Use of Web-based materials to enhance anatomy instruction in the health sciences

Abstract

Teaching anatomy by dissection is under considerable pressure to evolve and/or even be eliminated, and curricular hours in the dissection laboratory are decreasing. As a possible means of easing this pressure, an online interactive anatomy program has been created to enhance the dissection experience, observational learning, and three-dimensional comprehension of human anatomy. An assessment was made of the utility of the program in preparing students for dissection laboratories and for examinations. The efficacy of the application was evaluated by first-year students and faculty with pre- and post-use surveys in anatomy courses at three medical schools. It was found that students felt better prepared if they utilized the Web site prior to their dissection laboratory, and faculty reported spending less time explaining basic concepts or techniques. It is concluded that a comprehensive online program significantly enhances the quality and efficiency of instruction in human anatomy in the dissection laboratory and could prove to be a useful tool at other institutions.

Design, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative anatomy course

“…Anatomy instruction in clinical education is confronted with three challenges: first, the integration of basic science with clinical cases (AAMC-HHMI, 2009); second, the general need to shorten formal anatomy instruction to allow for new content to be added to the school-wide curriculum (Drake et al, 2002;Heylings, 2002;Drake et al, 2009;Gregory et al, 2009), while addressing the concern that medical students were ill-prepared in anatomy when entering clerkships and residency programs (Collins et al, 1994;Gordinier et al, 1995;Cottam, 1999;DiCaprio et al, 2003;Prince et al, 2005;Waterston and Stewart, 2005;Fitzgerald et al, 2008); and third, the value of dissection versus, technology-supported alternatives (Latman and Lanier, 2001;Heylings, 2002;McMillen et al, 2004;Granger et al, 2006;Trelease, 2006;Granger and Calleson, 2007;Winkelmann, 2007;Bergman et al, 2008;Trelease, 2008). These challenges have been faced with varying success by a number of medical schools that experimented with the design of their anatomy course .…”

The development of interactive online learning tools for the study of Anatomy

“…However, anatomy laboratory sessions require significant investments of time, space and resources (Rizzolo & Stewart 2006), are usually of limited duration, and often involve group sessions in which a student's view and/or ability to manipulate the cadaver is restricted. Furthermore, a challenge facing a number of health science programs, including those offered at the University of Ottawa, is that many of these programs have such large student enrolments and/or such information-dense curricula that it is simply not possible to offer weekly anatomy laboratories as part of the core curriculum (Granger et al 2006;Rizzolo & Stewart 2006). Hence, the challenge exists for anatomy instructors to develop cost-effective, student-friendly learning resources that target program-specific anatomical learning objectives and are able to either replace or extend the learning environment of the cadaver laboratory (Clark 1994;Granger et al 2006).…”

“…Nevertheless, this responsibility must also be shared by course instructors whose mandate is to provide an organized and engaging educational environment that addresses the diverse learning needs of large student populations. The study of human anatomy is a core component of health science programs including medicine, nursing, human kinetics, physiotherapy and occupational therapy (Granger et al 2006). However, the level of anatomical knowledge and structural detail that is required for each body system is very much discipline-dependent and anatomy instruction must be tailored to meet the specific needs of each health science discipline (Terrell 2006).…”

Study preferences in anatomy education: a descriptive study including preliminary results

“…[1][2][3][4] Different students learn anatomy in different ways. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Some students prefer learning in pairs, trios or even larger groups. [3,8,18] However, some students rarely turn to their peers for help, working happily as individuals.…”