Fall 2025 - BPK 407 D100
Human Physiology Laboratory (3)
Class Number: 6439
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Thu, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Jim Carter
carter@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
BPK 304W, 305 and 306.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Experiments dealing with the nervous, muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal systems are covered. Quantitative.
COURSE DETAILS:
The primary outcome for all BPK 407 labs is for the student to become familiar with instrumentation and techniques for measurement of human physiological variables. The course emphasizes learning by hands-on experience with the student spending most of each lab session working in a small group using scientific apparatus to collect human physiological data. This course reinforces many of the theoretical concepts of human physiology presented in BPK 305 and BPK 306.
The course is 13 weeks long and consists of one 4 hour laboratory session per week. Laboratory equipment is limited, thus, students MUST attend the lab session for which they have registered. Laboratory sessions will begin on September 4th and September 5th.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
- Calibrate and operate scientific equipment by following a detailed instruction manual.
- Obtain an informed consent from a subject prior to an experiment.
- Conduct a physiology experiment while recording experimental observations in a laboratory notebook.
- Identify potential sources of error in the scientific experiment.
- Write a clear, concise and well-organized laboratory report and project. Demonstrate scientific writing skills, with the appropriate use of equations, graphs, tables and statistical analysis.
- Propose and conduct an experiment to answer a specific physiology question.
- Use an oral presentation to communicate scientific ideas, procedures, results, and conclusions.
Grading
- Lab Report 10%
- Seven pre-lab quizzes 25%
- Raw Data 10%
- iWorx data files 5%
- Project Proposal 5%
- Project written article (Week 13) 10%
- Project Presentation (Week 13) 10%
- Practical Exam (Week 13) 25%
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
| Week 1 | Sept 4, 5 | Laboratory Techniques, Introduction to the iWorx kit |
| Week 2 | Sept 11, 12 | Electrocardiography (ECG) |
| Week 3 | Sept 18, 19 | Cardiovascular Responses |
| Week 4 | Sept 25, 26 | Arterial Blood Pressure (*Lab report) |
| Week 5 | Oct 2, 3 | Electroencephalogram (EEG) |
| Week 6 | Oct 9, 10 | Electromyography (EMG) |
| Week 7 | Oct 16, 17 | Open Lab / Project experiment |
| Week 8 | Oct 23, 24 | Pulmonary Function and Control of Ventilation |
| Week 9 | Oct 30, 31 | Measurement of Maximal Aerobic Power |
| Week 10 | Nov 6, 7 | Nerve conduction |
| Week 11 | Nov 13, 14 | Review, Open lab |
| Week 12 | Nov 20, 21 | Lab Exam |
| Week 13 | Nov 27, 28 | Project Presentation |
*A lab report must be submitted for this lab. Reports are due at the beginning of your lab period in the following week. Lab reports will be penalized 5% per day or per portion of day late, and will not be accepted more than one week late.
REQUIRED READING:
Carter, J. and Asmundson, C., BPK 407, Human Physiology Laboratory Manual. 8th Edition Simon Fraser University, 2025.
An electronic version of the manual will be available to download for free from Canvas.
RECOMMENDED READING:
There is no required physiology textbook. Use your BPK 205, 305 and 306 textbooks.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
It is the responsibility of the student to keep their BPK course outlines if they plan on furthering their education.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.