Performance on multiple choice/short answer tests is not a sufficient criterion for evaluating the educational value of live animal laboratories in the teaching of physiology.

FAWVER,AMY L., CHARLES E. BRANCH,LANDATRENTHAM, B. T. ROBERTSON, AND S. D. BECKETT. A comparison of interactive videodisc instruction with live animal laboratories. Am. J. Physiol. 259 (Adv. Physiol. Educ. 4): Sll-S14, 1990.This study compared interactive videodisc-simulated laboratories with two types of traditional labs: a traditional general cardiovascular physiology participation lab and a traditional fibrillation/positive pressure ventilation demonstration lab. The two laboratory sections (a total of 85 first-year veterinary medical students) were divided into 12 lab groups of 3-4 students per lab section. These groups were randomly assigned to either a traditional live animal laboratory or an interactive videodisc-simulated laboratory to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods in teaching physiology. A 22item, multiple-choice/short answer test was given to all students after the laboratories. In both the participation and the demonstration laboratories, there were no significant differences between group test scores of the interactive videodisc groups and the live animal laboratory groups, but there were differences in time spent by both students and instructors. It was concluded that the interactive videodisc-simulated lab was as effective as the traditional live-animal labs and was more time efficient than the traditional participation lab.