About the Lab Manual

Philosophy and Approach

Designed for the Human Anatomy and Physiology II laboratory in a CSU- and UC-transferable sequence, this second volume in a three-part series introduces the nervous, circulatory, and respiratory systems for aspiring health professionals and transfer students. The manual aligns with lower-division expectations at four-year institutions and is grounded in a student-centered, inclusive approach to learning.

The manual is designed with a diverse student population in mind, including first-generation students, returning students, multilingual students, working students, and veterans. Activities, instructions, and pacing are intentionally structured to support varied levels of preparation while still maintaining high expectations for critical thinking, independence, and academic rigor.

This lab manual serves as the central through line of the course so that weekly activities feel coherent, connected, and cumulative rather than isolated. Each lab is organized around a small set of clearly stated, measurable objectives that align with program outcomes and transfer expectations.

Activities are scaffolded to move from guided observation to deeper analysis and synthesis. Students are asked to:

• identify structures
• describe relationships and pathways
• explain function
• apply knowledge to clinical or real-world scenarios

Throughout the manual, anatomy and physiology concepts related to the nervous, circulatory, and respiratory systems are consistently connected to common clinical examples, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and shock.

This volume assumes that students already have foundational knowledge from earlier parts of the sequence, including cells, tissues, and the integumentary, skeletal, and muscular systems. The manual intentionally activates that prior knowledge through integrative prompts that help students connect systems rather than study them in isolation. For example, students may be asked to consider how skeletal muscle function depends on both nervous system signaling and circulatory system support in a given scenario.

The manual also prepares students for later topics, such as the endocrine and renal systems, by emphasizing recurring physiological themes including feedback regulation, gradients, and transport. These recurring ideas help students build a more unified understanding of the human body and strengthen transfer of knowledge across systems.

Framework

Students were placed at the center of the design of this lab manual. The primary goal was to support student success by making clear what students are expected to do, why the work matters, and how they can demonstrate mastery. To support these goals, the manual is organized with accessible steps, purpose-driven activities, and transparent criteria for success. This structure is intended to reduce barriers, build confidence, and guide practice toward meaningful, transferable skills.

Each lab begins with an introduction and clearly defined learning objectives. Background information helps bridge theory and practice by preparing students before they begin working with laboratory models, microscopes, and other equipment. This structure helps reduce cognitive load during lab procedures and makes the purpose of each step explicit by clarifying what students are doing, where they should focus, and why the task matters.

This zero-cost, accessible manual is designed to honor students’ time, budgets, and diverse ways of learning. It makes essential course elements—including procedures, safety expectations, and scientific thinking—available in a clear and consistent format. Professional habits such as safety, careful data practices, teamwork, clarity in communication, and academic integrity are embedded throughout the labs and assignments.

Each lab also includes a glossary. Anatomy and physiology rely on a large number of specialized terms, many of which are derived from Latin or Greek. Including a glossary in every lab gives students a consistent and reliable reference for unfamiliar vocabulary. This helps support comprehension and ensures that students and instructors can use a shared language when discussing body structures and functions.

Images and Accessibility

Images—including models, diagrams, micrographs, and clinical photographs—are central to learning in anatomy and physiology laboratories. Because visual materials play an essential role in student understanding, this manual is intentionally designed to be usable by all learners.

The manual follows accessibility best practices so content is more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust across print and digital formats. Whenever images and figures are instructionally important, they include meaningful text alternatives that communicate the purpose of the visual content. Decorative visuals are identified appropriately so they do not create unnecessary distraction for screen-reader users.

To support accessibility and usability, this manual includes:

• structured headings that clearly describe topics and sections
• readable typography and consistent page organization
• strong color contrast for text and instructional visuals
• meaningful alternative text for images and figures
• descriptive hyperlink text
• simple, clearly structured tables when tables are needed
• captions and transcripts for media
• plain-language instructions that clarify expectations and support comprehension

Whenever possible, the manual uses Creative Commons–licensed visuals and references. This supports local adaptation, revision, and accessibility customization by instructors and institutions.

This manual reflects an equity-focused design philosophy. By providing zero-cost course materials, accessible formats from the outset, and inclusive learning supports, the manual is intended to promote equitable access, strengthen student persistence and success, and support program and accreditation expectations related to accessibility and inclusion.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) through Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) grants awarded to De Anza College.

This manual owes a special debt of gratitude to Shagun Kaur, Communications Studies faculty member and ZTC Grants Coordinator at De Anza College. Her weekly coaching guided this project from outline to publication. Her mentorship, organized process, and unwavering encouragement were essential to bringing this manual to completion.

We also gratefully acknowledge the leadership and support of Sam Bliss, Associate Vice President at De Anza College, for championing zero-cost, accessible learning and for providing steady support throughout the development of this manual.

We thank James Perla-Adams, Librarian and Open Educational Resources (OER) Coordinator at De Anza College, for his guidance and support in the development of this zero-cost, accessible lab manual. This project also benefited from De Anza’s accessibility expertise, including support for meaningful alternative text for figures, high-contrast visual design, tagged PDF and HTML formats for screen-reader access, and a cleaner, keyboard-friendly layout aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.

Our sincere thanks also go to Jyothsna Viswanadha, Mathematics faculty member at De Anza College, for helping build equity and accessibility into every page. Her contributions included adding alternative text, improving visual contrast, supporting tagged PDF and HTML formatting, and streamlining the layout so that students can access and navigate the manual more easily.