Reconsidering Undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology Curriculum

Abstract

In concordance with the guidelines put forth for curricular change in A&P this study altered curriculum in three major ways: 1). The curriculum was grounded in learning theories; 2). Learning in context was promoted; and 3). Evidenced-based pedagogical approaches were implemented. These three major curricular changes were applied to a three-week laboratory unit covering the human musculoskeletal system. Complex Systems Theory Applications As previously discussed, self-organization is a relevant yet challenging topic for students to grasp. To facilitate students understanding of self-organization, they were introduced to the principle of parsimony when discussing homologous limbs across animal taxa (i.e. stylopod, zeugopod, autopod). Students were asked to compare the limbs of a cat skeleton and a fetal cow to human limbs, specifically, looking for similarities among them. These various forms of conserved structure illustrate the principle of parsimony in self-organization and expose generalizable patterns. After observation, students were guided via a whole-class discussion toward the understanding that even in different species, anatomical similarities result from shared ancestry. The goal was to introduce students to the idea of self-organization in a novel way that allowed a more cross-cutting understanding of the concept. Students were also simultaneously introduced through guided questioning and whole-class discussion to the multiscale hierarchies of the bones and muscles so that they could gather a more cross-cutting understanding of such hierarchies. The goal was to enable a generalizable understanding of this complex principle of human form and function. Additionally, at the beginning of the unit students were introduced to the concept of functionally bound structures to encourage them to Summary of Methods This study examined an altered three-week laboratory musculoskeletal curriculum in an undergraduate human A&P course. The curriculum was altered by grounding it in relevant learning theories, promoting learning in context, and applying evidenced-based pedagogical practices. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess the impact of this altered curriculum on students' ability to organize information, appreciate the course, and value the content. Consenting students were asked to complete a validated questionnaire, concept-mapping tasks, and participate in interviews. These data waere then analyzed to determine whether this modified curriculum enhanced students' organizational abilities, perceptions, and values regarding anatomical and physiological knowledge. 40