It’s official! 

My Foundations of Neuroscience, Open Edition is published by MSU Libraries and Pressbooks. I am so excited that this work can now be shared and used freely in the neuroscience community. 

Foundations of Neuroscience is aimed at undergraduate students new to the field of neuroscience. The first edition specifically targets students enrolled in Neurobiology at Michigan State University and primarily contains topics covered in that course. For example, only three sensory systems are discussed in this version of the text. Future editions will continue to expand the number of topics and concepts presented (see below for a list of planned topics).

Following the principles of Universal Design for Learning, multiple means of representation will be provided for students to engage with the content. Clear, accessible text will be divided into short, easily digestible chapters that focus on one concept. Numerous images and animations will be paired with the text, and a captioned video version of the text is shared for each chapter. The text is written with the undergraduate student that is new to neuroscience in mind. Neuroscience terminology will be introduced in an easy-to-understand manner, and supporting content will be clear and concise to minimize cognitive load not associated with understanding new material.

Each chapter will end with an interactive quiz for student self-evaluation of the content. All quiz answers (i.e. both correct and incorrect) will provide feedback, so students can self-check their understanding at the end of each concept and receive immediate feedback about their learning.

Feel free to leave feedback or comments here!

I have been trying to integrate more Office 365 apps into my course content, since I have been transitioning from Google Classroom to Microsoft Class Teams and Word. As part of my exploration of the different apps, I came across Sway and began playing. Sway allows for easy web page creation. As an individual with actual web design experience, at first I found Sway to be incredibly frustrating – I could not control where items went or their exact size, etc… But once I stepped back and accepted the program for what it was, I started having a great time.

I am going to incorporate Sway into my class and have student collaborate on presentations. To do this, though, I knew I needed to become a bit of an expert, so I decided to create some lecture-type lessons. Below are some of the neuroscience lessons I have created:

Neuron Structure and Function

Synapse Function