title: Less is more: development and evaluation of an interactive e-atlas to support anatomy learning.
abstract: An Interactive electronic Atlas (IeA) was developed to assist first-year nursing students with interpretation of laboratory-based prosected cadaveric material. It was designed, using pedagogically sound principles, as a student-centered resource accessible to students from a wide range of learning backgrounds. It consisted of a highly simplified interactive interface limited to essential anatomical structures and was intended for use in a blended learning situation. The IeA's nine modules mirrored the body systems covered in a Nursing Biosciences course, with each module comprising a maximum of 10 pages using the same template: an image displaying a cadaveric specimen and, in most cases, a corresponding anatomical model with navigation panes (menus) on one side. Cursor movement over the image or clicking the menu highlighted the structure with a transparent overlay and revealed a succinct functional description. The atlas was complemented by a multiple-choice database of nearly 1,000 questions using IeA images. Students' perceptions of usability and utility were measured by survey (n = 115; 57% of the class) revealing mean access of 2.3 times per week during the 12-week semester and a median time of three hours of use. Ratings for usability and utility were high, with means ranging between 4.24 and 4.54 (five-point Likert scale; 5 = strongly agree). Written responses told a similar story for both usability and utility. The role of providing basic computer-assisted learning support for a large first-year class is discussed in the context of current research into student-centered resources and blended learning in human anatomy.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guy
authors.forename: Heather R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Pisani
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leahy
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mandarano
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Molyneux
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D001271:Atlases as Topic; D032882:Comprehension; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D003479:Curriculum; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: blended learning; computer-assisted learning; e-atlas; e-learning; gross anatomy education; self-directed learning