Engaging with neuroanatomy through creative projects

Abstract

ABSTRACT Students often struggle to learn material that requires extensive memorization (e.g., neuroanatomy) in courses like Sensation & Perception and Cognitive Neuroscience, though such foundational material is integral to understanding more complex concepts in the course. The “Creative Project” (CP) assignment is designed to engage students in learning this material. Alone or in small teams, students generate creative work on neuroanatomy content. Capitalizing on principles learning theories as well as universal design and inclusive pedagogy, the CP addresses the primary barriers to learning this content. Across two semesters, 70 students submitted a variety of projects: animations, songs, videos, children's books, activity books (e.g., crossword, word search & mazes), 3D models, poems, board games, online games, poetry, and visual artwork. Alumni/ae co-authors of this manuscript provide our feedback and reflection on this assignment from when we completed it. We found the project fun and engaging. We enjoyed the freedom and control, though some of us also found the open-endedness of the assignment to be daunting. We all recommended it be assigned in more courses, even outside of Neuroscience. Here, we describe how the CP can be used in a variety of courses, and what issues to consider when assigning it.