Abstract:

We were updating our conventional anatomy teaching methodology with the use of communication/information technologies (IT). The main objectives of the study were to assess the students’ opinion about the introduction of these technologies in an anatomy course and if the use of IT could produce better results in the students’ grades. Following on from this, we created a blog for case-based learning (CBL) and a Facebook account for sharing anatomic information for our students. The blog and the Facebook account were used by a group of students (IT group; n = 78) while another group of students did not use the blog or Facebook (non-IT group; n = 110). The students felt that the clinical case presentations via blog favored learning (interpolated median, 3.9) and that their interest in the subject increased after the use of Facebook (interpolated median, 3.9). Nevertheless, results were not as good when answering if Facebook was useful for their learning experience (interpolated median, 3.6). Twenty students (25.6%) in the IT group did not pass the subject and neither did 46 students (41.8%) in the non-IT group. In sum, incorporating IT in gross anatomy teaching, which makes it possible to create virtual communication networks between professors and students during the course, has been well received by the students, and the students who used IT obtained better grades. The incorporation of a blog for CBL and a Facebook account for sharing anatomic information can be an optional tool for anatomy teaching in a classical department of anatomy.

Keywords:

Gross anatomy education, Facebook, anatomy blogs, internet applications, innovations, medical education.