Use of a Digital, Profession-Specific Dissection Guide Is Associated with Improved Examination Performance and Student Satisfaction

Abstract

Anatomical knowledge is requisite for effective physical therapy (PT) practice. Cadaver dissection is a popular teaching method employed in PT anatomy courses. Limited time in the laboratory requires effective dissection instructions. Several limitations of a printed, non-discipline specific dissection guide have been identified by students and instructors in anatomy curricula. The objective of this project was to evaluate the effect of using a digital, PT specific dissection guide on examination performance and student satisfaction. A digital guide was developed that incorporated improvements based on observations of student experiences using a printed guide. The digital guide covered two lower extremity regional dissections and was distributed for use during the summer 2017 course. Enhancements included clarification of dissection procedures, formative quizzes, image galleries, embedded videos, and a glossary of terms. Students used a printed guide for all other dissections in the course. The percentage of correct answers from practical examinations was calculated and compared between summer of 2015 (print) and 2017 (digital) courses. A survey consisting of nineteen five-point Likert items was distributed. The percentage of correct answers was significantly higher for the digital guide (91.7 ± 7.11%) compared with the print guide (84.2 ± 9.51%, P < 0.0001). On the survey, the median item rating was strongly agree for two, agree for fifteen, and neither agree or disagree for two. These results suggest that developing a curriculum specific, digital guide was effective in improving student knowledge and satisfaction. These results encourage development of additional content specific guides in a digital format.

Keywords: Digital assets; Dissection guide; Gross anatomy laboratory; Learning outcomes; Technology-enhanced learning; eBook.

Fig. 1

a A screenshot of the iBooks Author illustrating the location of tools used to create the digital dissection guide. b A screenshot of a representative page of the digital dissection guide. Anatomical structures in bolded text revealed a pop-up window of additional information about that structure when selected

Fig. 2

An example of a line diagram drawn in Adobe Illustrator that was labeled for structures referenced in the dissection instructions

Fig 3

An example of a cadaveric photograph of a prosected specimen featured in the dissection guide

Fig 4

A screenshot of the lower extremity osteology module embedded in the digital dissection guide

Fig 5

A significant interaction between content unit and class (P < 0.0001) indicated that learner performance was influenced by the type of dissection guide utilized. A Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons revealed a significant increase in cadaver examination scores (% correct) during the content unit the digital guide was introduced (P < 0.0001). Summer 2015 N = 46, summer 2017 N = 62. Data presented as mean ± standard deviation