Stress Physiology Laboratory Exercise with an Ulterior Motive: Helping First Year University Students Deal with Stress

 

Juan C. Lopez Gutierrez, Emma M. Whitley, & Brian C. Wilson

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2018, Volume 39

Abstract

The Department of Biology at Acadia University identified stress as one of the challenges that hinders student success. We have noticed that although many of the existing services available on campus could help students deal and cope with stress, they did not necessarily make use of these services. We developed a laboratory exercise where we measured pulse rate and pressure in the context of the fight or flight response and demonstrated how these parameters could be altered under stress. We also made the students find and report on the different campus resources that would help them deal with stress. In this hands-on mini-workshop, the participants will learn the rationale behind the laboratory exercise and would experience firsthand the different aspects of the exercise from the prospective of a student.

Keywords:  physiology, stress, campus services, fight or flight response, pulse, student success

University of Wisconsin, Madison (2017)