Flipping the classroom: turning the traditional anatomy lecture on its head

Abstract

It is widely accepted that students retain about 5% of what they learn in a lecture setting, while “practice by doing” yields about a 75% retention rate. Thus, there is a movement in education to utilize engaged learning practices in the classroom. Prior to this academic year, the pedagogy used in our medical gross anatomy course was traditional lectures, dissection laboratories and discussion groups. In the fall of 2012, we “flipped the classroom”, moving content delivery outside of the class setting, and introducing collaborative interactions and engagement activities into the classroom. Students were provided learning objectives and narrated slides to prepare for each laboratory; students assessed their preparation by completing readiness tests. Following laboratories, important concepts were revisited in faculty‐led large group sessions. These interactive sessions included activities such as questioning and polling students, peer teaching and collaborative construction of flow charts or nerve maps. Qualitative assessments of student performance suggest that students are better prepared for both laboratories and discussion groups. Preliminary quantitative results indicate that students of the flipped classroom are performing equally well or better than students from previous academic years on written quizzes. Successes and challenges for implementing a flipped classroom will be discussed.