Modern Trends in Clinical Anatomy Teaching

Abstract

Recent rapid advancements in information and communication technology have changed the paradigm of medical education. Computer networks, web based learning, and portable network devices are becoming a fundamental component of the learning environment in medical education, having an impact on design, and re-shaping the medical curriculum. A vast wealth of information is available at the student’s fingertips; automated learning systems, interactive programs are all available to be used in class and for independent study. These new communication and information technologies are being used to enhance the teaching and learning environment. They have the capacity to facilitate student learning and problem solving, allowing for a better integration of the didactic approach with clinical practice; making the transition between learning in a classroom and clinical practice smoother. Formal lectures are still the backbone of medical education and are the predominant form of learning, as they allow imparting large amounts of factual information in an organized fashion to a large student audience. Current teaching technologies allow making lectures more interesting using techniques such as drawing on smart boards, video fragments, “moving” images, and others. Using clinical scenarios and question discussion during the lecture time makes students to be active participants of the learning process especially with the aid of feedback systems such as the clicker technology. Modern students are primarily active learners, and pure lecture courses may be increasingly out of touch with how students engage in their world. Of course, relatively ‘passive’ lectures will only get you so far, and individual teaching by apprenticeship supported by self-directed study remain necessary for learning specialized and high level skills.