Anatomical sciences are foundational to the health professions, yet little is known about the qualifications of anatomy educators at the graduate and professional level in the United States. Moreover, there is concern that the number of qualified anatomy educators being trained may be insufficient to meet the growing demand posed by new and expanded programs in medicine and allied health specialties. The authors surveyed anatomists from across the country to (i) characterize the educational credentials of current anatomy educators and (ii) assess the perceived need for education-focused postdoctoral positions or formal mentorships to prepare anatomists for teaching-intensive faculty positions. To probe the survey responses more deeply, one-on-one interviews were conducted with eight individuals selected to represent a diverse sample of respondents in terms of institution, gender, and academic rank. Results indicate that 30-40% of educators at the graduate level and approximately 60% of those at the undergraduate level lack graduate coursework in histology, embryology, and neuroanatomy. Forty-five percent of respondents had completed a postdoctoral fellowship. Eighty-six percent replied "yes/maybe" to the question of whether an anatomy education postdoctoral fellowship would benefit doctoral graduates. The top 3 reasons for this recommendation were to (i) establish independent educational research, (ii) improve a publication record, and (iii) gain additional teaching experience. Notable weaknesses of education-focused postdoctoral training were related to finances, fear of exploitation, and undervaluing of teaching. Moving forward, postdoctoral fellowships and other forms of postgraduate training may represent a key strategy for training anatomists in the current educational climate. Anat Sci Educ 00: 000-000. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.
Most students pursuing careers in anatomy or related disciplines have a limited understanding of how, over the centuries, the intricate structure of the human body came to be known. To provide students with the relevant historical perspective, we developed a team‐taught survey course in the history of anatomical sciences—including gross anatomy, histology, neuroanatomy, and embryology—from antiquity to the present. Taught entirely via Zoom during the Spring semester of 2021, History of Anatomy (2 semester hours credit) met once per week for approximately 2 hours. Enrollment consisted of 5 undergraduate students majoring in Biology (2), Human Biology (2), or Anthropology (1), as well as 3 graduate students pursuing either a master’s degree in Clinical Anatomy (1) or a Ph.D. in Anatomy Education (2). Three of the students had no prior coursework in anatomy. Through assigned readings, lectures, and discussions, the class explored the work of the great anatomists and their discoveries. A particular emphasis was placed on the evolution of anatomy as a discipline and the cultural influences, scientific controversies, and ethical dilemmas facing its practitioners. Syllabus topics included critical appraisals of the role of gender, race, and ethnicity in anatomical discovery. A key feature of the course was the opportunity for students to engage in robust discussions about such controversial issues as: Eurocentric biases in our understanding of human anatomy and the untold story of Muslim contributions to anatomical knowledge well before Vesalius; Competing claims of priority for who “discovered” the pulmonary circulation; The underappreciated role of women in the history of anatomy and medicine; The ethical quandary of teaching anatomy from archival fetal specimens obtained before the era of informed consent; Accusations that famed anatomist William Hunter used the bodies of murdered pregnant women to create his anatomical atlas of the gravid uterus; Complicity of Eduard Pernkopf and other Nazi‐era anatomists in the unethical use of executed victims to obtain images for a renowned anatomical atlas. All students were assessed through weekly homework (written responses to study questions), a mid‐term writing assignment, and a term paper about an historical topic of the student’s choosing. Graduate students had the additional requirement of a class presentation about their term paper topic. The end‐of‐course evaluation suggested that the course was well‐received by the students (mean Likert score = 4.63 on a 5‐point scale; n = 6). Based on this positive reception, we plan to offer History of Anatomy again on a recurring basis. We believe that by knowing our history, both the good and the bad, future practitioners of anatomy and related disciplines will be less likely to perpetuate the biases and ethical transgressions of earlier eras.
