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. 2020 Sep;33(6):960-968.
doi: 10.1002/ca.23632. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

The process of curricular integration and its effects on anatomical knowledge retention

Xian Zhao  1 , Ellen Goldman  2 , Tara Banani  3 , Kathleen Kline  4 , Kirsten Brown  3 , Juliet Lee  5 , Rosalyn A Jurjus  3
Affiliations

The process of curricular integration and its effects on anatomical knowledge retention

Xian Zhao et al. Clin Anat. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: Integration has been recognized as an important aspect of medical education. After transitioning from a discipline-specific to a systems-based preclinical curriculum, we examined faculty perceptions of the integrated approach and also whether it would lead to better anatomy knowledge retention.

Methods: To understand faculty perspectives, we reviewed curricular materials, interviewed block directors, and observed educational sessions. We analyzed knowledge retention through a 27-question anatomy test, comparing scores from the last class of the discipline-based curriculum and the first two classes of the integrated curriculum.

Results: Planning integrated content involves purposeful ordering, is challenging for faculty, and requires additional resources. Evaluation of the integrated approach for anatomy content demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge retention (p = .012; 56.28% vs. 63.98% for old vs. new curriculum).

Conclusions: This study helps the understanding of what is required for curricular integration. Our anatomy evaluation results corroborated the view that contextually embedded information is easier to learn and retain.

Keywords: anatomy; curriculum; learning; medical education.

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