What faculty and students value when evaluating human digital anatomy platforms: a mixed-methods study
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: There is an increasing availability of digital technologies for teaching and learning of human anatomy. Studies have shown that such applications allow for better spatial awareness than traditional methods. These digital human anatomy platforms offer users myriad features, such as the ability to manipulate 3D models, conduct prosection, investigate anatomical regions through virtual reality, or perform knowledge tests on themselves. This study examined what faculty members' value when using digital human anatomy platforms for teaching and what students value when using these platforms for learning. METHODS: Six anatomy faculty members and 21 students were selected to participate in this study. After using the three digital anatomy platforms for at least 1 week, a survey was conducted to record their feedback in 4 categories: usability, interactive features, level of detail, and learning support. Respondents' Qualitative feedback within each category was also analyzed to strengthen the study's findings. RESULTS: The study's findings showed that faculty members and students have different priorities when evaluating digital anatomy platforms. Faculty members valued platforms that provided better accuracy and detailed anatomical structures, while students prioritized usability above the rest of the features. CONCLUSION: Given that faculty and students have different preferences when selecting digital anatomy platforms, this article proposed that educators maximize the specific affordances offered by the technology by having a clear pedagogy and strategy on how the technology will be incorporated into the curriculum to help students achieve the desired learning outcomes.
Date Issued
2024
Date Acceptance
2024-05-01
Citation
Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 2024, 11
ISSN
2382-1205
Publisher
SAGE Publishing
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development
Volume
11
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38765319
Subjects
3D anatomy
anatomy education
human digital anatomy
human gross anatomy
technology-enhanced learning
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2024-05-16