If you teach high school CTE health science, then you know that choosing the best anatomy and physiology curriculum for your students is essential. After all, understanding complex body systems, their functions, and diseases and disorders is paramount to a successful medical career.
But with so many anatomy and physiology curriculum options available, you could be unsure about choosing the right resource for your program. What should you look for in the ideal curriculum for your classroom? And how is each provider different from the others?
iCEV provides a high school anatomy and physiology curriculum, but we recognize that our solution isn’t the best for everyone.
In this review, you’ll discover how iCEV compares with several major anatomy and physiology curriculum providers, including the benefits and drawbacks for each:
- Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology from BE Publishing
- Body Structures and Functions from Cengage
- eDynamic Learning
- Kiddom
- Hole’s Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology from McGraw Hill
- Anatomy, Physiology, and Disease: An Interactive Journey for Health Professionals from Savvas Learning Company
When you've finished reading, you should have a more complete picture of what each curriculum provider has to offer to decide which is the best choice for your anatomy and physiology class.
iCEV for Anatomy and Physiology
As a comprehensive CTE solution, iCEV offers extensive resources for teaching anatomy and physiology in high school.
With iCEV, you can teach anatomy and physiology as part of a full library of CTE health science courses. Each course comes complete with pre-built lesson plans, interactive activities, and formative and summative assessments.
Teachers gain access to a robust learning management system to track student progress. You’ll also receive an expansive set of additional materials for teaching anatomy with HealthCenter21.
What Are the Benefits of iCEV?
iCEV provides an extensive curriculum for teachers to meet standards for anatomy and physiology. With a single subscription, instructors receive access to the entire health science curriculum with ready-to-use lessons, activities, and assessments.
With the anatomy and physiology course, students learn in a blended learning environment. Teachers also receive access to HealthCenter21, which includes a full library of additional resources for teaching anatomy and physiology.
The flexibility of iCEV allows teachers to tailor their instruction to the needs of every student, including special populations. Plus, the curriculum is continually updated to reflect changes in standards and keep students prepared.
What Are the Drawbacks of iCEV?
While our health science curriculum is a great fit for many classrooms, it isn’t the right solution for everyone. Instructors who want to teach anatomy and physiology in a more traditional format might prefer a print-based curriculum.
Likewise, educators who are only looking for rudimentary coverage of the basic anatomy concepts necessary for certification may want a more limited, test-prep solution.
Finally, teachers who prefer to craft lesson plans from scratch might not utilize the full library of premade plans available with iCEV and HealthCenter21.
Who Should Consider iCEV?
Ultimately, iCEV is designed to thoroughly teach anatomy and physiology to high school students. Through age-appropriate multimedia content and engaging activities, students learn the fundamental terminology and concepts essential to a working knowledge of the human body, its systems, and diseases and disorders.
With the additional resources available in HealthCenter21, teachers can reinforce these concepts to ensure students are prepared for future success.
Finally, iCEV a great choice for educators who want to offer a comprehensive blended learning experience. It’s not for teachers who favor traditional instruction methods with less interactivity.
1. Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology from BE Publishing
Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology is a textbook from BE Publishing. Written by Valerie C. Scanlon and Tina Sanders, this traditional print resource is now in its eighth edition.
Even though it's a print-based resource, Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology comes with a number of additional materials for teachers and students. Teachers can print out instructional resources and worksheets for students.
BE Publishing also offers some multimedia resources for teachers and students, including podcasts, discussion questions, PowerPoint presentations, and narrated animations. Schools even have the option to purchase student workbooks to accompany the main A&P textbook.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
Teachers have much to like about the Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology text. The book is well-developed and covers anatomy subjects in great detail. The visual aids are useful, and each lesson and chapter flows together well to satisfy instructional standards. At the end of each section, learners can benefit from a brief summary that reviews the most essential concepts in the chapter.
Instructors will also appreciate that student and teacher resources coordinate with each other, making it easier to provide an interactive instructional experience. BE Publishing also does a good job of ensuring students are prepared for professional success by providing career information sections and healthcare scenarios learners will likely face in real-world medical environments.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
Despite the variety of resources BE Publishing provides, not every resource is equally comprehensive. For example, teachers may find that the PowerPoint presentations aren't in-depth and add much beyond what is contained in the textbook.
Some teachers have found that the included lesson plans aren't cohesive and don't have an overall learning plan to map an entire semester's instruction. Students also might not see much value in the workbook, which only features basic exercises instead of critical thinking scenarios.
However, the biggest drawback of this curriculum option is the lack of interactive digital resources. This makes it difficult for educators who want to implement a blended learning experience.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
BE Publishing's Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology works best for teachers who want a traditional text-based resource with a few additional teaching aids like PowerPoint presentations and student workbooks.
On the other hand, this resource likely wouldn’t work for instructors who prefer a true blended learning experience.
2. Body Structures and Functions from Cengage
Cengage is a prominent educational publisher offering a wide range of text and digital resources in health science. Among their offerings is the Body Structures and Functions textbook by Ann Senisi Scott.
