Anatomical Sciences Education最新文献

The intersection of science and art has historically fostered innovation, yet the integration of creative arts into anatomy education remains limited. The Synthetic Anatomy module was designed to bridge anatomy teaching with creative design for bioscience and biomedical engineering students. This study evaluates the module's educational impact and explores student perceptions of integrating artistic approaches into anatomy learning. Over 10 weeks, student groups conceptualize and 3D-print anatomical structures that transcend clinical and evolutionary norms. This is supplemented with workshops led by visiting artists and PhD biomedical engineering students. Each group presents an unmanned table display of models on a self-selected topic, including bionic arms, human wings, and hybrid human-avian hearts. Feedback was collected from 89 students and six tutors across three academic years (2018–2020), through focus groups and semi-structured interviews respectively. Qualitative responses were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The analysis revealed three key themes: creative exploration, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students valued the freedom in exploring imaginative anatomical designs beyond textbook conventions. The unmanned displays encouraged inventive presentation methods using motion, sound, and touch. The module's wider impact was illustrated by a 2017 biomedical engineering student who further developed prosthetic chest-wall design for cancer patients, later published in Frontiers of Surgery and featured on BBC Click. The module has supported student-led design concepts that extend anatomy learning into creative and translational contexts. Ongoing improvements are being made through student feedback and pedagogical reflection, alongside efforts to measure long-term educational impact.

To compare a metaverse-based interactive virtual reality (VR) session with a conventional 2D online lecture for learning cervicofacial anatomy. Single-center, curriculum-embedded, nonrandomized comparative study. Fourth-year students attended a Zoom lecture (Conventional, n = 73); sixth-year students completed an interactive VR session using Meta Quest 2 on the Spatial platform (VR, n = 40), delivered in small groups. Immediately after teaching, students completed a 12-item test (9 spatial-relational, 3 factual/topographic). Group differences were analyzed with Welch's t-tests. VR students scored higher overall than Conventional students (66.0% ± 18.3% vs. 43.6% ± 18.0%; mean difference 22.4 percentage points, 95% CI 15.3–29.6; p < 0.0001), driven by spatial items (68.6% ± 20.1% vs. 40.6% ± 18.9%; difference 28.0, 95% CI 20.3–35.7; p < 0.0001). Factual/topographic scores were similar (58.3% ± 25.9% vs. 52.5% ± 30.4%; difference 6.9, 95% CI −3.4 to 17.2; p = 0.19). Optional free-text comments suggested high engagement and perceived spatial benefits; barriers included headset ergonomics and occasional motion sickness. Metaverse-based interactive VR was associated with substantially better spatial learning than a conventional online lecture, with comparable factual recall. Given the nonrandomized design and small-group VR delivery, future studies should use size-matched randomized designs with baseline testing and richer qualitative methods to isolate immersion effects and evaluate generalizability to other anatomical regions.

Understanding human anatomy is crucial for professionals working in physical education–related fields. However, anatomy education in South Korean universities is often perceived as insufficiently aligned with professional demands. This study aims to document current experiences and perceptions of anatomy education among individuals engaged in physical education and identify areas where educational provision may not fully align with professional needs. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 730 individuals involved in physical education–related fields in South Korea. Participants reported demographic characteristics, anatomy education experiences, and perceptions regarding the sufficiency and relevance of anatomical knowledge. Group differences were examined using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Participants rated their overall anatomy knowledge at a mean score of 3.40 out of 5, with significant variation across professional orientations (p < 0.001). While 48.1% of respondents identified cadaver-based training as the most effective educational method, such training was largely absent from university curricula and mainly accessed through private programs. Costs and satisfaction levels differed significantly, with external programs often perceived as higher in quality despite greater financial burden. These findings provide a national snapshot of perceived experiences and expectations regarding anatomy education among individuals in physical education–related fields in South Korea. The results highlight persistent discrepancies between university-based anatomy education and professional requirements, particularly regarding practical and cadaver-based learning opportunities. Although this study does not directly evaluate university curricula, the documented perception patterns may inform efforts to better align anatomy education with practical demands of non-medical professional training.

