Students’ perspective on the interactive online anatomy labs during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose New training methods sprung up using communication technologies after the suspension imposed on Greek Universities due to restrictive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. The current questionnaire-based study evaluates the efficacy and utility of the interactive online anatomy labs (ONALs) in assisting the assimilation of anatomy and substituting dissection labs during the pandemic. Methods ONALs consisting of video recorded demonstrations of dissected cadavers were developed so that real-time dialogue and interaction between tutor and students was feasible. First- and second-year medical students who were taught neuroanatomy and splanchnology and first-year dental students who were taught head and neck anatomy evaluated the ONALs. Results One hundred and sixty students participated. The 61 students (38.13%) attended the splanchnology, 58 (36.25%) the neuroanatomy, and 41 (25.63%) the head and neck anatomy course. 86.9% of the participants found the ONALs beneficial for their study. The 75.5% with previous experience of a “face-to-face” dissection replied that the ONALs cannot substitute satisfactorily “face-to-face” dissections. 63.8% replied positively to the ONALs maintenance after the pandemic. Conclusions The study’s novelty is based on the maintenance of the greater possible interaction between tutors and students during the ONALs, in contrast to the previously described usage of dissection educational videos in anatomy. Our findings reinforce the established statement that “a teaching dissection is an irreplaceable tool in anatomy education”. However, the ONALs were well-received by the students and can be kept on as a supplementary teaching modality and can be proven quite useful in Medical Schools that lack cadavers. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00276-022-02974-z.

What was the change in undergraduate anatomy teaching strategies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Systematic Review

“…However, there is now great concern about the safety and origin of the cadavers, their cause of death and whether they were infected by SARS-CoV-2 and whether this could represent a risk of infection for those who handle them. Regulations must be implemented to guarantee safety and teaching can resume as soon as possible as before, as well as being complemented by the technological tools available today [3,5].…”

“…Ioannis Antonopoulus et al 2022 [5] examined pre-recorded videos of the tutor performing cadaver dissection and interacting synchronously with the students through 3 different anatomical sections with different number of sessions including the possibility for the tutor to pause the video and answer students' questions as well as reaffirming critical points of the dissection and at the end asking questions to ensure understanding of the learning objectives of each session. The labs were well accepted by the students because of the interaction between student and tutor, however they agreed that face-to-face dissection will continue to be the mainstay of teaching.…”

“…Cadaveric dissection has been the preferred method of teaching anatomy throughout history because students have a better perspective of the three-dimensionality of the structures of the human body, as well as the possible anatomical variants [3]. Due to the restrictions that were imposed during the pandemic, medical schools all over the world were forced to reduce their dissection practice hours to almost zero [4]and to re-invent the course on digital platforms with the available resources and the creation of new ones, several articles on the new and restructured teaching methods applied during the pandemic compared to those used previously were analyzed with the aim of comparing the results obtained based on the results obtained by the students and the preference of the students [5,6] Despite the new trend of online teaching, anatomy continues to be a subject of which cadaveric dissection is essential for the understanding of three-dimensionality, not to mention that it continues to be the preferred method for most students [7,8].…”

Anatomy beyond the pandemic: A Q‐methodology study exploring student perceptions toward a hybrid curriculum

“…The surge of online anatomy content generation has prompted multiple studies on the effectiveness of this form of anatomy education from students' perspectives on their learning. These studies have yielded mixed results with regard to students' perceptions toward online education with some indicating favorable views based on the convenience of online learning, 2 accessibility of content, 3 and ideal conditions for self‐directed learning 4 ; while others indicating negative views related to the lack of personable interactions in an online curriculum, 5 inability to work with specimens 6 and encounters with technical difficulties 7 . One study used Q‐methodology (a semi‐quantitative qualitative approach) to explore undergraduate student perceptions toward an online curriculum of anatomy and physiology 8,9 .…”

Impact of Online Anatomy Laboratory Video Supplementation on Students’ Performance in Gross Anatomy Assessment

“…A study investigating the quality of 235 surface anatomy teaching videos on YouTube concluded that 73% were not useful educationally [24]. Similarly, a recent study demonstrated that online anatomy practical demonstration could be a supplementary teaching method for better outcomes [25].…”