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Art has played a pivotal role in the understanding and teaching of human anatomy for centuries, and the use of drawing as a teaching tool had been well documented. With the global modernization of medical education, the teaching of anatomy has diminished. We present a model of teaching anatomy through drawing, and assess its efficacy in improving s...
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... and drawing, despite their long established history with the teaching and learning of anatomy, had received relatively few literature to describe its efficacy within the medical education at recent times [21,22]. This historic link can often be sym- bolized by Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (Fig. 1). In France, it is a custom for medical students to receive their basic anatomy teaching through "blackboard" drawing demonstrations, this allowed tutors to highlight anatomical structures in a clear visual manner that were easier to understand and visualize compared to prosections and cadavers ( Fig. 2) [23]. The literature from France ...
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... workshops: 17 upper limb, 8 lower limb, 4 tho- rax, and 20 head and neck (Table 1). The overall attended cohort included 28 (58.3%) medical stu- dents, 8 (16.7%) dental students, 7 (14.6%) science students from varying backgrounds including anat- omy, biomedical sciences, neurosciences, 3 (6.3%) Masters of Art students, and 2 (4.2%) PhD students (Fig. 10). Medical and dental students ranged from year 1-5. No additional demographic details were recorded, such as age or gender. Students reported their frequency of using drawing as learning tool: main learning tool 13%, often 37%, rarely 32.6%, and never 17.4% (Fig. ...
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... neurosciences, 3 (6.3%) Masters of Art students, and 2 (4.2%) PhD students (Fig. 10). Medical and dental students ranged from year 1-5. No additional demographic details were recorded, such as age or gender. Students reported their frequency of using drawing as learning tool: main learning tool 13%, often 37%, rarely 32.6%, and never 17.4% (Fig. ...
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... total of 27 (out of 32) students completed the pre-and post-anatomy MCQ test (Table 1). The test was not offered in the upper limb workshop. The mean score for pre-workshop was 4.93/12 (41.1%), and the post-workshops was 6.04/12 (50%) (Fig. 12). There was a statistically signifi- cant mean improvement across all of workshops of 1.11 points (p = 0.001) with a confidence interval (CI) (0.52-1.71). The mean score of the "anchor" questions pre-workshop was 1.59/4 (39.8%) and post-workshop was 2.63/4 (65.8%). There was a statistically significant mean improvement of 1.04 (p < ...
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... signifi- cant mean improvement across all of workshops of 1.11 points (p = 0.001) with a confidence interval (CI) (0.52-1.71). The mean score of the "anchor" questions pre-workshop was 1.59/4 (39.8%) and post-workshop was 2.63/4 (65.8%). There was a statistically significant mean improvement of 1.04 (p < 0.0001) with a CI (0.63-1.44) (Fig. ...
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... 49 students responded to the self-score (out of 10) in "confidence in drawing" in the questionnaire, and showed a significant post-workshop improve- ment of two points (43.2%) (p < 0.0001) with a CI (1.5-2.5). The mean and SEM of pre-workshop was 4.625 ± 0.293 and post-workshop was 6.625 ± 0.218. (Table 1) (Fig. 14). "Knowledge of anat- omy" was not included in the upper limb workshop questionnaire. Thrity-one (out of 32) students com- pleted the self-rated "knowledge of anatomy," and showed a significant post-workshop improvement of 1.77 points (41.4%) (p < 0.0001) with a CI (1.28- 2.26), and mean and SEM of 4.29 ± 0.363 (pre-) and 6.064 ± 0.286 ...
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... 14). "Knowledge of anat- omy" was not included in the upper limb workshop questionnaire. Thrity-one (out of 32) students com- pleted the self-rated "knowledge of anatomy," and showed a significant post-workshop improvement of 1.77 points (41.4%) (p < 0.0001) with a CI (1.28- 2.26), and mean and SEM of 4.29 ± 0.363 (pre-) and 6.064 ± 0.286 (post-) (Fig. 15). The overall course satisfaction score was 9.12/10 ...
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... demonstrating the number of attended students and response rate to the MCQ anatomy test and "confidence in drawing" in the questionnaire. There was a statistically significant mean improvement of 1.11 points across all workshops (p = 0.0007) with a CI (0.52-1.71) Figure 13. A graph comparing the mean anatomy test 'core' scores before and after the course (Total N = 31). ...
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Background: Many medical schools train their faculty members to construct high cognitive level multiple choice questions (MCQs) that demand a great deal of analytical and critical thinking, application, and competence. The purpose of this study is to determine the cognitive levels of MCQs by using Moore’s Expanded Outcomes Framework and to understa...
