Anatomical Sciences Education最新文献

Mixed reality (MR) offers a way to visualize and manipulate complex digital objects in three dimensions, which is particularly beneficial for human anatomy. However, implementing MR effectively requires a deep understanding of its effects on cognitive processes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate cognitive markers of students' engagement and cognitive load while they used MR technology to overlay donor-specific diagnostic imaging onto the corresponding body donors in a fourth-year medical elective course. During two separate dissection sessions, each participant (n = 12) used the imaging on (1) a head-mounted Microsoft HoloLens and (2) an Apple iPad to examine the underlying anatomy of their body donor before beginning dissection. During each activity, participants wore portable five-lead electroencephalographic (EEG) devices to collect cognitive processing data. Separate indexes were calculated from those data to quantify engagement (engagement index; EI) and cognitive load (theta-alpha ratio; TAR), which were compared between HoloLens and iPad usage. Mean EI calculated from EEG data collected while using the HoloLens (0.499 ± 0.038) was significantly higher than the mean EI while using an iPad (0.297 ± 0.037; p = 0.002). Conversely, the mean TAR calculated from EEG data collected while using the HoloLens (1.508 ± 0.047) was significantly lower than that collected while using an iPad (1.813 ± 0.071; p = 0.012). These results indicate that the use of HoloLens to superimpose radiographic images onto a human body donor during dissection is significantly more engaging and requires less cognitive effort than the same task on an iPad.

Plastinates have been gaining popularity as alternatives to standard formalin-fixed donated human bodies in anatomy education; however, their role in facilitating the learning of important emotional and professional lessons has remained understudied. This report explores the emotional and professional impact of medical students' initial engagement with plastinates following a novel, multimodal intervention. A four-phase framework, including a structured lesson, pledge, discussion, and reflective practice, underpins the intervention, which was delivered prior to the first anatomy lesson. It involved an overview of the anatomy program, an introduction to the history of anatomy, and an introduction to the human plastinates (whole bodies, body parts, and organs). Students then took the Anatomy Pledge, a commitment to learning with integrity and treating the donors with respect. Then follows a structured, team-based discussion exploring the ethical implications of body donation, humanistic attitudes, and initial experiences of viewing plastinates. After the learning session, 185 students out of 187 submitted personal reflections generated using Driscoll's model of reflection framework. Initially, 25 reflections were randomly selected for inductive thematic analysis. A two-reflection stopping criterion was set where, if no new themes were found after two reflections, no more were analyzed. Saturation was reached after analyzing 27 reflections. Five overarching themes were discovered relating to students' insights on Navigating Faith, Culture and Ethics, Humanistic Learning in Anatomy Education, Personal Growth, Professional Development, and Reflections on Plastinates. Findings demonstrate the potential value of a multimodal intervention centered around plastinates for fostering professional development and generating personal reflection in medical students.

Ethnographers have constructed rich accounts of cultural settings since the early nineteenth century. A new approach, sensory ethnography, holds great promise for Health Professions Education scholars in its incorporation of the senses, particularly regarding anatomical teaching and learning. In this article, we describe sensory ethnography as a promising approach for anatomical sciences education research. We draw on our sensory ethnographic research on human donor learning programs to provide concrete examples of this approach in action, in all its complexity and promise. We explore how the senses can be woven into key phases of the research process and describe challenges and considerations we grappled with during our research. Finally, drawing on our research data, we offer five key ways sensory ethnography can elevate our understanding of Health Professions Education.

Active learning strategies, particularly game-based learning (GBL), have been shown to enhance student engagement and knowledge acquisition across various educational contexts. This study investigates the impact of a GBL activity, "Medical Jargon," for high school students learning anatomy and physiology while participating in the 2024 Summer Youth Scholars Program (SYSP) at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Thirty students attended a nine-part lecture series covering anatomy and physiology topics over 4 weeks in June and July 2024. The program concluded with "Medical Jargon," a game modeled after the game show "Password," designed to reinforce key concepts. Knowledge assessments (scored out of 100%) were administered at three time points: pre-course, pre-game, and post-game. Surveys were used to evaluate students' confidence, interest, and perceptions of GBL using a 5-point Likert scale. A one-way repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant increase in assessment scores (n = 24) from pre-course (M = 51.04, SD = 12.77) to pre-game (M = 66.67, SD = 15.44, p = 0.001) and from pre-course to post-game (M = 74.17, SD = 20.25, p < 0.001). No significant improvement was observed between the pre-game and post-game assessments (p = 0.219). Surveys (n = 26) revealed a significant increase in confidence in anatomy and physiology knowledge from the pre-course (M = 2.5, SD = 0.76) to the post-course survey (M = 3.19, SD = 0.90). These findings suggest that while lecture-based instruction is effective for knowledge acquisition, GBL activities like "Medical Jargon" can enhance confidence and reinforce learning. Future research should examine the long-term impact of GBL on retention and its potential to sustain interest in healthcare careers among youth learners.

