The tools of the future are the challenges of today: The use of ChatGPT in problem-based learning medical education.

What is the educational challenge?Incorporation of large language model (LLM) or generative artificial intelligence (AI) software poses a challenge to various areas of medical education, including problem-based learning (PBL). LLMs, such as ChatGPT, have incredible potential to transform educational systems and enhance student learning outcomes when used responsibly.What are the proposed solutions?ChatGPT can provide several ways to support students and assist facilitators with course responsibilities. Here we address factors of implementation and describe how ChatGPT can be responsibly utilized to support key elements of PBL.How was the solution implemented?Providing reasonable access is an essential element of novel software implementation. Additionally, training for both faculty and staff is vital to foster responsible usage, provide base-line proficiency, and guide users to critically evaluate the quality of output.What lessons were learned that are relevant to a wider audience?The use of LLMs or other generative AI is dramatically rising in the world. Appropriate and conscientious incorporation of AI into educational programs can foster responsible use and potentially enhance student learning.What are the next steps?Assessment of learning outcomes, student self-efficacy, group dynamics, and stakeholder feedback are required to measure the effects of ChatGPT in the PBL curriculum. Additionally, software programs competitive with ChatGPT are currently under development and will also need to be investigated for their potential role in education.

Development and assessment of an integrated anatomy mobile app.

Curricular hours for anatomical sub-disciplines (gross anatomy, embryology, histology, and neuroanatomy) continue to decline, while medical schools are simultaneously transitioning to systems-based, vertically integrated curricula. This requires students to learn and integrate all basic science content for a learning block prior to the summative assessment. Currently, no educational technology resource exists that integrates the four anatomical sub-disciplines into a single resource to supplement integrated curricula. The objective of this study was to assess a novel integrated anatomical sciences mobile app for medical students. The 4natomy mobile app was developed to integrate the four sub-disciplines for a single topic, the spinal cord. The app was distributed to first-year medical students during the neurological disorders learning. Following the learning block, assessment of the student acceptance and experience with the app was conducted through a technology acceptance model (TAM) framework survey. The results indicated that students found the app to be useful (p < 0.001) and easy to use (p < 0.05), predicting continued future usage of the app. Students requested expanded anatomy content for the entire learning block, as well as more clinical correlations, videos, and animations. The integrated anatomy mobile app developed in this study was useful and easy to use, indicating continued use within an integrated medical curriculum. This was the first study to utilize the TAM as a conceptual framework for technology assessment in medical education, suggesting that future studies that develop new technologies should adapt the TAM for user testing.

Instructional Approaches: Anatomy Education of Physical Therapists.

The profession of physical therapy has undergone an evolution since its inception. Since the early 1900s it has grown from a technical training program to a doctorate level degree. Human anatomy courses remain a requirement for physical therapist educational curricula. However, changes in anatomy pedagogy have been trending within health profession educational models, leading to questions regarding which method is best for student learning. The objective of this study was to determine if anatomy instructional method used within physical therapist educational curricula impacted current anatomy knowledge. Licensed physical therapists were recruited to complete a demographic survey and a questionnaire to demonstrate their knowledge of anatomy topics. Anatomy topics included six regional components: (1) upper limb; (2) lower limb; (3) thorax and abdomen; (4) pelvis; (5) spine; and (6) head. Each regional component contained five questions regarding systemic subsets related to joints and osteology, muscles, nervous system, vasculature, and special areas (e.g., spatial orientations, structures within spaces, pathways of nerves). Within the thorax and abdominal region, data analysis indicated that the dissection instruction method, when compared to no laboratory instruction, led to statistically significant greater anatomical knowledge (P = 0.02). Dissection also showed greater means when compared to the no laboratory method (P = 0.02) and the prosection method in the head region (P = 0.01). However, the variance explained by instructional method was small. This study adds empirical evidence regarding current anatomy knowledge exhibited by physical therapists as the level of anatomical knowledge exhibited small differences based on instructional methods.

A Novel Approach to Gross Dissection of the Human Pelvis and Perineum.

