Go With the Flow: Visualizing Embryological Development with Concept Maps to Supplement Learning

Embryology is a challenging subject for first-year medical students, with limited resources available to enhance comprehension. Embryology flow-chart style concept maps were developed as an active learning resource to improve comprehension and performance. Starting each week of the Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology (AHE) course, which is organized into three consecutive instructional units ("Unit 1", "Unit 2", and "Unit 3"), students received fillable concept map templates aligning with embryology lecture content. A pre-quiz with rationales assessed baseline knowledge at week's end. The subsequent week, faculty-vetted, completed versions of concept maps were provided for comparative analysis. Comprehensive post-quiz was provided before each unit's summative exam. Summative exam performance on embryology topics was analyzed, and a comprehensive survey evaluated student interest and the perceived effectiveness of concept maps. At AHE onset, 72% (n = 99) of students were either unfamiliar or somewhat familiar with embryology content. Across the three instructional units, a majority of respondents reported using the concept maps to review embryology material without relying on lecture notes or slides, indicating active engagement with the material (Unit 1: 62%, n = 47; Unit 2: 44%, n = 73; Unit 3: 44%, n = 72). Most students (85%, n = 127) found the concept maps extremely or moderately useful. Student performance on post-quizzes significantly improved as compared to pre-quizzes. Students who utilized concept maps or participated in quizzes performed significantly better on summative exam embryology questions than non-participants. These findings suggest that flowchart-style concept maps and the embryology quizzes are a valuable, active-learning strategy for improving comprehension and performance.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-026-02743-2.