Citations
... Several studies have shown the benefit of drawing when learning anatomy. It has been argued that drawing may support students' understanding and visualization of anatomical structures and thus facilitate their retaining of knowledge [10,11]. It has also been proposed that drawing may have an impact on a memory trace by combining elaborative, motoric, and pictorial elements [12]. ...
... It has also been proposed that drawing may have an impact on a memory trace by combining elaborative, motoric, and pictorial elements [12]. Students' drawing skills are probably not essential for their learning, as the aim is to draw anatomical key points rather than to create perfect drawings of anatomical structures [10]. ...
... When it comes to drawing, the benefit of this learning method in anatomy is also supported by other studies [5,10,11,13]. When respondents in our study clearly reported that the drawing pads made them more active in class, it is in accordance with Freeman et al's definition of active learning, where activities and discussion in class are emphasized [8]. ...
1) Background: Several studies have shown the benefit of drawing when learning anatomy. Virtual Reality (VR) also appears to be useful to increase the understanding of the location of anatomical structures. This study aims to describe how students in an Operating Room Nursing (OR nursing) master study program perceive the benefit of active learning methods, including drawing and the use of VR. 2) Methods: We combined these two methods in a class of 29 students. 38 half-finished drawings of anatomical structures were made. The students were to complete these during lectures with guidance from the teacher. The students also attended a two-hour VR session where they were to find various anatomical structures. A paper questionnaire was applied to evaluate the teaching program. Data were analyzed statistically. 3) Results: The students highly appreciated these learning methods. They reported that drawing made them work more actively during lectures and increased their learning outcome. They also perceived that the use of VR technology increased their understanding of the location of anatomical structures. 4) Conclusion: The combination of drawing and VR technology may be of benefit to OR Nursing students when learning anatomy by both increasing student activity and learning outcomes.
... The net effect of this process was the tangible reduction in the number of credits and teaching hours in anatomy, neuroanatomy, histology and embryology courses (Drake et al., 2002;Inzunza et al., 2007). To compensate for the effects of the reduction in hours, anatomy educators have resorted to the use of mobile devices, live drawing, software (Drake et al., 2009;Cowan et al., 2010;Borrelli et al., 2018) and even the independent reinforcement of anatomy in later courses on the curriculum. Moreover, most indicated having additional human resources in their teaching work, such as other anatomists (part of a team of anatomists), laboratory technicians and student assistants (tutors). ...
In veterinary medicine, impressive technological advances in biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology have led to a reduction in the amount of time spent teaching anatomy and a shift toward anatomical research. As classically trained veterinary anatomists began to retire at the beginning of the 2000s, it became evident that there would be a shortage of qualified anatomists. This coincides with the increase in the hiring of recent graduates with general education experience and no specialization in the area. The aim of the study is to characterize the Chilean veterinary anatomy educator with an emphasis on their training and the academic environment they work in. Data were collected through a survey targeting a diverse population of university educators who teach content related to veterinary anatomy in Chile. The results showed that the Chilean veterinary anatomist has reached the master’s level, with a wide range of continuous training experiences, from which it is perceived that he has acquired his anatomical and teaching skills. Furthermore, despite his self-perception as an educator/researcher, the evidence showed that research in veterinary anatomy is still in its infancy. However, strengths were identified related to the varied use of teaching resources, participation in the community and the dissemination of anatomical knowledge.
... Two ways of promoting activity in class that were appreciated by participants in the study were the use of drawing and the use of "Kahoot!", a student response system (SRS). Several studies support the benefit of drawing, especially in anatomy [22][23][24]. Drawing makes lectures less boring, as students have to work actively [23]. When students draw simultaneously with the lecturer, it requires them to watch, reflect upon what they see, and draw themselves. ...
... This is in accordance with Fernandes et al., 2018 who proposed that drawing has an impact on a memory trace consisting of elaborative, motoric, and pictorial components [25]. There is also evidence that drawing may help students better retain knowledge [22,24], something that is important in being able to apply knowledge from MBS when practicing nursing later in their education. ...
(1) Background: There are considerable challenges and concerns related to learning medical and bioscience subjects (MBS) in nursing education and integrating this knowledge into nursing. The aim of this study was to explore what learning methods nursing students prefer when studying MBS, and how this learning may be enhanced to facilitate the integration of these subjects into nursing. (2) Methods: Individual interviews with 10 nursing students. Transcripts from the interviews were analysed by systematic text condensation and the COREQ checklist for qualitative studies was completed. (3) Results: Students prefer varied and active learning methods in MBS. The participants in the study highlighted both organised tutorials in groups and working with fellow students outside of organised teaching. All participants used educational videos. Learning MBS by drawing was appreciated both during lectures and in student-initiated colloquia. Strategies that favour in-depth learning were appreciated, and it was found that lectures did not have to cover the entire curriculum. Teachers’ attitudes toward students also were seen to have a considerable impact on students’ motivation for learning. (4) Conclusion: Applying active learning methods and focusing on the most relevant topics in MBS appears to improve students’ ability to integrate this knowledge into nursing; teachers should also be aware of their role as a motivator.
