Angela Breslin
Education Manager, The Physiological Society

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.103.14

The Society is pleased to announce that the Life Science Teaching Resource Community (LifeSciTRC) website now has a dedicated portal for Members and is open for resource submissions. The web link is www. lifescitrc.org. If you have a teaching or public engagement resource you’d like to share, we’d be delighted to hear from you, at education@physoc.org

What is the LifeSciTRC?

The LifeSciTRC is a digital repository, managed by the American Physiological Society (APS), containing over 7,000 peer-reviewed life science education materials. It also provides a platform for online teaching communities, offering users the opportunity to engage with other teaching professionals via blogs and discussion forums. The Physiological Society became a Partner of the LifeSciTRC in 2014 and since then has worked with the APS to set up its own portal, which will enable Members to share resources, peer-reviewed by other Members in their field.

7,000+ free resources

From animations on mitosis to cardiovascular undergraduate practicals; and from career case studies to games on blood types, there is a huge range of resources to choose from, which have been contributed by nine bioscience organisations over the years. ¹ Most of the resources are free, accessible to all, and under a Creative Commons Licence. Registration on the site is also free and enables users to share and submit resources, receive recommended items, post comments and serve as a reviewer. To find resources submitted by Members, click on ‘Search LifeSciTRC’ from the main menu, then ‘Advanced Search’ followed by ‘Partners’
and ‘PhySoc’.

Online teaching communities

As an international partnership, the LifeSciTRC brings together experts worldwide from across the life sciences, who are involved in education at all levels. Members can tap into this network by registering on the LifeSciTRC, which is free, and joining one of the communities listed. The communities are divided by educational level, and enable users to share resources and teaching ideas via blogs and discussion forums. One community in particular is open to all physiology educators: the Physiology Education Community of Practice (PECOP). Recent discussions have focused on science summer camps for schools and using journals in the classroom.

What are the benefits of sharing a resource on the LifeSciTRC?

Further to reaching an international audience, resources on the LifeSciTRC are also searchable on the BioSciEd Net Portal and National Science Digital Library, thereby expanding the potential reach of your resource with no extra effort. The copyright would remain with you and you would also have the option to publish an abstract describing the resource in the APS journal, Advances in Physiology Education.

How can I submit a resource to the LifeSciTRC?

Once you have registered, you will be able to submit a resource to the LifeSciTRC. Any type of resource (e.g. diagram, video clip, practical) aimed at any age level, apart from whole websites, is welcome. Just click on ‘Submit to LifeSciTRC’ from the main menu, then ‘Submit a Teaching Resource’ and select ‘The Physiological Society’, which will forward your resource to The Society for review. The rest of the submission process will be outlined on the screen and we would recommend setting aside 20-30mins to complete the submission.

Who will review my resource?

The Society recruits a range of volunteers from the membership to review resources submitted to the LifeSciTRC and aims to assign each resource to a reviewer with expertise in around that area. The reviewer will be asked to assess your resource against the following criteria, which have been agreed by The Society’s Education and Outreach Committee, in consultation with the APS: scientific accuracy and/or pedagogic content, age level appropriateness, appropriate level of human/animal use and safety concerns.

Can I become a reviewer?

Any Affiliate or full Member of The Society is welcome to become a LifeSciTRC reviewer. Please email education@physoc.org if you are interested.

How can I find out more about the LifeSciTRC?

An introductory workshop will be held at The Society’s joint meeting with the APS, Physiology 2016. More details are also on The Society’s website, www.physoc.org/education, or you can email education@physoc.org

¹ Current Partners of the LifeSciTRC are the American Physiological Society, Human Anatomy and Physiology Society, Society for Developmental Biology, The American Association of Anatomists, Massachusetts Society for Medical Research, Northwest Association for Biomedical Research, The Physiological Society, Genetics Society of America and American Society for Plant Biologists.