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**This is a part of Competency 5 of the Certificate in College Teaching (CCT). The other part includes Assessing Student Learning. You can learn more about the CCT competencies here.**
Core Competency 5 focuses on assessing student learning outcomes through summative and/or formative approaches.
Core Competency 5 focuses on assessing student learning outcomes through summative and/or formative approaches.
Mentor Teaching Project: Understanding Perceptions of Learning in a Human Anatomy Lab Course: Changes in Learning Modality through Time
Mentor: Dr. Nicole Geske; Division of Human Anatomy in the Department of Radiology
Project Mentor's Evaluation
You can find my Mentored Teaching Project Document here!
***I want to say a special thank you to the Michigan State University’s Graduate School for awarding us a Research Enhancement Award. This award allowed us to reimburse survey participants for their time and partially fund travel expenses for the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) conference to present this research in 2025.
Six-Step Outline
You can access my six-step outline here to see a condensed version of the teaching and learning goals, teaching questions, assessment technique, classroom practice, results, and conclusions associated with this mentored teaching project.
Summary:
This project aims to understand student perceptions of learning in ANTR 355: Human Gross Anatomy Lab during the 2023-2024 school year. To do this, we created a survey asking students about their use of study resources before and after exam 1. Exam 1 is used as a marker as the outcome of the first exam often informs students about their study habits, which may then be modified for later exams. Students can utilize several types of course resources (i.e., pre-laboratory assignments, radiology extra credit assignments, lab guides, etc.), and understanding what resources students use can help inform future class assignments and provide evidence to students of best practices for success. Our hypothesis was that study habits changed after the first exam and that students utilize course resources more effectively as the course progresses.
This study has been determined to be exempt under 45 CFR 46.104(d) 1.
Artifacts:
Assessment Instrument:
We created a post-course Qualtrics survey to gather qualitative data. Survey data was analyzed using thematic coding/analysis.
Data:
The survey was sent to 90 undergraduate students who were enrolled in an undergraduate anatomy lab course, ANTR 355, during the Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 semesters.
The survey closed on May 31, 2024. A total of 41 students completed the survey.
Background:
ANTR 355 is an undergraduate anatomy lab course that is offered in fall and spring semesters in East Lansing and summer semester in Grand Rapids. Students submit an application to enroll in the course, and 30-36 students are accepted for each semester in East Lansing. Due to high demand, the Spring 2024 course offered two sections, totaling 60 students.
All assignments could be found on the educational platform Top Hat. Students prepare for class by completing pre-lab assignments on Top Hat. The pre-lab assignments consist of reading, cadaveric photos, 3D virtual anatomy models (BioDigitals), and assessment questions. Additional cadaveric videos are also linked as supplemental resources to use to prepare or review.
Students are assigned to a group on the first day of class and remain with the same group for the entirety of that semester. During class, students work in their groups to complete a lab guide. The lab guides consist of narrative text to guide students to identify the anatomy on anatomical donors (cadavers) and cadaveric material.
At the end of each lab, students take a post-lab quiz consisting of multiple-choice questions addressing the associated learning objectives and anatomical structure identifications that were covered that day.
Students are highly encouraged to come to the anatomy lab to study on their own time during “open lab” times. They can attend open lab on their own, with other students, or their groups. Some of these open lab hours are staffed by teaching aides (called “bluecoats”), who are typically medical students who have already taken and passed their anatomy courses and are present to offer help reviewing the material.
Course Materials:
Students were provided with a learning objective document for each unit, each of which provided a list of written learning objective statements that guide students toward what concepts of the reading assignments they should be focusing on. Each unit learning objective document also provided a list of structure identifications. Students were assessed on learning objectives during post-lab quizzes and during each unit exam.
As previously mentioned, students use lab guides while in class and in open lab to help them identify the required anatomical structures. These structures are assessed on post-lab quizzes and unit exams.
Within the pre-lab assignments are several resources designed to help students prepare for lab and review anatomy at home:
Additional course materials included:
Findings: ...
Interpretations: ...
Reflection:
I have so many important takeaways from this experience. This mentored teaching project provided me the opportunity to understand student habits outside of the classroom. While I get to work with some of these students in the classroom, I only work one-on-one with them for a relatively short amount of time during their semester. Being able to read through the results of this study has provided me with information about what seems to work for students and what does not. I can guide students toward the most used study material to help them get an idea of what they can do to prepare for exams. Also, I have learned that, while students have many study materials available to them, they do not always know the most efficient ways to use these materials until after the first exam. I can share some ways to help them navigate the materials most efficiently from the beginning, including using pre-lab assignments and learning objectives in tandem.
This experience will guide my future teaching practice in a few ways. First, I plan to use what I know about ANTR 355 specifically in the upcoming year as I will be a teaching assistant for the Division of Human Anatomy again. Second, once I become a professor, I plan to survey my students to learn about any trends regarding studying for my courses. Similar to this experience, I will use the results to help future students prepare for class in the most efficient way possible.
Conference Presentation
We will present these results at the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) conference in 2025. Stay tuned to see our HAPS poster!
Mentor: Dr. Nicole Geske; Division of Human Anatomy in the Department of Radiology
Project Mentor's Evaluation
You can find my Mentored Teaching Project Document here!
***I want to say a special thank you to the Michigan State University’s Graduate School for awarding us a Research Enhancement Award. This award allowed us to reimburse survey participants for their time and partially fund travel expenses for the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) conference to present this research in 2025.
