A course-specific preference for multimodal digital anatomy resources

S. Adnan1, P Michael1, J. XIAO1,2

1Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia; 2La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

Objectives: Digital technologies are tremendously changing how anatomy is taught. This study aims to understand how digital anatomy education resources can be fit-for-purpose.
Methods: An array of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) anatomy resources including were trialled by a total of 326 undergraduate (systemic anatomy, neuroanatomy, and regional anatomy) and 1 postgraduate anatomy (applied musculoskeletal anatomy) curricula in 2022. A five-point Likert scale learning and teaching survey was conducted to evaluate students’ perceptions.
Results: Most undergraduate and postgraduate participants across the four cohorts felt confident in studying anatomy using digital resources and found the multimodal digital anatomy resources valuable, interactive, and stimulating. The response showed students consistently enjoyed their experience of using multimodal digital anatomy resources and found resources enhanced their learning experience and interest in studying anatomy in the future. However, specific digital resources were differentially appraised by the junior versus senior students. Virtual dissection table and tablet-based anatomy resources were uniformly welcomed by four cohorts of students across the board. Interestingly, however, VR anatomy resources are more welcomed by junior students compared to their senior counterparts whereas augmented radiographic digital anatomy resources were more appreciated by the postgrad students compared to the undergraduates. In summary, this study identified a clear course-specific difference in students’ perception of digital anatomy resources.
Conclusion: We conclude that a careful trialling of different resources and the planning of curriculum integration is essential. Digital tools should be used in combination to provide an effective learning experience for students and importantly tailored for course design and pedagogy frameworks.

Keywords: Augmented Reality; and Virtual Reality; human anatomy; multimodal

Ethical statement: ID 20215673 – 6867

Funding statement: Swinburne University of Technology School Teaching Excellence Award to JX.