The impact of alternating dissection on student performance in a medical anatomy course: Are dissection videos an effective substitute for actual dissection?

Abstract

The way in which anatomy is taught to first year medical students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was recently changed, so that first year students are now divided into two groups that dissect alternately. The effect of this change on both written and practical test performance was analyzed by comparing grades from 2004 with those from the previous year (2003), when students performed all the dissections. A statistically significant decrease (P < or = 0.05) from 2003 was noted on three of the four written test scores in 2004, while practical examination scores in 2004 fluctuated from lower to higher than those in 2003, depending on the unit of material being covered. However, the number of students failing each of the examinations (written and practical combined) was statistically greater on only one of the four examinations in 2004. Scores of the two groups dissecting alternately in 2004 were essentially the same on the practical examinations. There was no difference in the number of questions answered incorrectly between these two groups in the two practical examinations where comparisons were made. Furthermore, students who dissected a particular structure did not score significantly better on practical questions concerning that structure than students who had not dissected it. The effect of the availability of step-by-step dissection videos on student practical examination scores is also discussed. We conclude that the change in the curriculum had a significant impact on the students' written examination performance, given the same material in the course. The reasons for this include student course load, increased need for self-study, and a loss of a learning opportunity in the dissection laboratory, all of which affect student comprehension and retention of the material and their ability to use it in problem solving.

Design, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative anatomy course

“…Anatomy instruction in clinical education is confronted with three challenges: first, the integration of basic science with clinical cases (AAMC-HHMI, 2009); second, the general need to shorten formal anatomy instruction to allow for new content to be added to the school-wide curriculum (Drake et al, 2002;Heylings, 2002;Drake et al, 2009;Gregory et al, 2009), while addressing the concern that medical students were ill-prepared in anatomy when entering clerkships and residency programs (Collins et al, 1994;Gordinier et al, 1995;Cottam, 1999;DiCaprio et al, 2003;Prince et al, 2005;Waterston and Stewart, 2005;Fitzgerald et al, 2008); and third, the value of dissection versus, technology-supported alternatives (Latman and Lanier, 2001;Heylings, 2002;McMillen et al, 2004;Granger et al, 2006;Trelease, 2006;Granger and Calleson, 2007;Winkelmann, 2007;Bergman et al, 2008;Trelease, 2008). These challenges have been faced with varying success by a number of medical schools that experimented with the design of their anatomy course .…”

Videos in Anatomy Education: History, Present Usage and Future Prospects

“…The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of the students of these videos regarding the quality, appropriateness as a resource, and their integration of information clinically. While the technology used is now deemed to be outdated, and more in-depth studies have been conducted on how videos can be utilised (Granger & Calleson;Topping, 2014;Collins et al, 2015;Lochner et al, 2016), there were two key discussion points that came out of this study that are currently relevant. The first, a highly topical point in modern anatomical education research, is that the author felt anatomy should be taught as a clinically orientated and integrated subject, and as such produced these anatomy videos to reflect this.…”

“…With a decline of time dedicated to anatomy (Drake, 1998;, especially for laboratory based activities and a decreased availability of resources such as bodies for dissection, videos are being explored as a possible solution to these newly created challenges (Granger & Calleson;Choi-Lundberg et al, 2016b). With dissection being such a time-consuming component of many anatomy courses, Granger & Calleson looked at the impact of alternating dissection with additional resources such as videos.…”

“…Studies are seeking to validate or repute these concerns and measure the impact these changes and use of varied resources have Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. had in anatomy education on students' anatomy knowledge and knowledge retention rates (Feigin et al, 2007;Granger & Calleson, 2007;Bryner et al, 2008;Ahmed et al, 2010;Bergman et al, 2011;Parmar & Rathinam, 2011;Keim Janssen et al;Jurjus et al, 2016).…”

“…The way in which videos have been utilised in anatomy education, and what their purpose has been within educational programs has varied (Granger & Calleson;O'Brien et al, 2015). This paper will outline the historical development of anatomy videos and the utility in present and future anatomy education.…”