65 - The Effectiveness of Implementing Reciprocal Peer Teaching with Undergraduate Students

Poster Board Number: 65
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Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Reciprocal peer teaching is a prominent pedagogical approach utilized across medical education to counteract the reduction in gross anatomy contact hours. Traditionally, the roles of peer teacher and peer learner are alternated among students within a dissection group. However, no studies have investigated the implementation of reciprocal peer teaching on the academic performance of undergraduate students performing hands-on dissection in the gross anatomy lab. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of reciprocal peer teaching as a pedagogical practice for students who participate in the undergraduate gross anatomy course this upcoming winter term. Further, student performance between non-reciprocal peer teaching the year prior and this iteration of reciprocal peer teaching will be compared to assess pedagogical effectiveness. The context of this study will be a 14-week Human Gross Anatomy course taken by undergraduate students (n=60, ranging from sophomores-seniors across multiple majors). Students work in groups composed of 3-4 to complete 13 unique cadaveric dissections. Each dissection will have an associated peer teaching session at the beginning of the next lab period, in which one group member is assigned the role of peer teacher, and all other group members are in the role of peer learner. Each instance of peer teaching across all groups (n=16), will be video recorded to analyze the structures taught and student interactions. Students will take 4 block laboratory practicals, which will be collected and coded for student role, whether a question was answered correctly, and if the structure was taught during the recorded peer teaching session. A GEE (generalized estimating equation) will be used to assess the effectiveness of implementing reciprocal peer teaching with undergraduate students in the gross anatomy lab, based on the student’s ability to correctly answer lab practical questions correctly. Anecdotally, undergraduate students were resistant to reviewing previously dissected structures in subsequent lab sessions, students rather move on to the next dissection. Given the effectiveness of reciprocal peer teaching as a pedagogy in medical education, it needs to be investigated if implementing such a pedagogy yields the same performance benefits to undergraduate students learning anatomy through hands-on cadaveric dissection. Future directions may incorporate targeted learning outcomes for each peer teaching session to better facilitate the assessment of student learning during reciprocal peer teaching sessions. Partial funding for this study was provided by the Faculty Development Committee at Hanover College.