Evaluation of Distance Anatomy Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic Based on Student Feedback
Abstract
Aim: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, anatomy courses, previously taught in person at the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry, were offered remotely through the Selçuk University Distance Education Center starting March 16, 2020. Anatomy courses given to first and second-year students of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry were conducted face-to-face before the pandemic and remotely after the pandemic. The aim of this study is to evaluate student opinions regarding anatomy theoretical and practical courses conducted face-to-face and distance education.
Materials and Methods: 227 first- and second-year students from the Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine and 130 first- and second-year students from the Selçuk University Faculty of Dentistry, who received face-to-face education before the pandemic and distance education during the pandemic in the 2019–2020 academic year, participated in our study voluntarily. A three-part survey, prepared using Google Forms, was sent to the volunteers, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software program.
Results: 79% of the students who participated in the study stated that they followed the courses using a computer. 87% of the students from the Faculty of Dentistry and 89% of the students from the Faculty of Medicine expressed a preference for practical anatomy education to be conducted face-to-face. Regarding theoretical anatomy education, 50% of the students from the Faculty of Dentistry indicated that they would prefer online video lectures, while this rate was 44% among the Faculty of Medicine students.
Conclusion: Despite the technologies that enable online distance learning, acquiring anatomical knowledge through hands-on experience with models and cadavers in the laboratory is considered the ideal learning method. In our study, it was concluded that, when conditions allow, face-to-face education is the preferred method for both theoretical and practical anatomy courses in terms of learning effectiveness.
Keywords
Anatomy education, Covid-19, distance education, pandemic, survey
Ethical Statement
References
- 1. Hu B, Guo H, Zhou P, Zheng LS. Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021;19:141–154.
- 2. Keskin S, Çinar M. & Demir Ö. A quantitative content analysis of Turkish state universities’ official websites in terms of their preparedness and actions during emergency distance education in the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic period. Educ Inf Technol 2022; 27: 493–523.
- 3. Evans DJ, Bay BH, Wilson TD, Smith CF, Lachman N, Pawlina W. Going virtual to support anatomy education: A STOPGAP in the midst of the Covid‐19 pandemic. Anat Sci Educ 2020; 13:279-283.
- 4. Bao W. Covid‐19 and online teaching in higher education: A case study of Peking University. Hum Behav Emerg 2020;2(2):113-115.
- 5. Zhang D, Nunamaker JF. Powering e-learning in the new millennium: an overview of e-learning and enabling technology. Inf Syst Front 2003;5(2):207-218.
- 6. Patil N, Yan YCH. SARS and its effect on medical education in Hong Kong. Med Educ 2003; 37(12):1127-1128.
- 7. Franchi T. The Impact of the Covid‐19 Pandemic on current anatomy education and future careers: a student’s perspective. Anat Sci Educ 2020;13(3):312-315.
- 8. Ghosh SK. Cadaveric dissection as an educational tool for anatomical sciences in the 21st century. Anat Sci Educ 2017;10(3):286-299.
- 9. Sevindik B, Ünver Doğan N, Koplay M, Kapurtu İ, Tatar MC, Pirinç B, vd. Effects of 3D bone models on anatomy education: student survey. Genel Tıp Derg. 2024;34(3):400-407.
- 10. Iwanaga J, Loukas M, Dumont AS, Tubbs RS. A review of anatomy education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: Revisiting traditional and modern methods to achieve future innovation. Clin Anat. 2021;34(1):108-114.