Keeping histology students under the microscope during Covid-19 lockdown: Lessons learned from the University of Genoa

The challenges of histology education

Generations of students have struggled to learn histology. They have found the subject extremely dry and the nomenclature very challenging. Insidiously, histology is fading from the minds of stakeholders. Unless this is rectified, it is not inconceivable that the subject will be further diluted in the medical curriculum. What contributing factors could there be? Via a survey and focus group discussions, international faculty (n = 111) were asked what the challenges in teaching histology were. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and stratified by the number of teaching years. A collaborative teaching session with a pathologist was also delivered to the YLLSoMM1 students (n = 280), who gave opinions about it. Of the international faculty, 85 (±1)% responded. Among those, 60 (±1)% felt that the pedagogy should be reformed (e.g., by gamification). Interestingly, 30 (±1)% opined that organ system histology should be moved into the clinical years. Notably, 70 (±1)% of teachers preferred to teach face to face (FTF) using either microscopes or virtual microscopy. Among the students, 71 (±1)% reported self-teaching from online resources. Significantly, 88 (±1)% of M1 students agreed that having the pathologist co-teach histology was beneficial. Some teachers, and most students, struggle with histology. There is a generational divide in opinions concerning how histology should be taught. The traditionalists wish to maintain the status quo while the reformists want changes. Learners want to be engaged with hybrid approaches aided by the pathologist. They also welcome more clinical context during histology lessons.

Teaching Cellular Architecture: The Global Status of Histology Education

Histology or microanatomy is the science of the structure and function of tissues and organs in metazoic organisms at the cellular level. By definition, histology is dependent on a variety of microscope techniques, usually light or more recently virtual, as well as electron microscopy. Since its inception more than two centuries ago, histology has been an integral component of biomedical education, specifically for medical, dental, and veterinary students. Traditionally, histology has been taught in two sequential phases, first a didactic transfer of information to learners and secondly a laboratory segment in which students develop the skill of analyzing micrographic images. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of how histology is currently taught in different global regions. This overview also outlines which educational strategies and technologies are used, and how the local and cultural environment influences the histology education of medical and other students in different countries and continents. Also discussed are current trends that change the teaching of this basic science subject.

Promoting more future-ready anatomy education after the Covid-19 pandemic: A scoping review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic caused an abrupt transition from face-to-face to online anatomy teaching, learning, and assessment. Although online education has ensured the continuity of anatomy education during the pandemic, its implementation has been challenging, and its effectiveness has been questioned. Therefore, literature pertinent to online anatomy education during the pandemic is crucial to explain Covid-19's disruptions to this field. Accordingly, this scoping review explored changes, disruptions, and gaps in anatomy teaching and assessment during Covid-19 using an enhanced version of Arksey and O'Malley's six-stage protocol. Five online databases were searched for articles that described changes and disruptions in anatomy education. Three independent researchers were involved in titles, abstracts, and full texts screening, while another four researchers were independently involved in data extraction, charting, and synthesis. This review revealed six themes: immediate strategic plans and actions, teaching and learning changes, online assessment practice, students' and educators' receptivity and adaptability, online learning and assessment effects, and future directions. It also revealed four gaps: non-future-ready curricula, learning obstacles, administrative and teaching challenges, and online education ethical issues. The results were reported in tabular and narrative forms, following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR guidelines). Understanding the evolution and gaps in anatomy education during the Covid-19 pandemic will help anatomists design future-ready, adaptable curricula.

Decreased sympathetic cardiovascular influences and hormone-physiological changes in response to Covid-19-related adaptations under different learning environments

To examine the implications of the transition from face-to-face to online learning from a psychobiological perspective, this study investigated potential differences in physiological stress parameters of students engaged in online or face-to-face learning and determined whether these can be identified as possible mediators between learning experience and achievement emotions. In a randomized experimental field study, medical students (n = 82) attended either regular face-to-face classes of the microscopic anatomy course or the same practical course online using Zoom videoconferencing platform. The present study investigated Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and salivary cortisol concentration as stress correlates, within the contexts of online and face-to-face learning and compared these parameters with a control group that was measured at rest. Additionally, participants completed a standardized questionnaire about their experienced emotions in relation to task achievement and subjective stress levels. A significant reduction in HRV was found in face-to-face learning, suggesting stronger stress responses in the face-to-face learning environment (η²  = 0.421, P < 0.001). Furthermore, participants engaged in face-to-face learning showed significantly higher cortisol concentrations (η²  = 0.115, P = 0.032). Additionally, increased sympathetic activation correlated with the discrete positive emotion of enjoyment exclusively within the face-to-face condition (r = 0.365, P = 0.043). These results indicate that the transfer of a face-to-face practical course in microscopic anatomy to an online learning environment is associated with decreased sympathetic and enhanced vagal cardiovascular influences, together with lower cortisol concentrations in healthy medical students.

Comparison of virtual microscopy and real microscopy for learning oral histology laboratory course among dental students

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