Undergraduate introductory human anatomy and human physiology courses are either taught as discipline-specific or integrated anatomy and physiology (A&P) sequences. An institution underwent a curricular revision to change the course approach from discipline-specific Human Anatomy and Human Physiology to an integrated A&P I and II sequence,…

Researchers have long been interested in understanding how different learning approaches impact learning outcomes. Learning approaches are often conceptualized as a dichotomy of superficial and deep, and learning outcomes are typically viewed on a cognitive scale that ranges from lower- to higher-order. While there appears to be an inherent…

Higher learning institutions teaching gross anatomy are implementing 3D technology, such as the Anatomage Table, to supplement cadaveric dissection. However, the literature is scant about the effects of introducing 3D technologies on students' learning outcomes in the study of gross anatomy. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine…

Cognitive structures are the mental representation of domain knowledge and its organization. A preliminary investigation of the cognitive structure of gross anatomy knowledge was conducted on physiotherapy students. The criterion-related validation study examined two data modeling strategies (multidimensional scaling and Pathfinder networks) as…

Medical educators and programs are deeply interested in understanding and projecting the longitudinal developmental trajectories of medical students after these students are matriculated into medical schools so appropriate resources and interventions can be provided to support students' learning and progression during the process. As students have…

Collaborative testing and its benefits have been reported in diverse disciplines across different types of academic institutions. However, there has been minimal research conducted on collaborative assessments in medical schools, particularly in the gross anatomy laboratory. The objectives of this study were to explore the effect of collaborative…

Although medical students learn human anatomy within a social network of friends/classmates, limited research has examined how social network structure is related to student's performance in human anatomy examinations. This study aimed to examine the association between centrality (i.e., the degree to which a student is connected to other students…

The authors compared student perceptions and performance in an Anatomy and Physiology II course during the transition from face-to-face (F2F) pre-COVID-19 pandemic learning to online (OL) pandemic learning. Students and instructors completed the Student Assessment of Their Learning Gains (SALG) survey; perceptions were positive regarding both F2F…

Formative assessments are primarily used as a tool to gauge learning throughout an anatomy course. They have also been demonstrated to improve student mastery and exam performance, although the precise nature of this relationship is poorly understood. In this study, it is hypothesized that formative assessment questions targeting higher cognitive…

Motivation is one of the keys to success in challenging courses such as human anatomy and physiology (A&P) and may occur in the form of intrinsic motivation (IM, motivation for enjoyment), extrinsic motivation (EM, motivation for reward), and/or amotivation (AM, lack of motivation). The goal of this study was to identify ways of supporting…

The current study examines if participants completing an early online academic orientation display significantly higher levels of achievement in anatomy and physiology (A&P) compared to those who do not complete this orientation. The study involves a sample of first year nursing students in a private Catholic college in a major midwestern city…

Near-peer tutoring (NPT) programs are popular vehicles to supplement traditional delivery of medical school curricula, including for anatomy laboratory (AL) content. While NPT programs can result in improved preclinical coursework performance for tutees, little to no data specifically show a benefit of NPT in AL course performance. In 2021, NYIT…

For this pilot study, the use of the digital 3D anatomy application Complete Anatomy was evaluated as a non-mandatory additional study tool throughout the semester. The aim of the study was to investigate if the Complete Anatomy usage time had an effect on final exam grades and how the app was used post-COVID-19. This cross-sectional study asked…

The transition from secondary to tertiary education can be challenging, as students must adapt to independent learning. For students in the allied health and nursing disciplines, this transition may coincide with compulsory first-year courses in anatomy, which are traditionally difficult to master. Students' agency--their capacity to make…

The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) forced pre-university professionals to modify the educational system. This work aimed to determine the effects of pandemic situation on students' access to medical studies by comparing the performance of medical students. We evaluated the performance of students enrolled in a subject taught in the first…