Assessment of the opinions and experiences of anatomy educators regarding the distance anatomy education in medical facilities under the effect of COVID-19 in Turkey

Perception of learning by anatomy teachers in the COVID-19

The discipline of anatomy is one of the pillars of training in higher education courses in health area. Since its origin, this discipline has used the traditional method as an educational strategy. Since then, the discipline has undergone changes, including other teaching methods, such as active methodologies. With the COVID-19 pandemic, declared in March 2020 and the closure of higher education institutions, the teaching of anatomy was impacted, since it was necessary to adapt the modality of face-to-face teaching to remote teaching. The present study aims to evaluate the perception of teachers regarding students' anatomy learning in relation to the types of methodologies applied in remote teaching during the pandemic. For such, a cross-sectional study was carried out, which analyzed the answers of 101 anatomy teachers. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference regarding teachers' perception of learning in relation to the type of methodology used in remote teaching during the pandemic. There was also no difference in comparing perceptions regarding the type of methodology used before and during the pandemic. Given this, these data encourage the need for reflection in the academic community and new studies with educators and students, in order to identify factors that may improve the quality of anatomy learning.

Students' perspective on the interactive online anatomy labs during the COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

New training methods sprung up using communication technologies after the suspension imposed on Greek Universities due to restrictive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. The current questionnaire-based study evaluates the efficacy and utility of the interactive online anatomy labs (ONALs) in assisting the assimilation of anatomy and substituting dissection labs during the pandemic.

METHODS

ONALs consisting of video recorded demonstrations of dissected cadavers were developed so that real-time dialogue and interaction between tutor and students was feasible. First- and second-year medical students who were taught neuroanatomy and splanchnology and first-year dental students who were taught head and neck anatomy evaluated the ONALs.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty students participated. The 61 students (38.13%) attended the splanchnology, 58 (36.25%) the neuroanatomy, and 41 (25.63%) the head and neck anatomy course. 86.9% of the participants found the ONALs beneficial for their study. The 75.5% with previous experience of a "face-to-face" dissection replied that the ONALs cannot substitute satisfactorily "face-to-face" dissections. 63.8% replied positively to the ONALs maintenance after the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

The study's novelty is based on the maintenance of the greater possible interaction between tutors and students during the ONALs, in contrast to the previously described usage of dissection educational videos in anatomy. Our findings reinforce the established statement that "a teaching dissection is an irreplaceable tool in anatomy education". However, the ONALs were well-received by the students and can be kept on as a supplementary teaching modality and can be proven quite useful in Medical Schools that lack cadavers.