Videos for embryology teaching, power and weakness of an innovative tool

Difficulties are encountered in embryology learning such as imagining embryo modifications in three-dimensions and time. We provided an experimentation to evaluate if short videos during magisterial lecture could increase the quality and the efficiency of embryology teaching.

The study was conducted amongst students in first year of medical studies in France. It is an intense and highly competitive year at the end of which students can engage in medical or paramedical specialties depending on their rank. In a first step, pre-implantation embryo development and microscopic videos of in vitro Fertilization were presented during a course of medical ethics. Three months later, students gave their opinion on this presentation in a satisfaction survey using a Likert scale. In a second step (the two following years), similar videos were integrated in the regular embryology lectures and the results of the subsequent embryology test were analyzed.

In the first step, students declared that movies could increase their interest in embryology and significantly help to the comprehension and memorization of embryologic processes. In the second step, we found that students answered better to the video-related questions of the test even if globally in the first year, results were weaker compared to previous years.

The effects of movies in pedagogy are discussed, especially the accelerated rhythm imposed by this medium. Adverse consequences could be balanced by traditional drawing.

The association of complementary pedagogic methods like movies and drawing could allow an optimization of embryo teaching.