I enjoyed this course very much. I learned a lot of valuable and useful things. I am looking forward to continuing studies in health sciences, and I believe that this course was a good stepping stone toward a career choice.
  6. [more...]

Hundreds of faculty survey comments from former students:

  1. Dr. X was very engaging to listen to. For a non-science student, I felt his teaching styles very helpful and beneficial for my learning experience.
  2. The lecturer is good at presenting the material. He repeats the difficult and key concepts over and over gain and it is good for me as a learner. His lecture documents are clear and well organized. Thank you.
  3. I like Dr. X's way of making it clear what is essential to know in able to move forward with the concepts. I appreciate his use of every day examples to clarify the subject. I really feel he is speaking to us directly so he keeps my attention.
  4. Explains the material clearly, and has effective slides.  I like that he explicitly states when he gives information that is beyond the scope of what would be expected for us to remember.
  5. Dr X does an amazing job of teaching the course. Very clear and to the point.
  6. [more...]

2159 - Basic Human Physiology Registration

School of Continuing Studies