Changes are being made in the medical physiology undergraduate curriculum at Leeds to help students take greater responsibility for their own learning, and to help them begin to develop the skills they will need to practise medicine. This article describes the use of problem-based assignments, workbooks, clinical case studies and computer-based learning exercises in the physiology course to encourage student-directed learning. Much of the computer-based material has been made available through the BioNet Teaching and Learning Technology Programme and covers topics such as electrolytes and body fluids, renal physiology, acid-base balance, and cardiovascular physiology.