Effects of System-based Active-learning “art in Anatomy” Laboratory Sessions in Pre-clinical Medical Student Anatomy Learning

There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Cindy Liang - Medical Education, School of Medicine - California University of Science and Medicine; Charity Thomann - Director, Continuous Quality Improvement, California University of Science and Medicine; Shaimaa Amin - Faculty of Medicine, Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, The Hashemite University; Sherif Hassan - Internal Medicine - University of California, Riverside

Abstract Body : Introduction and Objective: Medical schools have explored many different approaches in teaching to promote effective anatomical learning in preclinical curriculum. At the California University of Science and Medicine, School of Medicine (CUSM-SOM), a system-based active-learning “Art in Anatomy” laboratory sessions have been implemented for anatomy education. Specifically aimed to incorporate visuo-spatial, logical-mathematical, and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences of students, each 1-hour-long “Art in Anatomy” laboratory session introduces the anatomical concepts through different teaching strategies including traditional lecture, arts-and-craft model building, and peer-to-peer small group presentation. These sessions are aimed to enhance medical knowledge through repetition and by engaging multidisciplinary methods of learning. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively determine the effectiveness of “Art in Anatomy” sessions in preclinical-year medical students at CUSM.

Materials and Methods: 41 students participated in this study. Of the participants, 21 were first-year and 20 were second-year students. To assess improvements in students’ anatomical knowledge from attending “Art in Anatomy” lab sessions, this study compared scores of pre-lab and post-lab quizzes, given at the beginning and at the end of each session, respectively. Each quiz consisted of 4 multiple-choice questions, and students were given about five minutes to complete each quiz. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. Pearson correlation was completed to determine if a linear relationship exists between pre-lab quiz scores and post-lab quiz scores. Two-sample t-tests were completed to determine whether there are differences in quiz scores between first-year and second-year students. Paired t-test was performed to compare differences between the pre-lab and post-lab quiz scores.

Results: Pre-lab quiz score of a single student significantly differed from his or her post-lab quiz score (mean=2.00, SD=1.323, t(40)=9.681, p< 0.001). There was a weak positive correlation (r=0.206, p=0.197) between pre-lab quiz score (mean=1.66, SD=1.315) and post-lab quiz score (mean=3.66, SD=0.575). No significant difference was found between pre-lab quiz scores (p=0.785) and post-lab quiz scores (p=0.326) by school year.

Conclusion and Significance: Participants of this study showed a significant increase in anatomy quiz scores after attending “Art in Anatomy” lab session, suggesting an enhanced understanding of anatomical concepts. Continued efforts to incorporate multidisciplinary learning approach in preclinical curriculum, such as with “Art in Anatomy” lab sessions, may benefit medical students in their anatomy learning and thus should be further investigated.