%0 Journal Article
%T Strategic Improvements for Gross Anatomy Web-Based Teaching
%A David R. Marker
%A Krishna Juluru
%A Chris Long
%A Donna Magid
%J Anatomy Research International
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/146262
%X Current generations of graduate students have been immersed in technology from their early school years and have high expectations regarding digital resources. To better meet the expectations of Gross Anatomy students at our institution, electronic radiology teaching files for first-year coursework were organized into a web site. The web site was custom designed to provide material that directly correlated to the Gross Anatomy dissection and lectures. Quick links provided sets of images grouped by anatomic location. Additionally, Lab and Study Companions provided specific material for the students to review prior to and after lectures and gross dissections. Student opinions of this education resource were compared to student opinions of the prior year¡¯s digital teaching files. The new content was ranked as more user£¿friendly (3.1 points versus 2.3 points) and more useful for learning anatomy (3.3 points versus 2.6 points). Many students reported that using the web portal was critical in helping them to better understand relationships of anatomical structures. These findings suggest that a well-organized web portal can provide a user-friendly, valuable educational resource for medical students who are studying Gross Anatomy. 1. Introduction Gross anatomy is a fundamental component of first-year medical school curriculum. During this course, students gain a distinct visual understanding of the organ systems and their relationships to one another. Traditionally this visual understanding has been obtained through a surgical perspective provided by gross dissection or prosection [1]. More recently, with the advent of modern medical imaging, anatomy education has increasingly been supplemented by a radiological perspective [2¨C4]. Gross Anatomy coursework that provides both perspectives is arguably the ideal training for medical students who will require facility using both views during surgery and radiology rotations or when consulting these services. In support of this educational approach, several recent studies have reported improved clinical training through the use of imaging educational resources [3, 5¨C7]. In a study that directly compared the approaches, Stanford et al. reported that the combination of gross dissection and computer-based educational tools was a more efficacious teaching approach than either teaching modality alone [8]. As imaging has been adopted in the modern medical education, it has benefited from the concurrent development of technologies that have allowed the material to be presented electronically. One of the technologies with
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ari/2012/146262/