132 - Improving Student Success in an Introductory Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory

Poster Board Number: 132
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Elizabeth Rokitka - Natural Sciences & Mathematics - D'Youville University; Jason Den Haese - Natural Sciences & Mathematics - D'Youville University; Frank Stephen - Natural Sciences & Mathematics; Biotechnical and Clinical Laboratory Sciences - D'Youville University; State University of New York at Buffalo; Stacy Ruvio - Natural Sciences & Mathematics - D'Youville University

Abstract Body : The difficulty of introductory Anatomy and Physiology laboratory courses has traditionally prevented many allied health professions students from successfully completing their freshman year. To improve student success, the gateway course Human Anatomy & Physiology I Laboratory at D’Youville University was recently successfully revised with the objectives of improving student mastery of course material and reducing the course’s high C-DFW rate. To provide extra support to students, four major pedagogical changes were implemented.

First, the course was better standardized across sections taught by different instructors, by creating a uniform learning management system (Canvas) template used by all instructors. Second, improvements were made in organization and presentation of material, including PowerPoint slides, lesson plans, example lab practical exams, and homework assignments. Third, more frequent, lower-stakes assessments of knowledge were included. Previously there were four lab practical exams, and a fifth exam was added. Fourth, more active learning strategies were integrated into each lab’s lesson plan.

Student course grades from the previous nine years were compared to those from the one semester of the revised method. With the revised method, the overall exam average increased from 76.8% to 83.4%. The average of every lab practical exam increased, with the most striking results being the skeletal lab practical exam: this was previously one exam (average 70.8%), but was split into two exams (average 85.0% and 85.8%) with the revised method. Additionally, when examining final course grades, C-DFW rates decreased. (all p < 0.05, chi-squared test)

The implementation of four major pedagogical changes (course standardization; improved organization and presentation of material; more frequent, lower-stakes assessment; and more active learning strategies) improved student mastery of course material, as shown by increased lab practical grades, and decreased the C-DFW rate in an introductory Human Anatomy & Physiology I Laboratory course. This success allows for increased student retention, which may help increase the number of future allied healthcare workers.

The improvement in grades and decrease in C-DFW rate has reduced the number of students needing to repeat the course. The next step is to continue collecting data over more semesters. In the future, we will examine whether these pedagogical changes improve long-term retention at D’Youville. Additionally, this method can be incorporated into the continuation Human Anatomy & Physiology II Laboratory course, and perhaps other gateway lab courses.

This project was funded by a Title III federal grant, US Dept. of Education’s Strengthening Institutions program: P031A200215 to D’Youville University.