Background: To present the laboratory portion of our first-semester Human Neuroanatomy course at Temple University Medical School more effectively and efficiently and to replace the glass slide/ microscope-based laboratory component of the course, we developed a computer-based substitute. Methods: For this computer-based neuroanatomy laboratory program, we photographed the (a) gross brain sliced and dissected specimens and (b) all the glass slides, from the sacral cord through the head of the caudate nucleus. We digitized the photographed images and, using Multi-media ToolBook (Asymetrix), created a computerized atlas, laboratory guide, and a clinical problem-solving section. To assess the effectiveness of the computerized laboratory, we compared student performances between those classes that previously had the traditional laboratory with two succeeding classes that used the computer-based laboratory. Results: Test score results of the laboratory portion of the course suggested that performance on laboratory material was virtually unchanged by the substitution of the computer program. By a survey taken at the end of the course, the students were very satisfied with the computerized program as a teaching method. Conclusions: The students and faculty enthusiastically agreed that the computer program was an effective substitute method for the traditional glass-slide laboratory and that it was a beneficial self-educational tool that fostered independent learning. The program encouraged student interaction and group learning and fostered independence. It was a more efficient method for faculty and students without sacrificing performance. Anat. Current literature in medical education suggests that new strategies should be developed to impart the large and ever-growing body of scientific knowledge more effectively (ACME-TRI Report, 1993; Nosek and Levy, 1993). Most educators suggest that modern teaching techniques should promote active learning and be student centered (Glenn, 1996). Computer-assisted learning can offer students, either alone or in small groups, a more interactive and effective tool for learning (Kidd et al., 1992; Jaffe and Lynch, 1995). It also encourages greater student-student interactions and participation in their own education. Because the program is always available, the student can repeatedly review the material. Aware of these potential benefits and responding to administrative and student encouragement for a more technology-based mode of presentation , we developed a computerized version of our traditional neuroanatomy laboratory course. We replaced glass slides, microscopes, and low magnification viewers with an interactive computer program. However, those laboratories that had traditionally used whole-brain specimens for gross and dissectional purposes were retained, i.e., not replaced by computerized laboratory exercises, although representative images were included in the computer program for review. The present report tested the hypothesis that computer-assisted instruction, as a requi...
