Reimagining human dissection in preclinical medical education using studio-based learning: A retrospective pilot...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomy
• Pedagogy

Background:

• Current medical curricula utilize a checklist approach for human dissections, often limiting educator engagement.
• Anatomy educators face challenges in enhancing student engagement during dissection sessions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate student perceptions of studio-based learning (SBL) in a Human Dissection Workshop.
• To assess the impact of SBL on anatomical knowledge acquisition.
• To interpret questionnaire results regarding SBL's effectiveness in medical education.

Main Methods:

• Recruited Year 2 medical students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2020 & 2021 cohorts).
• Conducted a Human Dissection Workshop utilizing studio-based learning (SBL).
• Administered a post-workshop questionnaire (5-point Likert scale, 19 validated items) to 50 participants.

Main Results:

• SBL enhanced students' knowledge and spatial understanding of anatomical structures.
• The workshop strengthened students' appreciation for gross pathologies and clinical relevance.
• SBL promoted the development of higher-order thinking skills among participants.

Conclusions:

• Studio-based learning (SBL) is a novel and effective approach for human dissection in medical education.
• SBL shows promising potential for supplementing existing medical curricula and improving learning outcomes.
• This study is the first to introduce and evaluate SBL in the context of human dissection workshops.