A Novel Online Dissection Course on Lower Limb Anatomy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The teaching of human anatomy, a medical subject that relies heavily on live teaching, teacher-student interactivity, and visuospatial skills, has suffered tremendously since the COVID-19 pandemic mandated the shutting down of medical institutions. The medical education fraternity was compelled to replace the traditional teaching method of hands-on cadaveric dissections (HOCDs) with online education to overcome this new challenge, but it came at the cost of reduced student engagement and lesser spatial orientation.Method: In this cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study, we designed a novel online dissection course on lower limb anatomy and collected student feedback on the same from consenting Phase I Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students of Symbiosis Medical College for Women, Pune, India. The course design consisted of three different modes: a live Zoom session using a handheld camera phone, a prerecorded video dissection uploaded on the institute learning management system, and a Powerpoint presentation with high-resolution photographs of each dissected layer; and the feedback intended to find out what works best for the students. Overall feedback regarding their preferences in terms of presentation design, use of background music in pre-recorded videos, and overall learning experience was also collected. The course consisted of six two-hour teaching sessions. The first three sessions each used a different mode of teaching, repeating the same pattern in the next three sessions. The first mode of teaching implemented was a live Zoom session where instructors used a hand-held cell phone camera to show specimens that had been dissected a day prior. The second mode involved a pre-recorded video showing step-by-step dissection performed by the instructor which was then uploaded on the Institute Learning Management System. Of the two pre-recorded videos, background music consisting of a low-volume instrumental track was added to the second video. The third mode utilized Powerpoint presentations containing high-resolution photographs of each dissected layer on a separate slide along with labeling. The presentations were shown to the students over a Zoom call. A Google Form (GF) questionnaire was created after validation by subject experts to gather the students' feedback on the teaching and learning of anatomy via these sessions. The GF responses were collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel.Results: 41.7% of students recommended the use of a combination of all three modes in the same session, while 36.7% favored pre-recorded videos. 86.7% of students said that a good quality presentation design helps in keeping them engaged and only 23% of students favored the use of background music for increasing their ability to concentrate. 63.3% of students found the learning experience highly satisfactory. Conclusion:Although virtual dissection teaching methods may not be able to completely replace HOCDs, a well-planned online dissection course incorporating multiple modes of online dis...

Exploring the impact of online and offline teaching methods on the cognitive abilities of medical students: a comparative study

“…Overall, our findings confirmed that online teaching had its own characteristics that were more conducive to LOCS than offline teaching, but not to the development of HOCS. Also, in motor and attitude domains, it was discovered that it may not be as effective as traditional teaching, as it may reduce student concentration in the course [ 28 ].…”

Digital education for health professionals in India: a scoping review of the research

“…In these cases, the rationale for doing These innovation rationales are interesting because they highlight concerns that might be addressed by digital education in the Indian context. Among the most frequently cited are the introduction of a new national curriculum [11,12], the need to reach remote areas [13,14], and the campus lockdowns imposed during the COVID pandemic [15][16][17][18]. Other rationales for exploring digital educational practices include catering to linguistic and cultural diversity [19], alleviating the general scarcity of health professionals [14], and cutting costs [20].…”