Anatomical Sciences Education最新文献

Histology is a preclinical subject transversal in medical, dental, and veterinary curricula. Classical teaching approaches in histology are often undermined by lower motivation and engagement of students, which may be addressed by innovative learning environments. Herein, we developed a serious game approach and compared it with a classical teaching style. The students' feedback was evaluated by questionnaires, and their performance on quizzes and exam's scores were assessed. The serious game (Histopoly) consisted of a game-based web application for the teacher/game master, a digital gaming application used by the students as a controller, and a projected digital board game. The board featured rows for the four fundamental tissues (epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous) paired with question tiles and additional tiles with more demanding activities (e.g., drawing, presenting slides, and making a syllabus). Participants included all veterinary students enrolled in the first year. Paired laboratory sessions were split with four sections (n = 94 students) playing Histopoly at the end of all sessions and two sections (n = 28 students) completing small evaluations every three weeks at the beginning of sessions. According to the questionnaires, students that played the serious game were more motivated, engaged, and more interconnected with classmates. The activity was considered fun, and students enjoyed the classes more. No differences in the final examination scores were found, but the percentage of correct answers provided throughout the serious game was significantly higher. Overall, these findings argue for the inclusion of serious games in modern histology teaching to promote student engagement in learning.

The term “human fetal and embryological collections” refers to repositories or archives that house remains of human fetuses and embryos. Most of these remains have been obtained without informed consent from the next of kin, thus reflecting a time in history where this may have been acceptable. Previous quantitative studies seeking stakeholder perceptions toward these collections suggest that there is misalignment with the values of society today, and the current guiding frameworks pertaining to these collections. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore and analyze the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding human fetal and embryological collections. Twenty-seven individuals signed up and completed the demographic survey. However, 25 attended the focus group interviews. The study sought to provide an in-depth exploration of how stakeholders perceive the value of fetal and embryological collections, and the importance of informed consent. The mean age of participants was 29.1 years of age with a gender distribution of 40.7% (n = 11 out of 27) men and 50.3% (n = 16 out of 27) of women. Thematic analysis identified four themes: (1) consent; (2) preparation for clinical practice; (3) equity and fairness; and (4) educational value, with several subthemes identified at macro, meso, and micro ethical levels. Macro subthemes included importance of informed consent, equity and fairness, and genetic composition. Meso subthemes included respect and privacy, and legal and institutional considerations. Micro subthemes included emotional considerations, preparation for clinical practice, and educational value. The results of this study indicate that ethical issues surrounding human fetal and embryological collections need careful consideration based on macro, meso, and micro ethical frameworks.

Active recall, the act of recalling knowledge from memory, and games-based learning, the use of games and game elements for learning, are well-established as effective strategies for learning gross anatomy. An activity that applies both principles is Catch-Phrase, a fast-paced word guessing game. In Anatomy Catch-Phrase, players must get their teammates to identify an anatomical term by describing its features, functions, or relationships without saying the term itself. Once a teammate guesses the term, players switch roles and continue play with the next term(s) until time runs out. Meanwhile, the instructor notes common errors and reviews knowledge gaps with the team at the end of the round. Prior to the first exam, a seven-question evaluation was distributed to the health professional students. A total of 18 dissection lab groups (86%) played one round of Anatomy Catch-Phrase, with many groups playing multiple times. After the first exam, 73 students (61%) completed the evaluation. On a five-point scale, most students indicated they enjoyed Anatomy Catch-Phrase (4.3 ± 0.9), highly recommended it (4.2 ± 0.9), and wanted to play it in the future (4.3 ± 1.0). Most students also found the game relevant to the course material (4.5 ± 0.8), useful for reviewing (3.9 ± 0.9), and helped reinforce their knowledge (3.9 ± 0.9). Anatomy Catch-Phrase was highly rated, with a score of 4.3 ± 0.9. Multiple students also provided enthusiastic unsolicited comments, such as ‘LOVED IT! A fun way to study anatomy!:)’. Overall, Anatomy Catch-Phrase was well-received as a fun activity for reviewing the anatomy relevant to the course.

Educational and psychological research often involves comparing motivation across groups. It is critical to ensure that observed differences in motivation are true variations by group, not due to measurement biases. With a diverse sample of undergraduate students (N = 2200), this study measured internal consistency and gathered validity evidence based on the internal structure of five motivation scales. To compare motivation for biology between groups of undergraduate students, this study tested for measurement scalar invariance by group and, accordingly, conducted latent factor mean comparisons to understand true group differences. On average, female students held lower expectancy beliefs and self-efficacy for biology learning than males. Female students perceived higher attainment value and utility value for biology learning and higher psychological cost. First-generation college students held lower expectancy beliefs and self-efficacy but perceived higher attainment value for biology learning than continuing-generation students. No differences in average motivation for biology learning were found between underrepresented racial minority (URM) and non-URM students. The implications of these findings and future research directions are also discussed.

Negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities (PWDs) can lead to stigmatization and exclusion, underscoring the need for effective tools to measure and address such attitudes in educational settings. This study compares the psychometric properties of two scales used to assess attitudes toward PWDs among health science learners: the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) and the Attitudes and Perspectives Toward Persons with Disabilities Scale (APPD). This research examines the internal consistency, factor stability, factor replicability, and convergent validity of these scales across different measurement occasions using data from second-year Medical (n = 102) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (n = 39) students. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with bootstrapping revealed that both scales yielded three-factor solutions with varying degrees of factor stability and replicability. The MAS's three-factor structure-Affect, Cognitive, and Behavioral-demonstrated stronger internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ≥0.838) and better factor replicability (Tucker congruence coefficients ≥0.88) than the APPD across pre- and post-intervention datasets. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted as a second test of replicability and revealed that neither scale demonstrated ideal model fit when applying post-intervention data to the pre-intervention measurement model. Convergent validity analysis indicated a medium positive correlation between MAS and APPD scores (r = 0.368, p < 0.001), suggesting only moderate overlap in the constructs they measure. When used with health sciences students, the MAS demonstrated superior psychometric properties compared to the APPD. However, both scales showed limitations and inconsistencies across measurement occasions, highlighting the need for further refinement and validation.

Anatomy plays a key role in veterinary training, and alternatives to traditional teaching methods, such as game-based learning and escape rooms, are emerging as innovative and effective methods. However, the effectiveness of these approaches, particularly in areas such as veterinary anatomy, remains under-researched. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital escape room in teaching veterinary anatomy to first-year students at the Toulouse Veterinary School. It included interactive elements and puzzles based on veterinary anatomy content. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 81) that engaged with the digital escape room or a control group (n = 81). Pre- and post-tests were conducted with a score out of 100 to assess knowledge acquisition, and the participants' perception of the digital escape room was evaluated using a questionnaire. When comparing the difference between pre- and post-test scores, the experimental group showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001). When comparing the post-test, the experimental group achieved a higher test scores with statistical significance comparing to the control group (p < 0.0001), indicating improved knowledge acquisition. The questionnaire reported that the digital escape room helped increase motivation and interest in learning. However, the lowest score in student–teacher interaction indicates a potential lack of feedback to support student progress. Digital escape rooms are a promising effective and engaging tool for teaching veterinary anatomy, offering practicality, scalability, and potential application across various disciplines of veterinary studies.

Alternative assessment approaches, such as pass/fail and feedback-based designs, aim to reduce academic stress and foster deeper learning. Few studies have examined feedback-based evaluation in formative settings in medical education, but none among graduate anatomy students. This exploratory study investigated the impact of feedback-based versus quiz-based assessments on graduate students' academic stress, motivation, and perceived learning quality in an anatomy course. Nine students were interviewed to discern perceptions of the impact of the different assessment types. Four instructors were interviewed to establish the philosophies behind their chosen assessment style, and their responses were compared to the perceptions of their students. Inductive thematic analyses of student interviews yielded multiple themes regarding considerations for the influence of assessment on academic-related anxiety and motivation: (1) communicating clear goals and expectations, (2) instructor approachability and individualized assessment, and (3) alignment between perceived effort and outcomes. Faculty interviewees demonstrated intentions to (1) promote non-technical skills, (2) provide authentic experiences, and (3) emphasize individualized assessment. However, there was some misalignment between instructors' goals and students' experiences, exacerbating students' stress and reducing their motivation. Feedback-based assessments were preferred for their perceived individualized nature and facilitation of deeper learning. Findings indicated that implementing feedback-based approaches, while ensuring constructive alignment, could reduce stress for graduate anatomy students. Furthermore, clear communication and instructor approachability can cultivate stronger teaching presence, which may enhance motivation, engagement, and the quality of learning outcomes. Implementing formative feedback-based assessments may, therefore, be an effective strategy to reduce stress and improve learning experiences for graduate-level anatomy students.

This study investigated how human dissection affects students' spiritual beliefs, and how their existing spiritual beliefs influence their perceptions of human dissection. This cross-sectional study assessed 760 medical students with human dissection experience using an online questionnaire developed from interviews and the Spirituality Orientation Inventory, including questions on dissection experience, spirituality, spiritual perceptions about dissection, and the impact of dissection on spirituality. Descriptive analysis and Chi-squared tests were used to determine proportions and relationships between variables, with statistical significance at p < 0.05. Most students believe in an afterlife (75.1%), the concept of the soul (92.5%), and the human body as a vessel for the soul (91.3%). About half disagree that human dissection is disrespectful, and faith influences life choices for the majority (95.2%). Human dissection experience lowered students' belief in spirits' interaction with the physical world by 5%, increased their respect for the body (76.2%), and increased their self-reflection on mortality (84.4%). Despite the lack of profound mystical experiences (82.5%) resulting from the students' dissection experience, there were significant gender differences in the few reported experiences (p = 0.008). Also, there was a significant increase in students' belief in the human spirit following human dissection (p = 0.019). Dissection experience prompts students to reconsider their beliefs and their views of the human body. Despite retaining beliefs in the afterlife and the soul, students' belief in spirits' interaction with the physical world decreases marginally post-dissection. This study also shows that human dissection is not associated with mystical experiences.