Moving labs to student-centered learning.

For many women, allied health programs are an entry point to the workplace. Programs in dental hygiene, practical nursing and medical technology teach marketable skills while building a foundation for further learning.

The coursework in these programs tends to be "prescribed, predetermined and formal." But some schools are moving away from the traditional lecture/lab format toward a much more student-centered learning.

Beth Veale is an associate professor and Lynette Watts is an assistant professor in the department of radiologic science at Midwestern State University in Texas. Both teach associate and bachelor degree programs.

Radiologic science teachers students how to produce medical images including X-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds and mammograms. Graduates learn to position patients for proper projection and protection, correctly align the …