The objective of this poster presentation is to demonstrate the importance of adapting and incorporating technology in education. Additionally, detailed examples of methods and techniques will be discussed, allowing the audience to apply these very simple methods with gadgets that almost every Canadian owns – to produce these effective learning tools.
Human anatomy education (HAE) is the cornerstone of medical professions. One hundred years ago, HAE used to account for over a 1000 hours of preclinical education. However, due to the lack of resources (space, time money), increased importance of basic sciences, and lack of body donations, HAE has faced a significant reduction in preclinical hours. Today, our future health providers undergo a mere 150 hours of anatomical education, which is shown to negatively affect health care. To combat such reduction, institutes have to do more with less. What used to be a subject taught solely with didactic lectures and dissection based laboratories faces a new era, where new teaching modalities are used to supplement this important subject.
At the University of Guelph, cadaveric based HAE is provided to undergraduate students as early as first year, all the way to fourth year research students. The biggest class consist of third year students (n = 360), which undergo two semesters of this detailed education. To provide the highest level of HAE to these students with the current limited resources, dissection-based video guides were created and utilized.
These dissection-based video guides parallel the student’s course curricula, providing the students with knowledge that will prepare them for the laboratories. Additionally, these guides are learner-centered, built on precise and measurable learning outcomes, and utilize interactive active learning techniques. These guides promote self-directed learning and problem solving, therefore allowing the students to rely more on themselves, and less on the instructor/teaching assistants. Peer teaching and team-based learning is also promoted, where students bring the information they have gained to their dissection groups. Ultimately, these guides enable students to take ownership of their learning and lead to a deep learning experience, where students will strive to learn the material for the sake of learning, as opposed to surface learning in which students just learn what they need to just to get by.
A total of seven modules (guides) were created to compliment a full back dissection. Positive informal student feedback was received – with a high agreement that these modules were very effective, allowing the students to understand the material, feel comfortable in the laboratory, and achieve the learning outcomes of the class. In conclusion, these videos were viewed in high regards by the students, and were shown to be an effective, easily employed tool to promote a deep learning experience for the students.