69 - Seeing It for Real: Does an Interactive 3D Skull Atlas Help Undergraduates Better Identify Structures on Physical Models?

Poster Board Number: 69
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Odd poster #s – first hour
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Abstract Body : Introduction: The demand for online classes has grown over the last decade. Added pressures such as COVID-19 have created a challenge for traditionally hands-on classes like anatomy. Online anatomy students at BYU-Idaho who studied using only a 2D anatomy atlas performed much worse on in-person exams with models (n=121, mean=40.08, sd=27.77) than students who took the same anatomy class in-person (n=474, mean=77.11, sd=22.04). In this study, we provided on-campus students either an interactive online 3D skull atlas or a 2D skull atlas with the same images from only one perspective. We hypothesized that students studying using the 3D atlas would score better on an exam using skull models, atlas images, and anatomical images not seen by either group than those using the 2D atlas. Method: Students were randomly assigned to a 2D atlas group or a 3D atlas group. Both groups were given two hours to independently study 70 skull structures without access to outside resources. Learning was measured with an exam of 50 fill-in-the-blank questions using physical skulls, print-outs of the 3D atlas, and anatomical images not seen by either group. All participants retook the same exam a week later. Results: After removing participants who had previous skull anatomy experience, the results of exam 1 for the 2D group (n=20) and the 3D atlas group (n=24) were identical (p=0.2428). After exam 2, the 2D atlas group had a mean score of 26.6 (sd=10.3) and the 3D atlas group had a mean score of 28.8 (sd=13.2) with no significant difference between scores (p=0.2754). There was no difference between groups in the drop in score from week 1 to week 2 (p=0.2562). Conclusion: There was no difference in exam performance between students who studied with the 2D vs the 3D atlas. The null hypothesis was not rejected. Significance and Implications: Participants were recruited from a major’s level anatomy class at the end of the semester. While both groups had equal ACT scores, total credits taken, GPAs, etc, all students had experience learning non-skull anatomy from both 2D and 3D atlases and locating the structures on physical models. Although online students with no previous model experience seemed to be most affected, in-person students who had experience with physical models seemed to be able to transition between the two methods of delivery. While the 3D atlas did not improve exam scores for experienced anatomy students, further research is underway to use novice students with results expected in January 2023. This will show us if experience has a factor to play or if there is no difference between a 3D and 2D atlas in novice students as well. We would also like to show others how to build their own 3D modeling atlas giving them access to a free resource to learn anatomy. All content developed for the interactive atlas in this study can be distributed via creative commons license to educators nationwide.