As a recently published text on anatomy and physiology, the Cengage volume offers extensive coverage of basic and advanced concepts. It is available as either a physical textbook or an eTextbook with interactive features.
Cengage aligns its resources to the Medical Anatomy and Physiology assessment from Precision Exams.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
Body Structures and Functions stands out in providing comprehensive content for students. The chapters and lessons are highly detailed and surpass basic academic standards. Even upper-level students will benefit from studying advanced concepts with this reliable text.
As a well-structured curriculum option, Cengage provides a fine selection of instructional resources and activities to augment learning. When educators opt for the eTextbook, learners also gain access to additional videos and visual aids to illustrate key concepts further.
The book also integrates with Cengage’s MindTap Learning Management System (LMS) and other major LMS platforms to track student progress and performance in the course.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
Since Cengage resources are textbook-centric, using them for blended learning is more complicated. The eTextbook can be challenging to navigate and less interactive than other digital options.
Some teachers have reported that the included videos sometimes sound robotic and manufactured, while others wish more relevant images were included with the text. Moreover, activities included in the textbook are very general and require creative thinking from teachers to successfully implement.
Lastly, as a physical textbook, this resource will likely become outdated quicker than digital resources.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
Educators who want a recent, reliable anatomy and physiology textbook will probably succeed with Cengage. Body Structures and Functions is an excellent resource that covers this critical subject in great depth and can be used with introductory to advanced students.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for an interactive digital resource, this isn’t your top choice. Digital activities and resources are limited, and eTextbook doesn’t offer the same degree of functionality as a full-fledged digital curriculum.
Still, it’s one of the best choices on the market for traditional textbook-based learning with some electronic components.
3. eDynamic Learning
eDynamic Learning is a digital curriculum provider for middle school, high school, and college classrooms. For CTE health science students, they offer a pair of courses covering A&P, Anatomy and Physiology 1a: Introduction and Anatomy and Physiology 1b: Discovering Form and Function.
Between these two anatomy and physiology courses, students are introduced to critical health science concepts and terminology through an interactive, digitally-based learning environment guided by an included course syllabus.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
eDynamic Learning offers a solid digital learning experience through integrated assessments, an interactive textbook, and digital features like podcast-style summaries and embedded video content.
Teachers will appreciate the included lesson plans and assessments, which make managing student progress straightforward. Excellent accessibility features help ensure every student can use the curriculum.
Finally, the included materials lists, flashcards, and discussion prompts help instructors to offer a balanced, blended learning experience.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
A significant drawback of eDynamic Learning is that they split their anatomy and physiology curriculum into two separate courses. You'll need to purchase both courses to teach a complete anatomy course.
As a teacher, you also won't be able to change the order of lessons within either of the classes, and the curriculum makes fewer real-world application connections than other resources.
The eDynamic Learning courses are also designed for introductory-level students. This means more advanced health science students who take anatomy later in high school might not be challenged or ready for certifications.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
This anatomy and physiology curriculum works best for teachers who want to give a introductory-level digital learning experience to high school students. The material for both courses is at the right level for students just beginning to explore anatomy and physiology concepts, and your subscription includes quality instructional resources and learning aids. Integrated midterm and final exams and review periods ensure students are on track and learning.
However, because this material is introductory, it likely isn't the best choice for teachers who want in-depth, guided instructional resources, or who are teaching higher-level students who need to master more advanced aspects of anatomy and physiology.
4. Kiddom
Kiddom provides digital learning resources for teachers and students in K-12 schools. While some of their materials concern subjects like English Language Arts and Mathematics, they also offer an anatomy and physiology curriculum through their partnership with OpenStax.
The OpenStax Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Anatomy & Physiology resource equips educators with digitally delivered, text-based materials for basic anatomy and physiology concepts.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
One of the main benefits of the Kiddom OpenStax curriculum is its solid organization and flow between lessons. Teachers will appreciate the cohesive delivery of information between sections, which makes the content easier to follow and understand.
The Kiddom digital courseware is equally strong. Teachers can personalize the curriculum for each class, including assigning specific activities to individual students. You can also use interactive features like polls and discussions to enhance a synchronous learning experience.
In addition, you can connect Kiddom with Learning Management Systems (LMS) in a way that’s easy to navigate and allows students to participate in class discussions.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
Compared with other digital resources, the textbook-like content delivered in the Kiddom system isn’t particularly interactive. Using the written resources involves navigating through PDF documents with limited visual aids. Included activities require answering questions online, which makes it more difficult for teachers to create a blended learning experience.
While you can connect to various LMS with Kiddom, there isn’t a way to truly integrate Kiddom with your system of choice, which could frustrate teachers and students.
Finally, the anatomy and physiology curriculum is less extensive than other curriculum providers, which could leave you feeling like your students are missing critical content.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
Kiddom is a decent option for teachers looking to teach anatomy and physiology using a digital textbook. While the content is text-heavy, it’s organized in a cogent manner. Kiddom’s digital platform is also fairly straightforward to use, which is ideal for educators who want to create a personalized environment for their classrooms.
