Design and transition of human anatomy practicals into a “remote-ready” environment

Abstract

During the past 3 years online teaching became a need and a priority in medical education at various levels. World-wide anatomy educators have faced a similar situation. Many course directors needed to design and run anatomy practicals in an online environment in absence of interaction with physical 3-dimensional material. A wealth of recent publications provides evidence of the adaptability and ingenuity of educators, but also help to differentiate between strategies that worked, and those that did not. Consequently, this evidence enables anatomy educators to develop solutions that can be used in both environments: face-to-face teaching and remote online teaching. We developed a structure for anatomy practicals that combines different strategies to allow a student-centered, self-paced education that simultaneously provides guidance for the proportion of students in need of support. The combination of prerecorded online material with group-driven, self-directed interactions with specimens during the practical allows for a more individualized access to content, but also increases the responsibility of students for their own learning journey. Use of cameras in an online environment allows visual access to cadaveric material and interaction with remote students without changing other components of the practical. Therefore, the practical design is robust enough to adapt to a changing environment without losing integrity.