... Only 13% of the students used drawing for learning. 27 Almost 50% of the respondents of this study acknowledged that they understand the basics of histology very well when they draw the images by relating it to text. They stressed the need that histology be assessed in clinical relevance formatively throughout the first two pre-clinical years. ...
Objectives:
To determine if learning histology by drawing is superior to learning by looking through a microscope only.
Methods:
Second year MBBS students were divided by simple random sampling into Groups A and B. Each group comprised 50 students. This mixed-methods study was conducted in an 8-week module. For the first 4 weeks, students in Group A learned histology by drawing, whereas Group B learned by seeing the text and microscopic images. For the last 4 weeks, groups were swapped by crossover design. The impact of learning by drawing was assessed by multiple choice question (MCQ) test I and test II at the end of 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. Statistical analyses of the data were conducted with SPSS version 23. The scores obtained in test I and test II were analyzed by the independent samples t-test. The paired samples t-test was applied to scores obtained by the same subject when they learned with drawing and no drawing strategies. To assess the impact of drawing on learning histology, a focus group study was conducted in six participants selected by purposive sampling. Responses to the semi-structured interview questions were analyzed by qualitative research techniques of coding, categorizing, and generation of themes.
Results:
The independent samples t-test showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the mean scores obtained by Groups A and B in test I and test II. However, there was a statistically significant difference when the subject learned histology by drawing compared to no drawing, as shown by the paired samples t-test. The results from the focus group study revealed that drawing had a positive impact on knowledge retention and understanding the basic concepts of histology for its application in the clinical context.
Conclusion:
Drawing-based learning in histology helps with the application of basic knowledge in the clinical context.
... Therefore, nude artistry isn't solely about art itself but also serves as a valuable and practical means of skill development. As stated in the study of Borrelli et al. (2018) [8] , students have expressed that their primary challenges when it comes to drawing anatomy are a shortage of time and a lack of skill. They believe that these training workshops can effectively tackle both of these issues. ...
Nudity in art has been frequently labeled as an immoral act. Four cases of Nude Artists living in Cebu, Philippines, were investigated to learn about their perspectives and principles upon sketching the nudes. Cross-case analysis was used to analyze the data acquired through semi-structured interviews. The thorough investigation revealed the three highlights of the cases being investigated, namely, the Meaning of Nude Artistry, the Reasons for Engagement, and the Benefits of Nude Artistry for the nude artists. It is concluded that nude artistry is a form of art, thus it is not immoral. It has an educational dimension to it, and it fosters self-confidence and mental stability, specifically for nude artists. Additionally, it is recommended that nude artistry be integrated as part of the classroom instructional planning in the Philippine curricula, specifically in MAPEH. Also, workshops and seminars must be held to ensure a wider eradication of misconceptions and reduce inequalities as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Copies of this study should be sent to educational institutions and cultural agencies. Moreover, for future research, it is recommended to research the limitations of artistic freedom in depicting the naked body and study the nude artists' awareness level in terms of human anatomy and physiology.
... Drawing to learn can improve anatomical knowledge as it supports the retention (Balemans et al., 2016) and understanding of anatomical facts (Rafi et al., 2017). In addition, this method can result in a more enjoyable learning process for students (Borrelli et al., 2018) and for teachers (Noorafshan et al., 2014), helping to sustain motivation to engage in anatomy learning. Visual arts such as drawing, sketching, painting, are also recognized by students in histology as a valuable learning method to learn medicine (Cracolici et al., 2019). ...
