Do images influence assessment in anatomy? Exploring the effect of images on item difficulty and item discrimination

Vorstenbosch, Marc A.T.M.; Klaassen, Tim; Kooloos, J.G.M.; Bolhuis, Sanneke; Laan, Roland

doi:10.1002/ase.1290

Cited by 53 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Students with high scores on a mental rotation test (MRT) systematically score higher on assessments of anatomical knowledge (Luursema et al, 2008;Langlois et al, 2009;Lufler et al, 2010Lufler et al, , 2012Vorstenbosch et al, 2013). Students with high scores on a mental rotation test (MRT) systematically score higher on assessments of anatomical knowledge (Luursema et al, 2008;Langlois et al, 2009;Lufler et al, 2010Lufler et al, , 2012Vorstenbosch et al, 2013).…”

Section: Spatial Ability and Anatomy Test Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning anatomy enhances spatial ability

Vorstenbosch

Klaassen

Donders

et al. 2013

Anatomical Sciences Ed

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Spatial ability is an important factor in learning anatomy. Students with high scores on a mental rotation test (MRT) systematically score higher on anatomy examinations. This study aims to investigate if learning anatomy also oppositely improves the MRT-score. Five hundred first year students of medicine (n = 242, intervention) and educational sciences (n = 258, control) participated in a pretest and posttest MRT, 1 month apart. During this month, the intervention group studied anatomy and the control group studied research methods for the social sciences. In the pretest, the intervention group scored 14.40 (SD: ± 3.37) and the control group 13.17 (SD: ± 3.36) on a scale of 20, which is a significant difference (t-test, t = 4.07, df = 498, P < 0.001). Both groups show an improvement on the posttest compared to the pretest (paired samples t-test, t = 12.21/14.71, df = 257/241, P < 0.001). The improvement in the intervention group is significantly higher (ANCOVA, F = 16.59, df = 1;497, P < 0.001). It is concluded that (1) medical students studying anatomy show greater improvement between two consecutive MRTs than educational science students; (2) medical students have a higher spatial ability than educational sciences students; and (3) if a MRT is repeated there seems to be a test effect. It is concluded that spatial ability may be trained by studying anatomy. The overarching message for anatomy teachers is that a good spatial ability is beneficial for learning anatomy and learning anatomy may be beneficial for students' spatial ability. This reciprocal advantage implies that challenging students on spatial aspects of anatomical knowledge could have a twofold effect on their learning.

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Section: Spatial Ability and Anatomy Test Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning anatomy enhances spatial ability

Vorstenbosch

Klaassen

Donders

et al. 2013

Anatomical Sciences Ed

Self Cite

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“…If this is in fact the reason for our (lack of) results, we may conclude that in both future studies and educational practice it will be extremely important to better control the amount of visuospatial information available in test questions, especially when we start developing tests that rely more heavily on spatial reasoning compared to traditional, mostly text oriented tests [25, 26]. We had no reason to expect such an effect however, given the experience of one of the authors (JML) who in an earlier series of studies with a very similar design did find effects for different study phase conditions [7, 17].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stereopsis, Visuospatial Ability, and Virtual Reality in Anatomy Learning

Luursema

Vorstenbosch

Kooloos

2017

Anatomy Research International

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A new wave of virtual reality headsets has become available. A potential benefit for the study of human anatomy is the reintroduction of stereopsis and absolute size. We report a randomized controlled trial to assess the contribution of stereopsis to anatomy learning, for students of different visuospatial ability. Sixty-three participants engaged in a one-hour session including a study phase and posttest. One group studied 3D models of the anatomy of the deep neck in full stereoptic virtual reality; one group studied those structures in virtual reality without stereoptic depth. The control group experienced an unrelated virtual reality environment. A post hoc questionnaire explored cognitive load and problem solving strategies of the participants. We found no effect of condition on learning. Visuospatial ability however did impact correct answers at F(1) = 5.63 and p = .02. No evidence was found for an impact of cognitive load on performance. Possibly, participants were able to solve the posttest items based on visuospatial information contained in the test items themselves. Additionally, the virtual anatomy may have been complex enough to discourage memory based strategies. It is important to control the amount of visuospatial information present in test items.

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“…Images can promote cueing, similar to that when a clinical vignette is included in an MCQ. If interpretation of an image is required, either because it is difficult to interpret or because it is new to the students, then a greater burden is placed on the student's cognitive load, limiting working memory capacity (Vorstenbosch et al, ). However, the informal experimental nature of the assessment could have affected the results of this study (Vorstenbosch et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of anatomical knowledge: Approaches taken by higher education institutions

Choudhury

Freemont

2017

Clinical Anatomy

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Assessment serves the primary function of determining a student's competence in a subject. Several different assessment formats are available for assessing anatomical skills, knowledge and understanding and, as assessment can drive learning, a careful selection of assessments can help to engender the correct deep learning facility required of the safe clinical practitioner. The aim of this review was to survey the published literature to see whether higher education institutions are taking an andragogical approach to assessment. Five databases (EMBASE, ERIC, Medline, PubMed, and Web of Knowledge) were searched using standardized search terms with two limits applied (English language, and 2000 to the present). Among the 2,094 papers found, 32 were deemed suitable for this review. Current literature on assessment can be categorized into the following themes: assessment driven learning, types of assessments, frequency of assessments, and use of images in assessments. The consensus is to use a variety of methods, written and practical, to assess anatomical knowledge and skill in different domains. Institutions aim for different levels of Bloom's taxonomy for students at similar stages of their medical degree. Formative assessments are used widely, in differing formats, with mostly good effects on the final examination grade. In conclusion, a wide variety of assessments, each aimed at a different level of Bloom's taxonomy, are used by different institutions. Clin. Anat. 30:290-299, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Do images influence assessment in anatomy? Exploring the effect of images on item difficulty and item discrimination

Cited by 53 publications

References 64 publications

Learning anatomy enhances spatial ability

Learning anatomy enhances spatial ability

Stereopsis, Visuospatial Ability, and Virtual Reality in Anatomy Learning

Assessment of anatomical knowledge: Approaches taken by higher education institutions

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