title: Dissection and dissection-associated required experiences improve student performance in gross anatomy: Differences among quartiles.
abstract: To promote student learning, educational strategies should provide multiple levels of engagement with the subject matter. This study investigated examination data from five first year medical gross anatomy class cohorts (692 students) to determine if enhanced student performance was correlated with learning through dissection in a course that used a rotating dissection schedule coupled with peer teaching and other associated experiences. When students performed two of five weekly dissections for a given unit, their average scores on both laboratory and written examinations tended to increase as compared to when they had completed only one week of dissection (P < 0.01). However, these performance gains differed across the class strata and were related to the amount of dissection completed. Students in the upper quartile (UQS) of the class benefited when they had dissected once (92.8%) or twice (92.4%), and these scores were significantly higher than those attained when learning from peers (90.3%, P < 0.01). Students in the lower quartile (LQS) benefited most from the dissection experiences, where practical examination performance was better (77.8% and 80.5%) than when these students learned material from their peers (73.7%, P < 0.01). Although UQS benefited from dissection, LQS benefited to a greater extent in both the practical and written examinations with dissection. Although limited, these data suggest that dissection, coupled with associated educational activities, is an effective pedagogical strategy for learning. Further investigation is required to evaluate the concomitant benefits of peer teaching that are associated with the dissection experience. Anat Sci Educ 9: 238-246. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Marc A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pizzimenti
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pantazis
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandra
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Darren S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: The Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lenoch
authors.affiliation: The Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.|Department of Internal Medicine, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Kristi J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D004210:Dissection; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cadaver dissection; gross anatomy education; gross anatomy laboratory; learning strategy; medical education; student outcomes