Multimodal Review Session for Undergraduate Muscle Anatomy

Abstract

Engagement of multiple learning modalities has been shown to promote learning. This study aimed to develop resources for anatomical sciences educators interested in adding additional teaching modalities into their repertoire. Three review sessions were created for the muscle anatomy unit of an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course, each designed to engage a different learning modality. The first session was a kinesthetic experience in which students were cued through a sequence of body positions similar to yoga poses with instruction of muscle anatomy relevant to each position. The second session was a tactile experience in which students were instructed how to shape clay into models of muscles and place them on a corresponding plastic skeleton. The third session was an audience-response question and answer (Q&A) session in which students responded to questions and received feedback about their performance. Each of the three review sessions was successfully implemented in a large undergraduate course with 445 total students. The authors encourage other anatomy educators to adapt these sessions for use in their own teaching.