Six-Step Outline
You can access my six-step outline here to see a condensed version of the teaching and learning goals, teaching questions, assessment technique, classroom practice, results, and conclusions associated with this mentored teaching project.
Summary:
This project aims to understand student perceptions of learning in ANTR 355: Human Gross Anatomy Lab during the 2023-2024 school year. To do this, we created a survey asking students about their use of study resources before and after exam 1. Exam 1 is used as a marker as the outcome of the first exam often informs students about their study habits, which may then be modified for later exams. Students can utilize several types of course resources (i.e., pre-laboratory assignments, radiology extra credit assignments, lab guides, etc.), and understanding what resources students use can help inform future class assignments and provide evidence to students of best practices for success. Our hypothesis was that study habits changed after the first exam and that students utilize course resources more effectively as the course progresses.
This study has been determined to be exempt under 45 CFR 46.104(d) 1.
Artifacts:
Assessment Instrument:
We created a post-course Qualtrics survey to gather qualitative data. Survey data was analyzed using thematic coding/analysis.
Data:
The survey was sent to 90 undergraduate students who were enrolled in an undergraduate anatomy lab course, ANTR 355, during the Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 semesters.
The survey closed on May 31, 2024. A total of 41 students completed the survey.
Background:
ANTR 355 is an undergraduate anatomy lab course that is offered in fall and spring semesters in East Lansing and summer semester in Grand Rapids. Students submit an application to enroll in the course, and 30-36 students are accepted for each semester in East Lansing. Due to high demand, the Spring 2024 course offered two sections, totaling 60 students.
All assignments could be found on the educational platform Top Hat. Students prepare for class by completing pre-lab assignments on Top Hat. The pre-lab assignments consist of reading, cadaveric photos, 3D virtual anatomy models (BioDigitals), and assessment questions. Additional cadaveric videos are also linked as supplemental resources to use to prepare or review.
Students are assigned to a group on the first day of class and remain with the same group for the entirety of that semester. During class, students work in their groups to complete a lab guide. The lab guides consist of narrative text to guide students to identify the anatomy on anatomical donors (cadavers) and cadaveric material.
At the end of each lab, students take a post-lab quiz consisting of multiple-choice questions addressing the associated learning objectives and anatomical structure identifications that were covered that day.
Students are highly encouraged to come to the anatomy lab to study on their own time during “open lab” times. They can attend open lab on their own, with other students, or their groups. Some of these open lab hours are staffed by teaching aides (called “bluecoats”), who are typically medical students who have already taken and passed their anatomy courses and are present to offer help reviewing the material.
Course Materials:
Students were provided with a learning objective document for each unit, each of which provided a list of written learning objective statements that guide students toward what concepts of the reading assignments they should be focusing on. Each unit learning objective document also provided a list of structure identifications. Students were assessed on learning objectives during post-lab quizzes and during each unit exam.
As previously mentioned, students use lab guides while in class and in open lab to help them identify the required anatomical structures. These structures are assessed on post-lab quizzes and unit exams.
Within the pre-lab assignments are several resources designed to help students prepare for lab and review anatomy at home:
- Embedded BioDigitals models, which students use to interact with 3D virtual human anatomy models.
- Embedded BlueLink cadaver images. BlueLink is associated with the University of Michigan and provides students the opportunity to identify structures on cadaver images.
- Written text that provides an overview of the anatomy for each lab.
- Embedded videos and video and image resources listed and linked at the beginning of pre-lab reading assignments. These were primarily cadaveric videos through other universities.
- Multiple choice, sorting, and matching questions that addressed the reading and covered pre-lab learning objectives.
- Questions that require submission of a drawing or the construction of a table. These questions addressed pre-lab learning objectives. Each pre-lab assignment also had an answer key for these types of questions. Students were able to check their answers using the keys provided after the assignment due date.
Additional course materials included:
- Radiology extra credit assignments. Radiology extra credit assignments are not required but provide students with the opportunity to test their knowledge further through x-rays.
- Students could purchase a cadaveric anatomy program, Anatomy and Physiology Revealed (APR), for around $50 for a two-year subscription. Students also often used study materials developed by other students or themselves, such as flashcard-like study materials.
Findings: ...
Interpretations: ...
Reflection:
I have so many important takeaways from this experience. This mentored teaching project provided me the opportunity to understand student habits outside of the classroom. While I get to work with some of these students in the classroom, I only work one-on-one with them for a relatively short amount of time during their semester. Being able to read through the results of this study has provided me with information about what seems to work for students and what does not. I can guide students toward the most used study material to help them get an idea of what they can do to prepare for exams. Also, I have learned that, while students have many study materials available to them, they do not always know the most efficient ways to use these materials until after the first exam. I can share some ways to help them navigate the materials most efficiently from the beginning, including using pre-lab assignments and learning objectives in tandem.
This experience will guide my future teaching practice in a few ways. First, I plan to use what I know about ANTR 355 specifically in the upcoming year as I will be a teaching assistant for the Division of Human Anatomy again. Second, once I become a professor, I plan to survey my students to learn about any trends regarding studying for my courses. Similar to this experience, I will use the results to help future students prepare for class in the most efficient way possible.
Conference Presentation
We will present these results at the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) conference in 2025. Stay tuned to see our HAPS poster!