The introduction of new educational technologies into resource-challenged learning environments is often hindered by several factors, with the lack of infrastructure and computer hardware being only one critical aspect. The COVID-19 pandemic required a sudden switch to online learning and accelerated the implementation of e-learning approaches worldwide. This study follows the adoption of virtual microscopy (VM) during the COVID-19 pandemic by medical and dental students at the University of Ghana (UG) for the learning of histology and the changes that were the result of this transformation. Students' awareness and the use of VM resources for their histology education increased significantly over the time of the pandemic. Students who were actively using VM reported a lack of internet access and insufficient promotion by histology teachers as major obstacles for their use of this educational technology. Although they attributed many advantages to VM as a histology learning tool, more than 90% of UG students advocated for the combined use of traditional and virtual microscopy during histology laboratory sessions. Students who did not use VM mostly blamed a lack of hardware devices, internet access, and technical knowledge for not making use of VM. In summary, although medical and dental students voiced strong support for the implementation of this e-learning technology, a combination of factors including infrastructural limitations and a reluctance by teaching and administration staff might hinder the implementation of VM in a resource-challenged learning environment like at the UG.

Dissection enables medical students to develop skills in locating and identifying anatomical structures, recognizing their variations, and understanding clinical relevance. In Sri Lanka, bodies are obtained through voluntary body donation, where individuals consent to the use of their bodies for education and research after death. While body donation aligns with Buddhist teachings on accruing merit, limited literature exists on commemorative practices that highlight its spiritual significance. Enhancing public awareness of these traditions may encourage greater participation in body donation within Buddhist communities. This article describes the commemorative ceremony conducted by the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, a newly established medical faculty. The event involved Buddhist monks, staff, students, and donor families. Rituals included a dharma sermon, alms offerings to monks, and the transference of merit to donors. Donor bodies were placed in coffins and buried following the ceremony. The ceremony provided a formal opportunity for students and staff to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of donors, reinforced cultural traditions of gratitude, and symbolized the institution's ethical commitment to honoring donors. Outcomes included fostering a culture of respect in anatomy education, strengthening professional values among students, and enhancing public understanding of body donation. Sharing these experiences contributes to broader discussions on integrating cultural and ethical practices into medical education. Future studies exploring the perspectives of students, staff, and donor families could further illuminate the educational and societal impact of such commemorations.

Body procurement at The University of Sydney has a long history. Anatomy legislation (1881 Anatomy Act) modeled on the British Anatomy Act 1832 legalized procurement of unclaimed bodies from public institutions for anatomical dissection at licensed Schools of Anatomy, effectively conferring the University of Sydney an exclusive license until the 1960s. This study documents the procurement of 7609 bodies between 1883 and 1983, of which 4084 were unclaimed. Until the 1930s, bodies were predominantly from public asylums, with a small number from psychiatric asylums, hospitals and morgues. Donors were uncommon as were female bodies, reflecting prevailing societal antipathy toward anatomical dissection, the characteristics of asylum residents, and academic attitudes to the dissection of the female body. The individuals whose bodies sustained medical education were diverse in origin and circumstances: ex-convicts, immigrants, miners, Chinese indentured laborers, Indigenous Australians and locally born individuals. Although the law provided a limited right of objection, asylum residents were poorly positioned to exercise it. Mirroring practice across the Western World, their classification as “unclaimed” reflected legal procedure and poverty, institutionalization, separation from family, discriminatory and inaccurate record-keeping, and Colonial-era assumptions of social worth. Little consideration was given to their cultural beliefs, preferences and rights. The University shifted to a body donation program in the 1940s as the availability of unclaimed bodies diminished. This shift was rapid; the last unclaimed body was received in 1961.

The gross anatomy laboratory course often triggers significant negative emotions in medical students during dissection. While various pedagogical interventions aim to alleviate psychological burden, the fundamental question of how students' perceptions of donors evolve throughout the course remains underexplored. In our program, students participate in family interviews with donors' family members, which provide a biographical context for the donor. This study investigated the processual nature of medical students' relationship formation with their “silent mentor” and the pivotal role of family interviews in this transformation. A qualitative study was conducted with 12 third-year medical students. Participants were interviewed at two critical time points: before family interviews (T1) and after course completion (T2). Semi-structured interviews explored students' perceptions of the silent mentor's body, the student–donor relationship, and the impact of family interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to trace the evolution of themes across the semester. Students' experiences unfolded in two distinct phases. Phase 1 was characterized by oscillation between viewing the silent mentor as “person” versus “object,” influenced by temporal boundaries and sensory dissonance. Phase 2 revealed the family interview as a transformative catalyst that initiated relationship formation, prompting students to reframe their connection with the silent mentor as teacher, bridge, or companion, while extending reflections to their relationships with living people. The family interview emerges not merely as a humanistic activity but as a critical pedagogical intervention that transforms students' professional identity and compassion through facilitating a profound process of relationship formation with their silent mentor.