Contrary to the traditional didactic ways of science teaching, Team‐Based Learning (TBL) emphasizes active learning, application of knowledge, and team collaboration in the classroom. All students enrolled in a fall semester 2017 graduate histology course were invited to participate in this study. Twelve volunteer participants were asked about their opinions on TBL as well as their perceptual and experiential definition of human learning. Data collection methods included questionnaire, focus group, and direct observation. Student perceptions of and experiences with TBL were examined and linked to the literature on Tuckman's stages of group formation in order to explain some of the group dynamics in the field. Also, student perceptions on the concept of how learning occurs in general and how TBL may help in the process were examined in the context of critical constructivist theory of learning. Qualitative data analyses were performed on data across the three data sets. In general, the students perceived TBL to be a valuable learning experience. The five overarching themes identified as the requirements for a successful TBL performance on the student part were: time management, teamwork, self‐directed learning, intrinsic motivation, and learning not to resist active learning. Key significance of the TBL model were found to be in: active learning, teamwork, higher order application of knowledge, and providing formative assessment opportunities. Students' suggestions on what a good science teacher should look like and how they may avoid authoritarian exercises of power in day‐to‐day classroom activities are also documented and discussed.Support or Funding InformationNone.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Social networking sites such as Facebook have recently been shown to have great pedagogical potential especially for undergraduate students whose time is typically spent more online rather than in their physical persons. Even so, in most A&P courses the use of online technologies is limited to learning management systems (LMS). This mixed‐method study aimed to examine the impact of using a Facebook group page in addition to LMS in undergraduate A&P courses at one community college. Research participants consisted of all students enrolled in two A&P 101 courses (N=39) that were offered over two successive semesters. The experimental group consisted of N=19 students enrolled in Spring 2017, whereas control group consisted of N=20 students enrolled in Fall 2016. Both courses were taught by the same instructor (author, HA) using identical instructional and assessment materials – except for the Facebook platform which was introduced only to the experimental group as an independent variable. Student achievements between two groups were measured using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods included direct observation, document analysis, and student‐filled questionnaires collected from all participants. Quantitative data consisted of individual student demographic and dropout (yes/no) data as well as formal course gradebooks. Each of the four unit‐exam scores, final course grade (%), and student dropouts were selected as the main study variables. Statistical methods including independent t‐tests, chi‐square tests, and multiple regression analysis were performed to test the hypotheses suggesting that use of Facebook had a positive impact on students' academic achievements as well as reducing student dropouts. Both hypotheses were confirmed by statistical analyses (p<.05 and p<.001, respectively). Moreover, results from the thematic analysis of the qualitative data suggested that students who used Facebook were able to more easily connect with other students and make better use of peer‐learning study circles. They also engaged with class materials more actively, deeply, and playfully which helped them become more intrinsically motivated to learn. Therefore, the findings of this study indicate that using Facebook as an additional learning platform can provide undergraduate A&P students with more opportunities for active learning. Furthermore, using Facebook can enhance students' academic gain and reduce the student dropout rates.Support or Funding Informationnone.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Introduction & Purpose Cadaver labs play a significant role in supporting learners form a professional attitude towards human body. Most medical students have their first authoritative encounter with human body in a cadaver lab where they get a right to manipulate and cut through the body. Dealing with death and dissection of the body may simply be a unique learning experience for some but it can be an emotional roller coaster for others. A few student strategies for dealing with cadaver bodies (such as objectification of the body) are documented in the literature but a full range of such strategies is rarely investigated. This study sought to understand the range of strategies medical students use for dealing with cadaver bodies in the anatomy lab at one medical school. Methods Twenty semi‐structured interviews and four focus groups were conducted with a total of 44 students from all four years of undergraduate medical education at Indiana University School of Medicine, in 2019. All sessions were audio‐recorded and later transcribed verbatim. A qualitative thematic analysis was performed by developing an inductive coding scheme which resulted in emergence of salient themes from the data. Results The full spectrum of student strategies for dealing with cadaver bodies included: 1) complete, effortless objectification of cadaver’s body as a non‐living thing, 2) actively desensitizing oneself toward cadaver’s body as so to be able to work with it, and 3) paralyzing personification of the cadaver’s body that impedes learning from it let alone dissecting it. Falling within this spectrum were also the so‐called middle ground strategies that were chosen by students attempting to adopt a more balanced behavior between desensitization and personification but still found themselves alternating between those two positions at certain times. Conclusion Students employ certain strategies for handling human body in the cadaver lab. These strategies are based on their personal values and/or actively chosen to help them make the most out of their experience working with cadavers in the anatomy lab. Significance/Implications Learning to deal with cadaver bodies in a professional manner is an impactful part of medical students’ professional identity formation process. The way students handle those bodies is likely to impact their attitude toward their patients’ bodies in the future as a doctor. Understanding the full range of student strategies for handling bodies in cadaver lab is a critical step for anatomy lab educators to facilitate a healthy, professional, ethical, and at the same time humane relationship between students and their cadaver’s body. Future studies should dig deeper into each of the strategies identified here and explore the best ways to oversee them for an effective medical professional identity formation in medical students.
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