Helping students help themselves: evaluating the effectiveness of undergraduate study techniques in human anatomy

Abstract

A significant challenge of teaching undergraduate anatomy is effectively communicating to students the amount of time and effort required to perform well in such a rigorous course. While the effectiveness of study methods vary individually, it would be beneficial to guide students in maximizing their study time with the best techniques for learning the course material. In some cases, poor performance might be avoided by providing students with data from previous semesters demonstrating study methods that are associated with the retention of anatomical knowledge. Questionnaires (n=183) were administered to students enrolled in undergraduate anatomy in the Fall of 2011 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This survey asked students about the study methods they used (e.g., flashcards, textbooks, diagrams), as well as time spent studying for class. These methods were correlated with scores from exams taken throughout the course. Results show that course performance was not correlated with any particular study technique but was significantly and positively correlated with the total hours spent studying. In addition, students who altered their study habits after the first exam exhibited the greatest improvements in performance. This indicates the benefit of encouraging students early in the course to utilize a greater variety of study methods and invest more time studying than they have in prior courses.Grant Funding Source : NA