Teaching and learning innovation in present and future human anatomy course at RSU

Abstract

With the emerging presence of IT based technologies in medical educa-tion, virtual anatomy has become a part of medical teaching, learning and healthcare. Building on the foundation of strong basic sciences, teaching and learning, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) offers its students the Anatomage Table. The Department of Morphology enabled new possibilities and allowed students to learn anatomy through a high-quality and interactive 3D tool.The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the Anatomage Table (Virtual Dissection Table) and overall satisfaction among students in the teaching and learning of Human Anatomy course at RSU. The sample included Latvian and Foreign students and several tutors from the Human Anatomy course in the period of 2016–2017. This study was conducted in a real practical class context and under actual learning condi-tions. The Anatomage Table was used in two or three semester courses for the students of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry. In practical classes the learning, comparison and students satisfaction were explored. At the end of each practical class, the tutor performed a discussion session with the students’ about increasing of their knowledge and success on the Human Anatomy study process.The majority of students felt that the Anatomage Table had a positive role and it was an additional tool in terms of their learning. Students also noted several advantages of using the Anatomage Table in the medical teaching, learning and healthcare. The results indicated that learning Human Anatomy can be significantly impacted with virtual anatomy. The use of virtual dissec-tion technology seems to have a promising role in future educational training.