Progressive curricular changes in medical education over the past two decades have resulted in the diaspora of gross anatomy content into integrated curricula while significantly reducing total contact hours. Despite the development of a wide range of alternative teaching modalities, gross dissection remains a critical component of medical education. The challenge posed to modern anatomists is how to maximize and integrate the time spent dissecting under the current curricular changes. In this study, an alternative approach to the dissection of the pelvis and perineum is presented in an effort to improve content delivery and student satisfaction. The approach involves removal of the perineum en bloc from the cadaver followed by excision of the pubic symphysis, removal and examination of the bladder and associated structures, examination and bisection of the midline pelvic organs in situ, and midsagittal hemisection of the pelvis for identification of the neurovasculature. Results indicate that this novel dissecting approach increases the number of structures identified by 46% ± 14% over current dissecting methods. Survey results indicate that students were better able to integrate lecture and laboratory concepts, understand the concepts, and successfully identify more structures using the new approach (P < 0.05). The concept of anatomic efficiency is introduced and proposed as a standard quantitative measure of gross dissection proficiency across programs and institutions. These findings provide evidence that innovative solutions to anatomy education can be found that help to maintain critical content and student satisfaction in a modern medical curriculum.

What type of learner are your students? Preferred learning styles of undergraduate gross anatomy students according to the index of learning styles questionnaire.

Students learn and process information in many different ways. Learning styles are useful as they allow instructors to learn more about students, as well as aid in the development and application of useful teaching approaches and techniques. At the undergraduate level there is a noticeable lack of research on learning style preferences of students enrolled in gross anatomy courses. The Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire was administered to students enrolled in a large enrollment undergraduate gross anatomy course with laboratory to determine their preferred learning styles. The predominant preferred learning styles of the students (n = 505) enrolled in the gross anatomy course were active (54.9%), sensing (85.1%), visual (81.2%), and sequential (74.4%). Preferred learning styles profiles of particular majors enrolled in the course were also constructed; analyses showed minor variation in the active/reflective dimension. An understanding of students' preferred learning styles can guide course design but it should not be implemented in isolation. It can be strengthened (or weakened) by concurrent use of other tools (e.g., flipped classroom course design). Based on the preferred learning styles of the majority of undergraduate students in this particular gross anatomy course, course activities can be hands on (i.e., active), grounded in concrete information (i.e., sensing), utilize visual representation such as images, figures, models, etc. (i.e., visual), and move in small incremental steps that build on each topic (i.e., sequential). Anat Sci Educ 11: 358-365. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Use of Web-based materials to enhance anatomy instruction in the health sciences.

Teaching anatomy by dissection is under considerable pressure to evolve and/or even be eliminated, and curricular hours in the dissection laboratory are decreasing. As a possible means of easing this pressure, an online interactive anatomy program has been created to enhance the dissection experience, observational learning, and three-dimensional comprehension of human anatomy. An assessment was made of the utility of the program in preparing students for dissection laboratories and for examinations. The efficacy of the application was evaluated by first-year students and faculty with pre- and post-use surveys in anatomy courses at three medical schools. It was found that students felt better prepared if they utilized the Web site prior to their dissection laboratory, and faculty reported spending less time explaining basic concepts or techniques. It is concluded that a comprehensive online program significantly enhances the quality and efficiency of instruction in human anatomy in the dissection laboratory and could prove to be a useful tool at other institutions.

Investigation of the effects of folate deficiency on embryonic development through the establishment of a folate deficient mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Folic acid (FA) has been shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube, craniofacial, and cardiovascular defects and low birth weight. The mechanism(s) by which the vitamin is effective, however, has not been determined. Therefore, a folic acid deficient mouse model was developed. METHODS: To create a folic acid deficiency, ICR female mice were placed on a diet containing no FA and including 1% succinyl sulfathiazole (SS) for 4 weeks before mating. Control mice were fed diets with either: 1) FA and 1% SS [+SS only diet]; 2) FA [normal diet]; or 3) a breeding diet. Dams and fetuses were examined during various days of gestation. RESULTS: Blood analysis showed that by gestational day 18, plasma folate concentrations in the -FA+SS fed dams decreased to 1.13 ng/ml, a concentration approximately 3% of that in breeding diet fed dams (33.24 ng/ml) and 8% of that in +SS only/normal fed dams (13.59 ng/ml). RBC folate levels showed a similar decrease, whereas homocysteine concentrations increased. Reproductive outcome in the -FA+SS fed dams was poor with increased fetal deaths, decreased fetal weight, and delays in palate and heart development. CONCLUSIONS: Female mice fed a folic acid deficient diet and 1% succinyl sulfathiazole exhibited many of the characteristics common to human folic acid deficiency, including decreased plasma and RBC folate, increased plasma homocysteine, and poor reproductive outcomes. Thus, an excellent model has been created to investigate the mechanism(s) underlying the origin of birth defects related to folic acid deficiency.