Student Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Interaction and Collaborative Learning in Human Anatomy; Implications for Interprofessional Curriculum Design and Implementation in Health Professional Education

Abstract

Interactive and collaborative human anatomy learning provides an infrastructure for health professional education and forms a backbone for healthcare delivery. Yet, there is a growing trend among institutions to modernize student learning environments using innovative teaching alternatives. The adoption of new teaching methods in health professional education has altered the traditional way students learn human anatomy; therefore, it is important to capture student perceptions and attitudes to better appreciate the impact of changes of anatomy education. Since the success of student collaboration depends on the ability to effectively communicate and work as part of a group or team, examining student feedback on interaction with peers is key to explore and promote effective collaborative learning. The work in this thesis sought to understand how different modes of teaching and course design influenced student perceptions and attitudes about interaction and collaboration. The specific objectives were intended to use student feedback on learning in two different environments, namely technology-based (TBAE) and cadaver-based anatomy education (CBAE), to analyze the potential of those environments to foster the shared learning necessary for interprofessional education (IPE). The results of the first study revealed that the flexibility of the TBAE environment promoted personalized and independent learning, impacting student perceived need for social interactions: both interaction with their instructors and peers. Based on student feedback, the study provides recommendations intended to promote peer interaction and collaboration as a basis for shared learning in introductory technology-based anatomy courses. The results of the second study showed that the CBAE environment, using either dissection or prosections, provided a foundation for collaborative and hands-on learning. The difference between students’ backgrounds and prior anatomical knowledge influenced the dynamics of their teamwork and collaboration during interprofessional dissections-based activities. Based on the feedback received, the study highlights a set of recommendations that could help optimize the implementation of collaborative cadaver-based pedagogies as a means for shared learning in gross anatomy courses. In conclusion, two issues related to instructional resources and course design appear to limit TBAE and CBAE learning environments as supportive of IPE. These issues are discussed as implications for interprofessional curriculum design and implementation.