The way medical students learn anatomy is constantly evolving. Nowadays, technologies such as tablets support established learning methods like drawing. In this study, the effect of drawing on a tablet on medical students' anatomy learning was investigated compared to drawing or summarizing on paper. The quality of drawings or summaries was assessed as a measure of the quality of strategy implementation. Learning outcome was measured with an anatomy test, both immediately afterward and after 4–6 weeks to assess its sustainability. There were no significant group differences in learning outcome at both measurement points. For all groups, there was a significant medium strength correlation between the quality of the drawings or summaries and the learning outcome (p < 0.05). Further analysis revealed that the quality of strategy implementation moderated outcomes in the delayed test: When poorly implemented, drawing on a tablet (M = 48.81) was associated with lower learning outcome than drawing on paper (M = 58.95); The latter (M = 58.89) was related to higher learning outcome than writing summaries (M = 45.59). In case of high‐quality strategy implementation, drawing on a tablet (M = 60.98) outperformed drawing on paper (M = 52.67), which in turn was outperformed by writing summaries (M = 62.62). To conclude, drawing on a tablet serves as a viable alternative to paper‐based methods for learning anatomy if students can make adequate use of this strategy. Future research needs to identify how to support student drawing, for instance, by offering scaffolds with adaptive feedback to enhance learning.
... In anatomy instructor-guided drawing sessions, simple line drawings are demonstrated by instructors which students are asked to draw simultaneously (Noorafshan et al., 2014), progressively adding detail (Nayak & Kodimajalu, 2010). Emphasis is placed on the simple but accurate representations of anatomical relationships rather than 'life-like' drawings where shading and cross-hatching are used to emphasize 3D form (Borrelli et al., 2018;Chaudhuri, 2021). The progressive nature of these drawings leads the student through increasing complexity in a structured, scaffolded manner (Pickering, 2015;Greene, 2018). ...
... There is a large amount of evidence in the literature to support teaching interventions incorporating drawing (Cromley et al., 2020). Directed drawing studies employing a range of deliveries, including art-based (Shapiro et al., 2020;Chaudhuri, 2021), tutor demonstration either live (Borrelli et al., 2018), or pre-recorded (Fiorella et al., 2020), blank page (Naug et al., 2016;Backhouse et al., 2017), and video-guided (Pickering, 2015;Greene, 2018), have been shown to improve performance in post-intervention assessment quizzes. ...
... The anatomy teaching staff regularly use drawing to explain functional aspects of anatomy, yet the attitude to drawing survey found that only 27% of students always or often used drawing while studying even though 70% professed to like drawing. Similar results were found following anatomy drawing workshops with medical and health science students with only 13% using drawing as their main learning tool and 50% never or rarely using drawing in anatomy revision (Borrelli et al., 2018). ...
Visuospatial skills are considered important attributes when learning anatomy and there is evidence suggesting that this ability can be improved with training techniques including drawing. The Mental Rotations Test (MRT) has been routinely used to assess visuospatial ability. This study aimed to introduce students to drawing as a learning strategy for anatomy. Undergraduate speech science anatomy students took part in a drawing tutorial (n = 92), completed an MRT test, pre‐ and post‐tutorial tests, and surveys regarding their use and attitudes toward drawing as a study tool. The impact on their examination performance was then assessed. Regardless of MRT score or attitude to drawing, students who participated in the drawing tutorial demonstrated immediate improvement in post‐tutorial test scores. Students in the drawing group performed better in most anatomy components of the examination, but the result did not reach statistical significance. There was only a positive correlation between MRT score and one type of anatomy question (non‐image‐based) and speech physics questions (r = 0.315, p = 0.002). The unexpected finding may relate to the MRT which assesses spatial rather than object visualization skills. Students who liked drawing also performed significantly better in word‐based and speech physics questions. It is likely that the style of identification question did not require the mental manipulation ability assessed in the MRT. This study demonstrated that students with lower MRT scores are not outperformed in all aspects of anatomy assessment. The study highlights the importance of a more nuanced understanding of visuospatial skills required in anatomy.
... Learning human anatomy through drawing helps students to retain knowledge easier, it allows visualisation and facilitates a better understanding of anatomical planes. In addition, it makes learning more engaging and fun (Borrelli et al. 2018). The lecturer of human anatomy at a university campus located in Kavango east region, Namibia, introduced drawing as a learning activity in the 2018 academic year. ...
... The relation of utilising drawing within clinical practice is also revealed by Chan (2013), who reports that drawing helps students to strengthen their memory and knowledge of what a nurse is required to do during pre-operative care. In a study conducted in London, United Kingdom, to assess whether drawing should be incorporated into the teaching of anatomy, the findings reveal that drawing assists students to apply and translate conceptual knowledge from the classroom environment into real-life structures they observe in pro-section and cadaveric demonstration (Borrelli et al. 2018). Although cadaveric demonstrations were not conducted in the context of the current study, when drawing was used as a learning activity, students were able to relate the knowledge gained to real body structures they observed in clinical practice. ...
