Undergraduate Student Course Perceptions in Response to Pedagogically Different Approaches in Introductory Anatomy and Physiology

Abstract

Our institution underwent a curricular revision to change the course approach for introductory anatomy and physiology courses from separate, discipline-specific human anatomy and human physiology courses to an integrated A&P I and A&P II course approach. Through a mixed-methods exploratory study, this research sought to determine undergraduate student perceptions of anatomy through this curricular revision. Data was collected through word associations, open-ended surveys, and course evaluation data. Our results indicate that undergraduate student perceptions of anatomy changed between the first course and the second course in the sequence, rather than between course approaches. Students in both course approaches reported similar interests, confusions, and difficulties related to anatomy education, and an awareness of the explicit and implicit curriculum was evident in student responses. However, some specific evaluation prompts exhibited a significant difference between course approaches. Results from this perception study can guide practitioners to consider the curricular context and unique challenges of anatomy and physiology students in meeting the expectations of the health care field.