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Cardiac cycle dramatization: students role-play cells and components of a functioning heart

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

An active-learning pattern in which each student physically embodies one component of the cardiac cycle — myocytes, sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, valve leaflets, red blood cells, or neurotransmitters — with roles and receptors marked by signs, arranged in a figure '8' representing atrium and ventricle. Students act out depolarization, contraction, blood flow, valve closure as a clap simulating heart sounds, and staged scenarios of sympathetic or parasympathetic activity demonstrating inotropy and chronotropy. The article used it to teach cardiac cycle dynamics to first-year medical students, with emphasis on exercise responses.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • An instructor and an assistant facilitate the role-playing
  • Students are assigned specific roles and receptors noted by signs on their chest or back
  • The active learning process must be carefully planned and rehearsed in advance

Constraints

  • The nature of a more engaging learning activity such as dramatization may not allow enough time to completely cover the same amount of content as a lecture

Target Learners

  • first-year medical students

Learning Goals

  • understanding of cardiac cycle dynamics including electrical activity, mechanical activity, neurotransmitters, receptor sites, heart sounds, and changes with exercise

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Dowlati, E., Musick, D. W., Zhang, L., Thornton, K., & Carvalho, H. (2016). Use of Dramatization to Teach Cardiac Cycle Physiology to Medical Students. Journal of Education and Training Studies. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v4i9.1603
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id cardiac-cycle-dramatization-role-play-pattern
title Cardiac cycle dramatization: students role-play cells and components of a functioning heart
description An active-learning pattern in which each student physically embodies one component of the cardiac cycle — myocytes, sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, valve leaflets, red blood cells, or neurotransmitters — with...
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-01
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — dowlati-2016

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