However, limitations in additional activities, visual aids, and LMS integrations mean that this isn’t the best choice for teachers yearning for the ideal blended learning platform, and the curriculum might not be enough for intermediate- or advanced-level anatomy students.
5. Hole's Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology from McGraw Hill
As a major publishing house, McGraw Hill offers a wide range of educational resources and textbooks for nearly every school subject area. McGraw Hill publishes several books for anatomy and physiology, including Hole’s Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology.
Hole’s Anatomy is a comprehensive curriculum resource for teaching anatomy and physiology at the high school level. While students learn primarily with a textbook, McGraw Hill offers additional learning opportunities through virtual labs, a lab manual, and interactive 3D dissection assignments. Educators receive access to an instructor’s manual and a learning management system (LMS) to guide students through the course.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
Compared with most textbooks, McGraw Hill offers a robust set of materials to augment student instruction. Hole’s Anatomy is easy to navigate and comes in an eTextbook format with accessibility features.
However, the real strength of this resource is in the repertoire of additional resources–including a lab manual–students can use to truly understand anatomy and physiology concepts.
Instructors will also be happy they can use a sizeable library of instructional aids, guides, and interactive activities, as well as manage student progress through the LMS system.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
Despite boasting a more extensive library of instructional materials than other textbooks, there are still some limitations involved in using this text-centric curriculum. Teachers and students may find navigating the various resources unintuitive, and some materials are only available as PDF documents.
Even with many resources, there isn’t a definitive guide on using them together for cohesive learning, so it’s up to instructors to decide what works best for their classrooms.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
Educators who choose a traditional textbook and want to emphasize lab-based learning might prefer McGraw Hill’s resources to other options. The interactive lab element is the biggest strength of the curriculum and something that most other providers don’t offer.
However, the large library of available content isn’t the easiest to navigate or organize. Some instructors may wish they had elected for a more straightforward resource.
6. Anatomy, Physiology, and Disease from Savvas Learning Company
Savvas Learning Company distributes textbooks and other resources for K-12 schools. They offer several publications for anatomy and physiology, including Anatomy, Physiology, and Disease: An Interactive Journey for Health Professionals. Written by Bruce J. Colbert, Jeff Ankey, and Karen T. Lee, the sixth edition of Anatomy, Physiology, and Disease is available as a physical volume and eTextbook.
This Savvas text is organized into chapters based on body systems and is primarily designed for a high school audience. Using a system-based structure, teachers can cover each aspect of anatomy and physiology in detail and prepare students for future work in medical professions.
What Are the Benefits of This Curriculum Option?
Anatomy, Physiology, and Disease is logically organized and easy to use. Each chapter contains learning elements and features to help students master the content. You can expect to find details like facts about the body, career and clinical connections, and case studies throughout, along with high-quality graphics and some video features.
An instructor version of the textbook includes pedagogical suggestions on each page, along with recommendations for differentiated instruction.
At the end of each chapter, students receive a summary of content along with diseases and disorders relevant to each body system.
What Are the Drawbacks of This Curriculum Option?
Savvas doesn’t include as many additional features to enhance learning as other physical textbooks. The instructor version only provides minimal guidance, so it’s up to individual educators to figure out how best to engage their students. There aren’t any additional workbooks or vocabulary sheets that come with the textbook, leaving teachers scrambling to make their own. Without additional digital resources, creating a blended learning experience is difficult.
Anatomy, Physiology, and Disease also doesn’t cover diseases and disorders in nearly as much detail as other curriculum options, potentially leaving teachers with learning gaps to fill to meet their standards.
Who Should Consider This Curriculum?
Teachers looking for a basic anatomy textbook to modify for several different learning situations could be happy with what the Savvas Learning Company offers. Their book can be used with virtually any high school student, and included guidance makes it easy to adapt for differentiated instruction, including English Language Learners.
However, teachers who want to go beyond the textbook to provide physical and digital learning opportunities for their students will be forced to develop ideas for themselves. With minimal additional materials available, you’ll need to be creative to craft a comprehensive experience for your students.
Prepare Your Students for Success with a Comprehensive Anatomy and Physiology Curriculum
Choosing the best anatomy and physiology curriculum for your students can be daunting. For your students to succeed, you must choose a curriculum that gives them a comprehensive education in crucial A&P concepts. You'll also want to ensure their curriculum prepares them for future classes, certifications, and career opportunities.
Which curriculum you choose will ultimately depend on your specific classroom needs. Are you teaching anatomy and physiology as a smaller unit within a class or as a dedicated course? Do your standards require you to cover specific material? What curriculum will prepare your students best for certifications and work in their field?
Depending on your answers to these questions, you might favor one of these curriculum providers over the other.
But if you're looking for a comprehensive anatomy and physiology curriculum to meet your standards and set your students up for success, consider iCEV. The iCEV health science curriculum includes a dedicated anatomy and physiology course plus a library of additional resources in HealthCenter21. Together, you can use these resources to provide a seamless learning experience for your students.
If iCEV sounds like it could be right for you, sign up for a free trial. You'll receive full curriculum access so you can decide if it's a good fit for your anatomy and physiology program.