Many professional health programs have transitioned from regional anatomy courses to integrated curricula, in which anatomy is taught longitudinally within a series of systems-based courses. With this shift, systems-based prosections have become increasingly valuable for anatomy education. However, most dissection guides are regionally focused, and few systems-based guides exist. In 2017, a novel written dissection guide for the en bloc extraction of the full central nervous system (CNS) was published in Anatomical Sciences Education, and the educational utility of this resource was highly rated by graduate and medical students. Building on this work, we developed a 19-min video guide for the en bloc CNS extraction to improve the approachability and accessibility of this dissection. The video provides step-by-step instructions for removing, in one piece, the brain, brainstem, spinal cord, spinal roots, cauda equina, and cranial nerve roots, including the optic nerves and eyes. Two separate cohorts of anatomy master's students evaluated the video dissection guide in 2016 (n = 5) and 2024 (n = 5). While statistically significant differences were found between the cohorts in terms of prior dissection experience, no differences were found in perceived usefulness of the videos or total dissection time, with a mean completion time of 4 h ± 12 min (SD, n = 8; two cases were omitted due to inconsistent CNS preservation). Moreover, 100% of participants recommended the CNS dissection for future students. Four of the CNS blocks were plastinated and have been used extensively to instruct students at various stages of learning, from pre-college learners to advanced medical trainees.

Human anatomy dissection serves as a cornerstone of medical education, fostering not only anatomical knowledge but also teamwork and professionalism. Given the considerable intellectual, physical, and emotional demands of dissection, effective team dynamics are essential for student success. To enhance learning experiences and academic outcomes, we developed the “Yukari method”—an automated system for optimizing anatomy dissection team assignments. This method uses a heuristic local search algorithm to maximize peer compatibility based on student peer preferences and motivation levels collected via a secure web survey. Compared to random and self-selected teams, those assigned using the Yukari method showed approximately a 10% improvement in academic performance. Student satisfaction with Yukari-assigned teams was significantly higher than with random assignment and comparable to self-selection. This increased satisfaction, in turn, correlated with better academic outcomes. These findings suggest that the Yukari method is effective in medical education and potentially useful in other team-based disciplines, such as engineering and social sciences.

A card game, "Hold your Nerve," was developed to aid memorization of anatomy terminology in small-group learning formats. Each of the 719 cards consisted of an anatomical term and its definition. To play, a student blindly holds a card so as to block the definition but display the term to the group, who must provide verbal/physical clues to help the student guess the term. The group can request the definition to be revealed to aid clue generation. Students take turns being the guesser and assess progress by the number of successfully guessed words, with and without clues. Guesser or group performance can be compared to introduce a competitive element. The game was tested with 38-second-level students at Queen's University Belfast. Institutional ethical approval and informed consent were obtained prior to the study. Students completed a pre-test and then were assigned to a nonplaying group or a group that played the game in groups of 3-6 for 20 minutes. Both groups completed a post-test and evaluation survey. Playing groups had an average improvement of 9.1% and 5.1% in sessions 1 and 2, respectively, whereas nonplaying groups showed changes of 4.1% and -1.4%. Only the improvement in scores in the playing groups was significant (session 1 p = 0.031, session 2 p = 0.047). All agreed the game was helpful for revising lecture content; 95% agreed it would be a useful addition to their studies, and 97% enjoyed playing the game. An e-copy of the cards can be requested from the corresponding author.

Anatomy is a challenging topic, and educators have used games as a tool to teach the content. The three-dimensional aspects of anatomy provide unique advantages and challenges for presentation in a tabletop game format. Games are built on mechanics, which include the actions players take, such as rolling dice to move a pawn. Integration of the game mechanics with learning goals can lead to better outcomes by allowing players to explore the content through gameplay. We hypothesize that educators making games for anatomy education will have adopted tabletop game mechanisms that facilitate this integration of the educational content with the gameplay. To explore this a body of games for anatomy education was generated from online sources of games and the literature. Online and literature content, including game rules or videos when available, were reviewed, and mechanisms were categorized by the framework in Building Blocks of Tabletop Game design. Thirty-two games with sufficient information for analysis were identified, and the relation of the game mechanics to the educational content is described. The most common mechanics connected to the learning goals were question and answers, communication limits and set collection. Strongly integrated examples included using tabletop mechanics to travel through neuroanatomy, collecting related sets of anatomic components and tracing pathways for the spread of oral infections. We have found designers of games for anatomy education have adopted variable tabletop game mechanics based on the content area being presented, ranging from games as a framework for quiz questions to more robustly integrated educational content.