... The participants in the current study recognised that lacking and limited artistic skills would limit their ability to use drawing as a learning activity in human anatomy. These findings concur with those of Borrelli et al. (2018) who report that participants in their study perceived "inadequate skill to draw" as one of the biggest constraints for drawing anatomy. However, it is emphasised that due to learning preferences and difficulty to recreate diagrams, the ability to draw should not be considered as a standalone parameter for evaluating the knowledge or intellect of a student (Kumar and Rajprasath 2019). ...
Human anatomy is perceived by health science students and educators to be a burdensome, challenging and labour-intense course. In order to enhance understanding of human anatomy, the use of student-centred approaches is encouraged, of which drawing is included. However, it is not explicitly known how nursing students in Kavango east region experience the use of drawing. This research was conducted to explore and describe the experiences of first-year nursing students from a resource-constraint setting on the use of drawing as a learning activity in a human anatomy course. A qualitative descriptive, explorative, and contextual study was conducted in Kavango east region, Namibia. Data were collected via focus-group interviews with 28 participants who were conveniently selected. A qualitative content analysis was followed, while trustworthiness was ensured according to the four principles of Lincoln and Guba. Ethical clearance and permission were granted by the School of Nursing Research Committee. The ethical principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice were adhered to. The experienced beneficial aspects of drawing are enhancement of course understanding, boosting creativity, and integration of theory into practice. Challenging aspects were related to lacking artistical skills, time constraints, complex and complicated drawings as well as a shortage of materials and learning resources. In order to improve drawing as a learning activity in human anatomy, recommendations were made for nursing students, educators and future researchers.
... Drawing diagrams is not restricted to learning anatomy and is an integral part of various arenas of medicine (1). Visual explanation of concepts influences learning, retention, and recall (2,3). ...
Background: Sequence graphics could be used to address the lacunae of drawing skill development in medical undergraduates. Objectives: The present study aimed to use sequence graphics to evaluate medical undergraduates in terms of drawing moderately complex diagrams. Methods: This pilot study was conducted on six medical students, and four moderately complex diagrams were evaluated regarding the usefulness of sequence graphics. Core and accessory components were identified before asking the students to draw the diagram. In a conventional drawing exercise, the students were asked to draw four diagrams consecutively during the dissection hour. On the next day, videos of sequence graphics were projected on the screen, and the students were asked to draw the diagrams simultaneously. Results: While using the conventional drawing method, the students took significantly more time to complete the diagram, the outcomes were not uniform, and several missing core and accessory components were detected. Using sequence graphics, all the students traced the diagrams in tandem with the projected videos. The videos would be paused and replayed an average of six times each; the mean duration of the videos was 95 seconds. The students started and ended the drawing at the same time, and immediate feedback revealed that they all agreed that sequence graphics could impart better drawing skills, thereby leading to the ease of drawing the diagrams. Conclusions: According to the results, sequence graphics resulted in uniform, centered, labelled, large diagrams with defined core and accessory components drawn in lesser time compared to conventional drawing.
... The study and teaching of anatomy have always been closely interconnected with art, from the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci to the atlases and 3D anatomy programs used today (Bell and Evans, 2014;Quillin and Thomas, 2015;Borrelli et al., 2018). Prior research that explored the relationship between art and anatomy has mainly focused on how learning to interpret art improves observational skills in anatomy (Bardes et al., 2001;Moore et al., 2011;Bell and Evans, 2014;Grogan and Ferguson, 2018). ...
Spatial visualization, the ability to mentally rotate three‐dimensional (3D) images, plays a significant role in anatomy education. This study examines the impact of technical drawing exercises on the improvement of spatial visualization and anatomy education in a Neuroscience course. First‐year medical students (n = 84) were randomly allocated into a control group (n = 41) or art‐training group (n = 43). Variables including self‐reported artistic drawing ability, previous technical drawing experience, or previous anatomy laboratory exposure were gathered. Participants who self‐identified as artistic individuals were equally distributed between the two groups. Students in the art‐training group attended four 1‐hour sessions to solve technical drawing worksheets. All participants completed two Mental Rotations Tests (MRT), which were used to assess spatial visualization. Data were also collected from two neuroscience written examinations and an anatomical “tag test” practical examination. Participants in the art‐training and control groups improved on the MRT. The mean of written examination two was significantly higher (P = 0.007) in the art‐training group (12.95) than the control group (11.48), and higher (P = 0.027) in those without technical drawing experience (12.44) than those with (11.00). The mean of the anatomical practical was significantly higher (P = 0.010) in those without artistic ability (46.24) than those with (42.00). These results suggest that completing technical drawing worksheets may aid in solving anatomy‐based written examination questions on complex brain regions, but further research is needed to determine its implication on anatomy practical scores. These results propose a simple method of improving spatial visualization in anatomy education.
