For stimulating multidisciplinary first year students to learn ..., Schemes and Mind Maps of Anatomy

Download For stimulating multidisciplinary first year students to learn ... and more Schemes and Mind Maps Anatomy in PDF only on Docsity! 2011 Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning A/Professor Claudia Diaz, James Cook University - 1 - For stimulating multidisciplinary first year students to learn Anatomy for life via innovative, pro-active approaches to improve engagement and learning outcomes 1. OVERVIEW OF PARTICULAR CONTRIBUTION AND CONTEXT The Discipline of Anatomy & Pathology at James Cook University (JCU) teaches Anatomy to health science students in their first year, with teaching consisting of lectures plus practical classes in the anatomy laboratory. As a traditionally trained human Anatomist, I have great passion for teaching Anatomy. I strive to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment for students that will make learning both enjoyable and stimulating. I am a very enthusiastic teacher and I hope that my efforts will produce enthusiastic student learners. I am on an important path to change the historical views regarding the teaching and learning of Anatomy. By making Anatomy engaging, stimulating and fun, and by helping students to be pro-active learners I believe I am laying the foundations for a new approach to learning Anatomy. Teaching Anatomy faces inherent and contextual challenges. First, Anatomy is a difficult subject as students have to learn many new concepts and complex terminologies. As a result, students traditionally find this a dull and labour- intensive subject, concentrating their efforts on “memorizing” lists of names in typical surface-learning approaches (Biggs, 2003). Second, there are also more recent pressures as the changing face of medical education in Australia has lead to most Australian Universities now having fewer contact hours to teach Anatomy (Creswell, 2010). Third, classes are large and extremely diverse with respect to students’ entry level, prior experience, scientific literacy levels, cultural backgrounds and professional fields. So, over the past 5 years, as a passionate and enthusiastic Anatomy lecturer, I have tried to find and evaluate methods to teach all students Anatomy more effectively, in less time, and often with limited resources. Fundamental to my approach, are several key principles. First, the use of human cadaveric tissues is central to students’ learning experience of Anatomy. The invaluable prosections are, and will always be the primary focus of our practical classes. Accordingly, a major overhaul of the JCU Human Body Donor Program, means that we now have world-class facilities at James Cook University that cater not only for undergraduate students, but also to the ongoing professional training and development of rural GPs, surgical trainees, chirporactors and physiotherapists. Second, my teaching philosophy and approaches are based on “engagement theory”; I believe that students need to be engaged in meaningful learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks (Kearsley & Schneiderman, 1997; Kuh, 2009). Consistent with Kift (2009), I believe that students need to be engaged, suppported and 'fit in' in their first year of university, in fact from day one. Further, my teaching style is also consistent with the view that interested and passionate teachers are criticial to student engagement (Kift, 2004). My teaching philosophy is one of inclusion of all students. I appreciate that students come from diverse backgrounds, have different abilities and challenges. My role as an Anatomy teacher is not to teach students anatomical facts, but rather to teach them the learning skills that will serve them throughout their student and professional lives. I aim to take students from the traditional view of Anatomy as a subject that requires surface learning (rote learning, memorisation) to one that can lead to deep learning through understanding and the ability to place information into a broad, big picture which also makes it relevant to the students' realities. Accordingly, I have introduced a range of innovative, pro-active approaches that complement the use of prosected tissues. My techniques are based on a simple, “hands-on” approach, classes are not didactic, and I aim to achieve maximum student engagement. As a result of these approaches, my health science students have significantly increased their engagement in the Anatomy course, improved their cognitive learning skills, become more self-directed in their learning, and have a high level of (long-term) Anatomy knowledge. Therefore, while my principal goal has been to support and assist my first year students develop their knowledge and learning skills in Anatomy, I believe my innovative strategies have also produced life-long, self-directed learners. This application will present evidence that showcases my impact on Anatomy teaching and the James Cook University Human Body Donor Program over the last 5 years. In addition, I will also present data that shows my Year 1 students have a high level of engagement in the course (via a 2010 survey that compares my students to Medicine students who undertake a similar Anatomy course that has a far more didactic approach). Also, there is evidence that my students are confident in being able to remember my Anatomy curriculum and can summarize and synthesize concepts and facts to make them easier to learn – not only for Anatomy, but also for other subjects. 