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Histology Education in an Integrated, Time‐restricted Medical Curriculum: Academic Outcomes and Students’ Study Adaptations
Author(s) -
Hortsch Michael,
Gribbin William,
Wilson Eric,
McTaggert Suzy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.s1.02970
Subject(s) - histology , virtual microscopy , curriculum , medical education , medicine , psychology , pathology , pedagogy
In an ever‐changing medical curricular environment, time dedicated for anatomical education has become increasingly curtailed. This happened at the University of Michigan Medical School when starting in 2016‐17 preclinical education was reduced from two years to one year. Histology instruction remained integrated in organ system courses, but all faculty‐guided laboratory sessions were removed, reducing histology teaching to a lecture‐only format and requiring students to study virtual histology slides on their own time. In accordance with the shortened instructional time, the number of histology examination questions was reduced more than twofold. This study analyzed students’ histology examination results and assessed their motivation to learn histology and use of educational opportunities before and after these curricular changes were implemented. Students’ motivation to learn histology and their evaluation of histology lectures increased in the new curriculum. However, students devoted less study time to histology and used the course website less than students in the old curriculum. Students’ cumulative histology examination scores were significantly lower in the new curriculum and the number of students with overall scores under 75%, considered a failing performance, increased more than fifteenfold. Lower‐performing students’ histology test scores were disproportionately more affected by the curricular change. Aside from shorter instruction time, the decision to not provide histology subscores to students may also have contributed to this decrease in academic performance. A decentralization of curricular organization, leaving decisions about the integration of histology instruction to organ system course directors, may have played an additional role in decreasing consistent histology education. This study received a non‐regulated status from the University of Michigan IRBMED (HUM00162947).