Does the Use of Interactive Exercises in Anatomy Lecture Increase Student Performance?: A Multi‐Year Study Presented

Abstract

Is it possible to transform a large (300+ students) undergraduate anatomy course from a traditional didactic lecture format to a more student-participatory and group-focused interactive learning experience? Further, will these changes result in better performance measures? Most previous educational research has either focused on smaller classes or had limited measures of assessment. By incorporating concepts first presented by Angelo and Cross, Valerie O’Loughlin developed and presented a series of interactive learning exercises in her undergraduate anatomy class, beginning in Fall 2000. IRB approval was obtained to compare “pre-educational intervention” semesters (1997–1999) to those semesters where interactive learning exercises were incorporated as a regular part of the lecture (2000–2005 semesters). Multiple methods of analysis were used, including affective (qualitative) measures, process measures (the degree to which a planned learning activity was implemented and used), and performance measures. The data demonstrate that the use of interactive learning exercises in the classroom result in increased lecture exam performance, increased total points earned, and increased instructor evaluation scores. The author concluded that, even in a large lecture class, interactive learning opportunities were welcomed by the students and improved student (and instructor) performance.