Impact of Virtual Anatomy on Assessment Outcomes

Abstract

Many medical schools have transitioned to teaching anatomy with prosections and models1. The efficacy of these curricular approaches as they compare to the gold standard of dissection anatomy has been evaluated2. In addition to helping students acquire professional competencies3, students who participate in dissection achieve higher scores on written examinations than students who participate in prosection1,4. Dissection helps students develop integrated three‐dimensional models of the human body, which is fundamental to clinical practice2.In a typical year, medical students at our university take Clinical Morphology which includes histology, embryology, imaging, and dissection anatomy. In 2020, due to the global COVID‐19 pandemic, laboratory access was significantly restricted, requiring a shift to a prosection and virtual learning hybrid model. All other components of the course were retained. This necessary change in curriculum provided a natural experiment to investigate the impact of eliminating dissection anatomy on students’ academic performance. We hypothesized a negative impact.Students in the 2020 cohort worked in small groups to complete a weekly two‐hour online simulated dissection, and attended an optional weekly in‐person prosection lab. Faculty‐produced prosection videos were available to view asynchronously. Virtual office hours were held in the laboratory. In contrast, the 2019 cohort participated in a traditional dissection anatomy lab that included six hours of instructor‐supported dissection each week and 24‐hour lab access. All other course components were comparable.Respectively, for the 2020 and 2019 cohorts, mean quiz scores were 86.2 and 85.6; lab practical averages were 92.5 and 86.3; mean NBME scores were 80.9 and 82.2; and course numeric score means were 84.7 and 84.8 (no significant differences, t‐test). The frequency of passing and failing scores followed a similar pattern with no differences identified between the two cohorts (Chi Square). All 2020 students had a passing average for lab practicals; significantly better than the 2019 cohort (p < 0.05, Chi Square). Pairwise Pearson r correlation coefficients showed a strong relationship (r > 0.75) for quiz, NBME, and lab practical scores in the 2019 cohort. For the 2020 cohort, there was a strong relationship (r = 0.72) only for quiz and NBME scores.Dissection anatomy correlates strongly with quizzes and the NBME exam performance, while virtual‐prosection anatomy does not. The lack of strong pairwise correlations between virtual anatomy with either NBME or quiz performance suggest that the virtual‐prosection model did not align well with academic objectives. These data support the continued inclusion of dissection in medical school anatomy.1. Eppler E, Serowy S, Link K, Filgueira L. Anat Sci Educ. 2018;11:32‐43. doi:10.1002/ase.17072. Keerti Singh, Uma Gaur, Kiana Hall, Keisha Mascoll, Damian Cohall, Md Anwarul Azim Majumder. Advances in human biology. 2020;10(3):90‐94. doi:10.4103/AIHB.AIHB_87_203. McDaniel KG, Brown T, Radford CC, et al. Anat Sci Educ. 2020;10.1002/ase.2000. doi:10.1002/ase.20004. Thompson AR, Marshall AM. Anat Sci Educ. 2020;13(1):30‐36. doi:10.1002/ase.1859