An on‐line clinically focused problem‐based learning paradigm for anatomical instruction in secondary school education

A problem based learning (PBL) paradigm was created that uses on‐line accessible clinically focused tutorials for anatomical instruction in secondary school education. The PBL units integrate information from multiple disciplines and are easily tailored for both general and advanced courses. The format of each of the units included an initial in‐class faculty presentation of basic science information on a selected anatomy topic followed by clinically focused small group assignments. Each student group was assigned a self‐guided tutorial about a specific clinical scenario. The tutorial challenged students with questions that required an understanding of the material presented in‐class and guided them through explanations of the answers with text augmented by diagrams, atlas images and short, streaming dissection video clips of the relevant anatomy. After completion of the PBL units, an IRB approved survey was administered to participating students. The survey responses (agreed and strongly agreed) indicated that the PBL units were helpful in 1) understanding the basic science information (89%), 2) visualizing the anatomical structures in 3 dimensions (100%) and 3) making an appropriate clinical diagnosis (100%). These survey responses indicated that this PBL paradigm is a valuable learning tool for secondary school education.