Classic Anatomy Course Analysis

1097 Words3 Pages

A deep understanding of the human body and how it works is necessary to attain a career in health science, which is the ultimate goal of many students in the sciences at Chatham University. Consequently, many students seeking careers in the medical sciences are required to take the anatomy lecture and laboratory course. The classic anatomy course consists of learning anatomical terminology, the identification of structures, including their location and landmarks in the body, and their functions so that students can apply that knowledge first in class and later in practice. The laboratory portion of anatomy is a crucial component because structure, function, and context are the driving forces for success in the class. Students majoring in the …show more content…

Within these common learning methods, there are three distinct types of learning styles (Brown, 1997): auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Each style of learning describes how the learner connects with information. Auditory learners commit information to memory and understanding by hearing it and then speaking it. Visual learners process and learn information through visual aids, such as charts and other objects to help them remember and understand new information. Visual learners tend to be better at memorizing and recalling facts. Kinesthetic learners need to use their hands to learn, and prefer to demonstrate methods and concepts rather than simply communicating the information verbally. As currently structured, the anatomy labs at Chatham University do not appeal to each type of learning style proportionately. Instead, the labs are tailored most strongly to visual and auditory learners while kinesthetic learners are neglected. This is not surprising, and college courses in general tend to ignore this third learning style. For example, the lecture portion of classes are well suited for auditory learners and visual learners because they can listen to the lecture and see Power Points but they don’t attract kinesthetic learners. But labs are supposed to reinforce what is being taught in the lecture portion by presenting the information in a hands-on, interactive manner, making their current structure rather ironic. To change this at Chatham, I plan to develop hands-on, interactive labs that will appeal to all three learning styles. Interactive labs encourage deeper learning that leads to retention as opposed to surface learning just to try and pass an exam (Wong,

Open Document