Student Engagement: What’s that in a Digital Anatomical Environment?

Manisha Dayal School of Science & Health

http://www.nvcc.edu/news/img/featured/anatomage-table-full.jpg

Human Anatomy

• “Difficult” subject

– Factual based

– Detail is required

• Surface approach rather than Deep approach

• Western Sydney

– Medical Science

Shifting of Anatomy Teaching

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/96053404526659511/

http://aeon.co/magazine/philosophy/the-after-life-for-me-is-to-donate-my-body-to-science/

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/archive/2012_07_12/gross_anatomy

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/10-ways-to-help-poorer-students-into-medicine-guide-launched/2016961.article

http://simbionix.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/CS_3DS_Monash_Cadaver_112015.jpg

http://regnow.img.digitalriver.com/vendor/22472/ui.jpg

Anatomy Units: Medical Science

Introduction to Anatomy

Anatomy of the Thorax & Abdomen

Anatomy of the Head & Neck

Appendicular Skeleton

Face-to-Face

Lecture

2 hrs/week

Self –directed

Lab Session

2 hrs/week

Self Study

6 hrs/week

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000wQV1khyVTCI/fit=1000x750/ipad-greys-2.jpg

Summative assessments

• Group Assignment (20%)

• Intra-Semester Test (25%)

• Final Exam (55%)

• 2 x Intra-Semester tests (50%)

• Final Exam (50%)

• Group Assignment (20%)

• 2 x Intra-Semester Tests (25%)

• Final Exam (55%) ATA AS

AHN

Students time in the lab

• Only 2 hours per week

• Limited

• No revisiting after doing self study

• Photos in the lab

– Not allowed

• Reinforce their knowledge

• No means of self testing

http://scu.edu.au/assets/res/i/shhs/galleries/goldcoast/images/anatomy_lab_scu_gold_coast_2_of_7.jpg

PAL 3.0- Pearson

http://a2.mzstatic.com/eu/r30/Purple/v4/60/37/e2/6037e254-344e-dfaa-c6cb-75d66e1ec455/screen480x480.jpeg

OPAL Quizzes

• Online Practical Anatomy Lab (OPAL)

• Fill in multiple blanks • Images exactly the same

as in the lab • No Multiple Choice

answers • Spelling important! • Feedback

– Correct answers

• Intra-semester tests equivalence

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/images/3d_anatomy_photo_laura_perez.jpg

OPAL Quiz

OPAL Quiz Example

Weekly MCQ’s

• Based on lecture content for the week

• Five questions per test

– Taken from a pool

– Consistent addition of new questions

• No images

– Only theory

• Based on student query regarding examples of the questions from the final exam

Weekly MCQ’s

1. The structures found in the pharyngeal gap between the superior and middle constrictor are:

a) internal laryngeal nerve and superior laryngeal vessels b) stylopharyngeus muscle, glossopharyngeal nerve and

stylohyoid ligament c) levator veli palatini muscle, pharyngotympanic tube and

ascending palatine artery d) recurrent laryngeal nerve and inferior laryngeal artery e) styloglossus muscle and stylopharyngeaus muscle

Adaptive Release- second round

Results: Thorax & Abdomen

Enrolments 2015: 128 2016: 110

Results: Head & Neck

Enrolments 2014: 95 2015: 87

Results: Appendicular

Enrolments 2014: 50 2015: 62

Discussion

• Preliminary results show change in online presence

• Adaptive release – Creates a continuous assessment environment

– Students who did not have access • Writing notes in class

• Decrease in failure rate for the lab-based tests across all three units

• Increased engagement ?

Student Feedback: Best Aspects

• “It was useful to have access to pictures of cadavers similar to our specimens to learn on”

• “Provided constant revision and self test opportunities that enabled me to keep a rough gauge of my knowledge and know when I should study more”

• “Having to score a certain mark on each quiz to unlock the following weeks content”

Student Feedback: Needs Improving

• “It made me ever so mad when I totally put the right answer and it marked it wrong cos instead of writing 'head of femur' I wrote 'fermoral head'. I cried several times”

• “There was repetition of the specimen photos and the questions. There were too many questions to complete before getting access to the lecture”

• “The images for the OPAL quizzes weren't clear enough to identify structures to answer the questions. Images were too small, would be better if they were more larger”

Conclusion

• Adaptive release

– Life long learning

• Adaptive tutorials?

• Contribute a mark and reward students doing these activities

• Greatly reduces workload on a weekly basis

– More time to dedicate to research

Future work

• Data currently being sorted and analysed

• Hoping to include information on other software's being used

• Add to the current database

– OPAL and MCQ

• Publication

– Showing the digital presence of WSU students

Questions

http://s13.sinaimg.cn/middle/67750d38xb0b11008525c&690