Learning anatomy before and during COVID-19 pandemic: Students’ perceptions and exam performance

Potu, Bhagath Kumar; Atwa, Hani; El-Din, Wael Amin Nasr; Othman, Manal; Sarwani, Nasir Abdul Latif; Fatima, Ayesha; Salem, Abdel Halim; Fadel, Raouf

doi:10.1016/j.morpho.2021.07.003

Cited by 25 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The present study showed that, although medical students still preferred the traditional classroom, a large majority of them were satisfied with the course content and were positive of the online distance teaching model for regional anatomy. This is in agreement with several studies that have evaluated the same (Nepal et al, 2020; Bączek et al, 2021; Singal et al, 2021; Potu et al, 2022). A recent study carried out among medical students showed that medical students in China were already exposed to numerous online learning modes and this prior exposure was positively associated with students' evaluation of and satisfaction with current online education (Wang et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Medical students' perceptions and performance in an online regional anatomy course during the Covid‐19 pandemic

Zhang

Zilundu

et al. 2022

Anatomical Sciences Ed

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The present study evaluated the students' psychological well-being, experiences, performance, and perception of learning regional anatomy remotely. A regional anatomy remote learning curriculum was designed and learning materials were delivered virtually to 120 undergraduate medical students at Jinan University, China. All the students consented and voluntarily participated in this study by completing self-administered online questionnaires including the Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety and Depression Scales at the beginning and end of the learning session. A subset participated in focus group discussions. Most of the students (90.0%) positively evaluated the current distance learning model. More than 80% were satisfied with the content arrangement and coverage. Many students preferred virtual lectures (68.2%) and videos showing dissections (70.6%) during the distance learning sessions. However, writing laboratory reports and case-based learning were the least preferred modes of learning as they were only preferred by 23.2% and 14.1% of the students, respectively. There was no significant lockdown-related anxiety or depression reported by students using depression and anxiety scales as well as feedback from focus group discussions. The surveyed students' confidence scores in distance learning were significantly higher after 5 weeks than at the beginning of the session (3.05 ± 0.83 vs. 3.70 ± 0.71, P < 0.05).Furthermore, the present results showed no significant differences between the current group's academic performance in the unit tests as well as the final overall evaluation for different parts of the course compared to that of the previous year's cohort.The findings above were congruent with focus group discussion data that the use of the online teaching platform for regional anatomy significantly improved the students' confidence in virtual and self-directed learning and did not negatively affect their academic performance.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Medical students' perceptions and performance in an online regional anatomy course during the Covid‐19 pandemic

Zhang

Zilundu

et al. 2022

Anatomical Sciences Ed

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“…The analysis of our survey revealed that students had difficulty learning anatomical structures and taking practical examinations due to the time limitation of the anatomy laboratory that each student could experience. However, most previous studies on anatomy education have reported that academic achievement was higher or similar to that before the COVID-19 pandemic [ 21 , 26 , 27 ]. These studies suggested positive factors that influence students’ academic achievement but did not provide evidence of the pandemic’s negative impact on academic achievement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of the modified schedules of anatomy education on students’ performance and satisfaction: Responding to COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

Yun

Jeon

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic substantially undermined medical education and healthcare systems. Owing to the pandemic in South Korea, most medical schools needed to be flexible when conducting online and offline classes, but the guidelines did not reflect the specificity of medical schools. This study described the impact of modified anatomy education schedules at the Seoul National University College of Medicine (SNUCM) on students’ academic performance and satisfaction. Methods Anatomy education in SNUCM is divided into three regional units (the upper and lower limbs, trunk, and head and neck). Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the schedule was mixed with simultaneous and rotating schedules. The authors conducted exceptions for online lectures, cadaver dissections, and written and practical examinations in three classes of approximately 50 students each. Furthermore, the authors assessed students’ performance using three sets of written and practical examinations, and students completed a questionnaire regarding modified anatomy laboratory schedules. Results Despite the pandemic events in Seoul and South Korea during the laboratory sessions, all sessions were completed without any confirmed COVID-19 cases among the students, faculty, and staff. Most of the scores on the written and practical examinations significantly decreased in 2020 compared to those in 2019. However, in the trunk session that used the virtual anatomy application, the score on the practical examination in 2020 was significantly higher than that in 2019. Over 70% (79 and 77 out of 105 respondents on the upper and lower limbs and trunk, respectively) and 53% (55/105) students reported that there were no significant difficulties in studying anatomy in a face-to-face laboratory. Conclusions In conclusion, an adequate education program for cadaver dissection should be developed and provided to overcome the pandemic restrictions. The study findings could serve as a reference for anatomy education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…There are several accounts of changes made to assessment in anatomical education during the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia [ 11 , 28 , 29 ], America [ 18 , 30 ], Europe [ 9 , 31 ] and Oceanica [ 16 ]. Some universities adopted an open book approach whereby “flag randomization” was used for spotter questions, with questions testing higher-order thinking incorporated to reduce the potential for student collusion [ 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multicentre Analysis of Approaches to Learning and Student Experiences of Learning Anatomy Online

et al. 2022

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Introduction The approaches to learning students adopt when learning anatomy online could yield important lessons for educators. Dissection room teaching can encourage students to adopt a deep approach to learning anatomy. It was therefore hypothesized that the proportion of students adopting a deep approach to learning would be lower in a population learning anatomy online. This research aims to investigate the experiences of students learning anatomy online during the COVID-19 pandemic and the approaches to learning they adopted. Methods A survey was distributed to medical students at 7 universities across the UK and Ireland. The survey included two previously validated questionnaires: Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students and Anatomy Learning Experience Questionnaire. Results The analysis included 224 unique student responses. Students’ approach to learning mirrored reports from previous studies conducted during face-to-face tuition with 44.3% adopting deep, 40.7% strategic, 11.4% surface, and 3.6% combined learning approaches. The university (p = 0.019) and changes to formative (p = 0.016) and summative (p = 0.009) assessments significantly impacted approach to learning. Students reported that online resources were effective but highlighted the need for clearer guidance on how to find and use them successfully. Conclusion It is important to highlight that students value in-person opportunities to learn from human cadaveric material and hence dissection room sessions should remain at the forefront of anatomical education. It is recommended that future online and/or blended provisions of anatomy teaching include varied resources that maximize engagement with media featuring cadaveric specimens.

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Learning anatomy before and during COVID-19 pandemic: Students’ perceptions and exam performance

Cited by 25 publications

References 25 publications

Medical students' perceptions and performance in an online regional anatomy course during the Covid‐19 pandemic

Medical students' perceptions and performance in an online regional anatomy course during the Covid‐19 pandemic

The impact of the modified schedules of anatomy education on students’ performance and satisfaction: Responding to COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

A Multicentre Analysis of Approaches to Learning and Student Experiences of Learning Anatomy Online

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