Faculty
Judy Klimek
DVM, Purdue
University, 1988
MS, Purdue University, 1996
Phone (785) 532-4740
e-mail
jklimek@vet.k-state.edu
Scholarly Interests:
My scholarly interests lie in the
area of development and evaluation of educational techniques employed
for gross and microscopic anatomy. I am particularly interested in
developing instructional techniques that will assist those students who
have difficulty visualizing anatomy in three dimensions and visualizing
anatomy from different perspectives. I have been awarded two Big 12
Faculty Fellowships for collaboration with faculty at Texas A&M in the
development of ways to represent anatomical structures
three-dimensionally via the computer, and to plan a collaborative USDA
Challenge Grant proposal to develop computer-based teaching materials
for anatomy, such as QuickTime Virtual Reality movies of specimens. For
an example QTVR movie of a dog skull, click
here(13.5 MB). For an example QTVR movie of a cat skull, click
here.
I was awarded a KSU Mentoring Grant for 1999-2000 to study the
relationship between spatial ability and performance in gross anatomy.
Veterinarians require good spatial anatomical understanding, and
increasing use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging
require veterinarians to have even greater spatial understanding of
anatomy than in the past. Spatial ability might be used to predict those
students who will have difficulty in gross anatomy. I have collected
data on spatial ability and performance in anatomy, and found a
statistically significant correlation between low spatial ability and
low scores in anatomy, particularly for laboratory exam scores. Men had
statistically significantly higher spatial ability than women, and
spatial ability of women improved significantly between September and
April. Male and female performances in anatomy did not differ
significantly, yet the majority of students in the bottom 20% of the
spatial ability range were women. It may be feasible to identify
students at risk for poor performance in gross anatomy through spatial
testing, and provide methods for improving their skills. I am continuing
this line of investigation.
I was involved for 3 years in the KSU Peer Review of Teaching Project,
part of a larger project led by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln
since January 1999. This was a very rewarding experience, as I have had
the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of KSU faculty, get
valuable insights into the teaching and learning process. During this
time, I developed two course portfolios, and I was profiled in the Peer
Review News (http://www.unl.edu/peerrev/news/index.html).
I was also able to share my experiences with interested faculty during a
trip to Texas A&M University in July 2000. For more information on Peer
Review of Teaching, visit the UNL project Web Site at
http://www.unl.edu/peerrev/index.html.
I am a member of the International Society for Plastination (http://www.kfunigraz.ac.at/anawww/plast/index.htm),
and have developed a plastination laboratory for the Department. This
facility will supplement and expand the anatomical collections of the
Department. See selected examples:
plastinated horse heart,
plastinated pig heart,
plastination chamber.