Effectiveness of Pedagogical Tools for Teaching Medical Gross Anatomy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Medical institutions have been forced to modify gross anatomy pedagogy to comply with the health restrictions imposed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) is one such institution that temporarily restructured its course. We replaced cadaveric dissection activities with prosections and placed a greater emphasis on a flipped classroom model. This study investigates the effectiveness of new course materials developed to aid these curriculum changes. Course materials were developed for three purposes: (1) preparation before laboratory sessions (orientation videos and Complete Anatomy (3D4Medical, Elsevier) screens); (2) guidance during laboratory sessions (laboratory guides); and (3) review after laboratory sessions (Zoom recitation sessions). We performed a grounded theory thematic analysis of students’ responses (80/160, 50% response) to qualitative survey questions and to focus group questions (16 students who self-selected between 4 different sessions). Data from both the survey and focus groups demonstrated that the vast majority of students agreed that the materials helped them navigate through learning gross anatomy. However, laboratory guides were used mostly for post-lab review as opposed to the intended direction during laboratory sessions. Students within all focus groups overwhelmingly touted the value of Zoom recitation sessions, with many stating that they were imperative to course success. When comparing performance data between 2019 (pre-COVID) and 2020 students, we found that the students who took the anatomy course during the onset of COVID had a slightly higher overall average score in all three modules of the course than compared to the 2019 students. We propose that the utilization of course materials that students perceived as time saving and pertinent to their exam performance, when combined with cadaveric prosection, emphasized the benefits of flipped-classroom learning to help students learn gross anatomy effectively and efficiently during the pandemic and beyond. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01524-x.

Student perceptions of remote versus on‐campus gross anatomy laboratories during COVID‐19

“…With the global pandemic disrupting the typical delivery model of medical education curricula, it has been critical to reflect and consider the ways in which all persons involved have been affected by this change. Numerous reports have evaluated the changes specific to anatomy education resulting from the campus restrictions and social distancing guidelines, but these have largely been from an educator's perspective (Cuschieri & Calleja Agius, 2020; Herr & Nelson, 2020; Longhurst et al, 2020; Naidoo et al, 2020; Pather et al, 2020; Harmon et al, 2021; Sehgal et al, 2021; Lin et al, 2022). Select reports from students have been shared as well (Lee, 2021; Sehgal et al, 2021), although these have been editorial commentaries and have not assessed student feedback from pandemic teaching.…”

Una Actualización de la Enseñanza de la Anatomía Humana: Análisis Comparativo de Aula Invertida y Modelo tradicional

“…Matamala et al (1983), dan cuenta que era altamente valorado el autoaprendizaje, con una marcada inclinación por la disección como principio didáctico. En la actualidad la disección sigue considerándose lo más fundamental en la enseñanza (Lin et al, 2022), pero se ha visto disminuida por el aumento de estudiantes por curso, así como la poca donación y preservación de cadáveres (Sugand et al, 2010). Se debe tener en cuenta que la anatomía tiene contenidos que son aplicables a la clínica, por lo que éstos deben ser comprendidos y retenidos en forma eficiente (Guiraldes et al, 2001), así que esta disciplina se considera demasiado importante para una práctica clínica segura (El Sadik & Al Abdulmonem, 2021).…”

Application of Blended Learning to Veterinary Gross Anatomy Practical Sessions: Students’ Perceptions of Their Learning Experience and Academic Outcomes

“…Among the multiple forms of training, some authors consider that the best way to teach anatomy is by combining multiple pedagogical resources that complement each other, maximising interactive learning, and using time-saving materials that help students learn gross anatomy effectively and efficiently [29][30][31].…”

“…This type of practicals facilitates interaction between student and teacher Strongly agree Agree Indifferent Many different approaches are used to teach anatomy, and no single teaching tool has been found that meets all curriculum requirements [24][25][26]. In this regard, the application of new teaching methodologies has been described for both medical and veterinary anatomy, and ultimately, all the different changes that have occurred in recent years, including those resulting from the emergence of COVID-19, have promoted the need for adaptation and the development of new learning models [27][28][29][30].…”