Virtual Booth

Physiology and pharmacology are closely linked disciplines, yet they are often taught independently, making it difficult for students to integrate physiological concepts with pharmacological mechanisms and therapeutic applications. To address this gap, the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology developed a collaborative teaching session that promotes interdisciplinary learning and enhances students' ability to apply foundational knowledge in clinical contexts. The teaching session consisted of integrated neuromuscular lectures that connected physiological principles with the pharmacological basis of drug actions, followed by an interactive team-based quiz designed to reinforce key concepts, encourage active participation, and provide immediate feedback. The collaborative session was conducted for first year medical students during the Musculoskeletal System module. Both departments aligned the learning outcomes, coordinated the teaching sequence, and facilitated discussions throughout the session. Student engagement was further enhanced through team-based participation in the quiz component. The novelty of this approach lies in the simultaneous, dual-department presence to deliver real-time, multi-perspective instruction. The session leverages gamified active learning to encourage immediate peer discussion and conceptual integration, rather than relying on passive memorization. The integrated approach is expected to improve students' understanding, promote knowledge retention, strengthen clinical reasoning, and increase engagement compared with traditional discipline-specific teaching. The collaboration also fostered interdepartmental teamwork and demonstrated an effective model for curriculum integration. Collaborative interdisciplinary teaching that combines integrated lectures with interactive quizzes provides an innovative and engaging strategy for bridging basic science disciplines. This approach has the potential to encourage active student participation and enhance meaningful learning.

Key words: physiology, pharmacology, neuromuscular, collaborative teaching