Impact of Curricular Redesign on Student Performance and Satisfaction in a Foundational Anatomy Block With Added Cell...

Restructuring of the preclinical medical curriculum has gained renewed vigor over the last two decades. In addition, many institutions have transitioned from a categorical to a pass/fail assessment system. Our institution followed this trend in 2021, converting from a two-pass to a one-pass preclinical curriculum, shortening its length by several months, and changing from a categorical to a pass/fail assessment scheme. Using a mixed-method approach, this study analyzed student performance and satisfaction in the first block of the revised curriculum, wherein a substantial portion of cell biology and basic tissues histology was added to a condensed anatomy and embryology block. The goals of this study were to assess overall student success and satisfaction in the new block in order to remedy any deleterious outcomes from the revision as a component of ongoing programmatic evaluation. Student performance on summative assessments was analyzed by comparing quiz and exam results from the three student cohorts immediately preceding curricular revision to the first three cohorts in the new curriculum. Performance on particular assessments declined after curricular overhaul, with the added cell biology-histology content yielding low scores. General student satisfaction with the block was gauged by analyzing student survey results and remained high after curriculum revision. While satisfaction with the added cell biology/histology content was initially low, it rose dramatically by the third iteration. A variety of resources are being implemented that may improve student performance in future iterations of the block.