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Evaluation of a comprehensive neuroanatomy website in a distributed medical curriculum
Author(s) -
Krebs Claudia
Publication year - 2009
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.23.1_supplement.476.5
Subject(s) - curriculum , neuroanatomy , world wide web , section (typography) , multimedia , computer science , medical education , the internet , psychology , medicine , anatomy , pedagogy , operating system
A neuroanatomy website ( www.neuroanatomy.ca ) was created as a resource for all students and as a means of bridging the access to information and specimens gap between all sites in a distributed medical curriculum. The website includes a web atlas with both photos and diagrams, an imaging section with MRI scans, a section with 3D MRI reconstructions, a stroke section and course specific sections such as a weekly quiz. Web 2.0 elements were incorporated such as a wiki and podcasts. A survey was given to the students at the end of the lab block to evaluate the use and usefulness of the website. 85% of students used the website, both at home and during the lab sessions. The sections used primarily were the atlas and the 3D reconstructions. This could be attributable to the uniqueness of the 3D section and the scarcity of prosections to study with. Both the stroke section and the quiz section also showed a good usage by the students. The wiki was poorly received, this might be due to perceived difficulties with the technology or the use of other, preferred means of communication by the class such as online message boards. While most respondents found the website to be a useful tool during the lab sessions (54%), a smaller percentage found the website useful for other curricular objectives in the block (45%). Overall the students rated the website as being a useful learning tool, it was easy to navigate and information was easy to find.