In this article the authors present practical approaches to alignment cueing using the Functional Awareness® approach to embodied anatomy. The pedagogical philosophy is beneficial for all levels of dance skill. We describe specific instructional practices to enhance understanding of the body, and the cueing can be incorporated in any dance class.…

Traditional academic lectures have long been criticized as providing a passive learning environment to students. Often, they do not capture the audience's attention, resulting in learners being distracted or bored and thereby reducing their learning efficacy. Consequently, they are being abandoned by many schools and universities as an educational…

Mnemonic devices are memory aids that make it easier to recall information and are widely used by students studying anatomy and physiology. Simple musical instruments and toys can serve as mnemonic devices for students learning the functional anatomy of the larynx: balloons can help learners understand and recall how sound is produced; tuning pegs…

Virtual reality (VR) is an increasingly available resource with numerous applications to medical education, and as a teaching tool has been widely validated in the literature. Photogrammetry, the process of overlapping two-dimensional (2D) photographic images of three-dimensional (3D) objects to create a 3D image or "model," can be used…

Activity theory is a relatively young methodology for researching higher education teaching practices. Beyond systemic analyse of workplace activities and their development, activity theory used in its full interventionist capacity can foster practitioners' transformative agency to initiate practice change. Nevertheless, this is not an easy…

Medical and healthcare practice is likely to see fundamental changes in the future that will require a different approach to the way in which we educate, train, and assess the next generation of healthcare professionals. The anatomical sciences will need to be part of that challenge so they continue to play a full role in preparing students with…

Renal clearance encompasses a somewhat abstract concept, which makes it a hard-to-visualize phenomenon. It is a confusing topic for students and a difficult task for the instructor to teach. In order to improve or facilitate the teaching-learning process of renal clearance, an alternative strategy is presented here. To properly characterize the…

In anatomical education three-dimensional (3D) visualization technology allows for active and stereoscopic exploration of anatomy and can easily be adopted into medical curricula along with traditional 3D teaching methods. However, most often knowledge is still assessed with two-dimensional (2D) paper-and-pencil tests. To address the growing…

As curricular emphasis on anatomy in undergraduate medical education continues to evolve, new approaches to anatomical education are urgently needed to prepare medical students for residency. A surgical anatomy class was designed for third- and fourth-year medical students to explore important anatomical relationships by performing realistic…

Competent clinical reasoning skills are necessary for providing safe and effective health care. Professional level health science education programs are keenly interested in fostering effective clinical reasoning skills. As such, many programs expect students to engage in complex clinical reasoning tasks early in their education. However, early…

The remarkable variation in superficial veins of the neck challenges anatomy students during cadaveric exploration. Despite frequently serving as cannulation sites, conduits for catheter placement, grafts following carotid endarterectomy, and a visual representation of central venous pressure, the jugular venous network and its variations are not…

In order to increase understanding of the cochlea and to illustrate its connection to basic physics, a functional model was developed. It was found to be useful in exploring the basic dynamics of the basilar membrane and its role in the frequency mapping of the cochlea.

Increasing and maintaining student engagement within anatomy education at a pre-collegiate level is a challenge that educators continue to encounter. Finding an appropriate level of difficulty that prepares students for the rigor of undergraduate anatomy education while balancing the need to inspire student interest in STEM-related fields of study…

Drawing is a teaching tool that provides numerous benefits to student learning, including enhanced knowledge retention, improved observation skills, and increased engagement with course content. However, these exercises also place high cognitive demands on students and require a considerable time commitment. To acknowledge and celebrate the effort…

Students of physiology are taught that the body's homeostatic mechanisms are in place to maintain the body's internal environment. This is most often associated with maintaining health. Congestive Heart Failure represents a disease in which the body's homeostatic mechanisms worsen the progression of the disease. Using the analogy of Santa Claus…