activity type
- Illustration / Animation / Video
- Individual activity
Learning Objectives
Describe fundamental features of each of the 12 cranial nerves, including the type of nerve, corresponding foramen in the base of the skull, and up to two main functions
Instructions
While there is certainly no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to use these cards, I typically add them to beginning or end of my didactic lectures to add a little whimsy and nostalgia.
In my clinical neuroanatomy course, we explore 2–3 cranial nerves per lecture, and at the end of each lecture I share the cranial nerve card images and challenge the students to review each card in the context of the lecture.
Students should be able to decipher the various features of the card, including the “attacks” (in the style of a trading card game, like Pokémon) that creatively but accurately describe functions of each nerve. For an extra challenge, there are “strengths” and “weaknesses” at the bottom of each card that are entirely depicted in emojis.
For example, one of the weaknesses on the CN III card is a strawberry 🍓, which represents this nerve’s susceptibility to compression by saccular (a.k.a.”berry”) aneurysms! On the same card, the flushed face emoji with wide eyes 😳 is listed under strengths to represent CN III’s innervation of levator palpebrae superioris!
A “Strengths & Weaknesses Emoji Decoder” document is available for download with a brief description of the original intention behind each emoji; however, there are numerous ways to interpret them so feel free to get creative!
Instructor Preparation
Nothing beyond downloading the digital files and uploading them to the desired platform. Hard copies of the cards are also available in a ‘print on demand’ format through The Game Crafter* (https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/cranial-nerve-cards)
*Disclaimer: as the creator of these cards, I make a small profit off each sale that I use to fund my other creative teaching projects
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