Art in Anatomy for Interactive Hands‐on Learning: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction and HypothesisIn recent years, medical schools have modified their approaches to pre‐clinical education to accommodate constantly evolving changes in science and medicine. As part of such effort, anatomy educators are leaning into novel teaching methods that support diverse learners beyond the traditional cadaver dissection. At the California University of Science and Medicine, School of Medicine (CUSM‐SOM), a system‐based active‐learning curriculum has been designed and implemented. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence proposes that human intelligence consists of at least eight modalities, suggesting that individual differences exist in their ways of learning. Developing active‐learning laboratory sessions that support multiple intelligences – specifically, the visual‐spatial, logical‐mathematical, and bodily‐kinesthetic knowledge – within anatomy education is critical. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of multidisciplinary, hands‐on “Art in Anatomy” laboratory sessions, with an emphasis on visual learning, student engagement, wellbeing, creativity, and successful understanding of complex anatomical concepts.MethodsEach “Art in Anatomy” session has its own session learning objectives (SLOs) that align with course learning objectives (CLOs) of the system‐based curriculum courses of first‐ and second‐year medical students. Each one‐hour session is composed of three twenty‐minute phases: (1) didactic presentation, (2) model building in small groups, and (3) an interactive showcase where groups present and teach their models to other groups. During Phase 1, a professor presents the anatomical concepts relevant to the SLOs. In phase 2, five to six students explore one of the SLOs introduced in phase 1 by building a “craft” model of an anatomical structure, with appropriate arts and craft materials provided (i.e., construction paper, pipe cleaners, paper cups, etc.). The inter‐group discussion in phase 3 reinforces student comprehension of the material. By the end of the hour‐long session, students would have been exposed to the same anatomical topics from multiple perspectives. Moreover, students are asked to complete one pre‐ and two post‐ quizzes. The first post‐quiz occurs just after the session, and the second post‐quiz takes place four weeks after the session to assess the long‐term memory retention of the SLOs.ResultsThe pre‐ and post‐lab quizzes revealed that students have improved in their visual learning, class engagement, wellbeing, creativity, and content understanding of complex anatomical concepts. Furthermore, the small group discussion and critical thinking have reinforced students’ comprehension of the SLOs as they fine‐tuned their models to better reflect their understanding.Conclusion“Art in Anatomy” could be an effective method to support knowledge acquisition of medical students in their pre‐clinical years by incorporating visual arts and peer‐to‐peer collaboration. Increased engagement with anatomical content in a novel and creative environment may further encourage medical students to demonstrate their understanding of SLOs to other classmates.