Teaching a blind student anatomy during the Covid‐19 pandemic

Abstract

With great interest I read the article titled 'Human Anatomy: Teaching-Learning Experience of a Support Teacher and a Student with Low Vision and Blindness' by Mendonça and colleagues (2021) and I would like to commend all the staff involved for their commitment in delivering accessible anatomical education. This article describes techniques employed by a highly qualified support teacher to assist a student with low vision and blindness in learning anatomy, in addition to the learning experiences of this student. Further publications have also discussed techniques employed to teach anatomy to students with visual impairments (Diniz and Sita, 2019;Muchlinski et al., 2020, Hospitál, 2020. Only through the dissemination of innovative pedagogies and the sharing of teaching-learning experiences through publication, conferences, and even social media will anatomy as educators to ensure that the learning environment, be it physical or digital, is accessible and inclusive to all students (Shea and Sandoval, 2020;Smith and Pawlina, 2021). Importantly, these changes have the potential to benefit all future students of anatomy, not just those with disabilities.

Teaching Transition in Biochemistry Laboratories during the COVID-19 Outbreak: Tunisian Experience

“…The biggest impediment to this learning strategy was the limited time available for providing accessible and trustworthy resources for students, particularly during laboratory sessions. 6,7 Abruptly, all faculties had to adapt a settlement to remote working. Fortunately, Tunisia Virtual University delivered an online educational system including Microsoft Office Teams and Moodle platform.…”

“…They worked tirelessly until accomplishment. 7 Though the majority of students benefited from distance learning by avoiding travel and saving time and energy, a minority pronounced learning loss due to disadvantaged homes. 11 Hence, faced with this new situation, we have reviewed biochemistry laboratory instructions and switched to e-learning techniques offering flexible opportunities for learners to interact and collaborate similar to face-to-face learning environment.…”

“…Instructors assumed that education recovery is crucial to avoid a declined proficiency level and to continue courses in a new online format while ensuring pedagogical endurance. The biggest impediment to this learning strategy was the limited time available for providing accessible and trustworthy resources for students, particularly during laboratory sessions. , …”

“…Educators faced a challenging period as workloads to convey online educational content and provide evaluation methods. − Regarding students, they showed the required skills and will to face the challenge. They worked tirelessly until accomplishment . Though the majority of students benefited from distance learning by avoiding travel and saving time and energy, a minority pronounced learning loss due to disadvantaged homes .…”

COVID‐19 modifications to a first year medical human anatomy course: Effects on student performance on summative examinations

“…Descriptions of curricular modifications can be found in both the general medical and discipline‐specific scholarly literature. Most of these reports (Baptiste, 2021 ; Cheng et al, 2021 ; Das & Mushaiqri, 2021 ; Flynn et al, 2021 ; Harmon et al, 2020 ; Longhurst, 2021 ; Moszkowicz et al, 2020 ; Patra et al, 2021 ; Pather et al, 2020 ; Singal et al, 2020 ; Srinivasan, 2020 ; Tucker & Anderson, 2021 ; Zarcone & Saverino, 2022 ) are descriptive in nature, outlining specific changes and modifications specific to their particular program. Only a few describe the effectiveness of their changes in terms of performance data and other measurable outcomes.…”