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Design, implementation, and reflections on a two-week virtual visual arts and medicine course for third- and
Gavisha R Waidyaratne1, Sangri Kim2, Joel D Howell3,4,5
1Internal Medicine Residency Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Background:
Medical humanities courses that incorporate the visual arts traditionally require in-person instruction and visits to museums. The COVID-19 pandemic afforded medical educators a unique opportunity to implement and evaluate virtual visual arts programming.
Methods:
A two-week, 7-module visual arts and medicine elective course for third and fourth-year medical students was conducted virtually in the Spring of 2021. The course included traditional didactic components as well as a range of hands-on creative art activities including painting, graphic medicine, photovoice, and Kintsugi (Japanese craft). Digital tools including Canvas, Google Jamboard, and Zoom facilitated student engagement. Student feedback was collected through anonymous post-course surveys.
Results:
We successfully conducted a virtual visual arts and medicine elective which integrated hands-on creative art activities. Most students "strongly agreed" that remote instruction was sufficient to meet course objectives. However, all students also "agreed" that in-person instruction may promote more in-depth engagement with the visual arts. The hands-on creative art activities were appreciated by all students.
Conclusion:
Visual arts-based medical humanities courses can be delivered virtually and can include hands-on creative art activities such as painting. Future visual arts and medicine courses may benefit from incorporating a range of pedagogical methodologies, digital tools, control groups, and pre-/post-course assessments.
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