Digital Technologies in the Teaching and Learning of Human Anatomy: analysis of the perceptions of Higher Education academics

Abstract

The discipline of human anatomy in higher education has sought to restructure its approach and methodological strategies; in this context, digital technologies are presented as alternative means that can be incorporated in the study of this discipline. This exploratory qualitative research had as objective to analyze the perceptions of health academics about the use of digital technologies for the teaching and learning of human anatomy. The participants were 20 academics of the discipline of human anatomy of courses of the health area of a private university of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. The data were collected from a questionnaire, composed of questions related to the teaching and learning of human anatomy and the use of digital technologies for this component. The data were analyzed from the Content Analysis. Scholars have pointed out in their perceptions that digital resources contribute to the learning of anatomy; among the features most cited by them and indicated to be used are YouTube and social networks. The research pointed to contributions to present, from the perceptions of the students, the importance of considering the digital resources because they are incorporated in their daily life. We verified the need for further studies on perceptions, since they are indicative of the resources that can be used to learn anatomical concepts.