2. STATEMENT ADDRESSING THE CRITERION CRITERION 1: Approaches to the support of learning and teaching that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn 2011 Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning A/Professor Claudia Diaz, James Cook University - 2 - In keeping with my reconstructed approach to teaching Anatomy, the laboratory becomes the key focus for action, where team activities encourage 'hands-on', multi-sensory learning by all students. However, the availability of prosections was very low when I arrived at JCU in 2008 (5 cadavers between 2003-7). Therefore, to support the learning of Anatomy and influence, motivate and inspire students to learn, I led a major overhaul of the Body Donor Program, that has resulted in 62 cadavers by April, 2010, translating to an extra 600 prosections for students. To ensure consistency and a team approach, I have also built up a team of well-trained tutors who have a significant impact in fostering small group teamwork in the laboratory environment, further encouraging students to develop self-directed learning skills. Tutors are trained to encourage maximum student engagement using the prosections and my innovative teaching approaches. Tutor numbers have grown from 2 (2007) to over 60 (2011), with higher retention rates as tutors appear to be engaged themselves, happier and motivated to improve their own Anatomy learning. Human cadaveric tissues and a team of well-trained tutors have become central to the learning experience of our Anatomy students and ensure that we achieve the priority health concerns of the communities that our students have a mandate to serve, consistent with the social accountability mandate of the school of Medicine and the University. The specific approaches that I have developed are “'whiteboarding” and drawing, use of play-doh, movement/singing/dancing, surface anatomy, and body painting which all encourage multi-sensory, 'hands-on' learning. I actively take part in modelling these approaches with students, encouraging their creativity and enthusisasm. The lab is arranged so that students work in groups around a dissection table, with a whiteboard at one end and they are required to work together using these approaches to demonstrate that they have a deeper understanding of the structures and relationships before or while they study the prosections. 1. 'Whiteboarding' & drawing – most appealling to visual learners; a valuable learning tool that allows students to summarise and synthesize concepts and facts to make them easier to learn. These visual cues assist with long-term retention of information (deep learning). Similarly, visual learners and artists benefit from drawing anatomical structures on paper or similar and this is encouraged. 2. Use of Play-doh – most appealling to tactile learners, students build anatomical structures using play doh. This approach is enjoyable and reinforces learning, while developing a real 3-D image of structures and their relationships. Visual and tactile learners also benefit from handling bones, skeletons, and plastic models. 3. Movement/singing/dancing – many students learn by 'doing'. In my practical sessions, performing body movements with weights, a hula hoop etc. are encouraged as well as singing and dancing (where appropriate), as it involves movement and this ’doing’ assists in long term retention of information for many students. 4. Surface Anatomy/body painting – students consolidate what they learn with prosections by looking at the surface anatomy relevant to the area on themselves, each other, or even on family and friends. This is what they will need to do in their professional lives when working with patients/clients. Body painting has become the most popular technique, as it is a very engaging way for students to learn Anatomy. I developed the “Anatomical Man/Woman” projects where student artists and photographers fully body painted student models – this has been published in the Townsville Bulletin six times, and enthused the Prime Minister Julia Gillard to such an extent that she body painted with them during her visit. She found the experience “a very innovative and entertaining demonstration.” The Anatomical Man projects both inspired and enthused students immensely as they witnessed how engaging and beautiful anatomical body painting can be. In subsequent classes we had an incredible number of students participating in body painting. Students become very confident and motivated to carry out this learning approach as either models or painters. JCU is now proudly undertaking the best anatomical body painting in Australia (see below, Prof. Paul McMenamin, Monash). As an extension of these innovative teaching approaches in Anatomy, I also organise the 'Anatomy Cup' - a mini Olympics that is held at the end of each year as a friendly, fun and stimulating inter-health discipline competition that gives students a chance to showcase all these new approaches for learning Anatomy. Student feedback suggested that for many students this was the highlight of their year and that they felt very proud to participate; it also served as focused revision for their upcoming exams. I have also engaged students from different cultures, such that my Muslim students came second in the body painting in the 2009 competition. This is now an important event on the anatomy and University calendar and we have staff, including doctors from Townsville Hospital competing alongside the students to create a fabulous close to the academic year. I hope to make this a National event in the near future. 3. WAYS IN WHICH THE CONTRIBUTION HAS INFLUENCED STUDENT LEARNING, ENGAGEMENT AND/OR THE OVERALL STUDENT EXPERIENCE, BEEN SUSTAINED OVER TIME, AND BEEN RECOGNISED BY FELLOW STAFF, THE INSTITUTION, AND/OR THE BROADER COMMUNITY.