A hybrid medical embryology course

Thomas A. Marino, Ph.D., Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA

ABSTRACT:

The medical embryology course at Temple University School of Medicine is taught both online, with in class lectures, and with a problem solving, workshop format. In this demonstration, I will discuss how using multiple resources we can help students learn a difficult subject which is often taught with limited contact hours in a compressed time frame. The material presented to the medical students is presented in several ways. First, it is presented in a face-to-face lecture format. It is also presented in online lectures, online PowerPoint presentations, and with online handouts. All of these resources are managed through the course management system, Blackboard. In addition, extra online resources and other very valuable online materials are organized in Blackboard so that students with various learning styles can access the appropriate material that will help them learn best. In addition, a Website The Embryology Collaborative, is available that points students to various online resources.

Another feature of the embryology courses is online exams that are offered during the course. The course is divided into six sections and after every section of the course there is an online examination the students can take multiple times to master the didactic material required for understanding embryology. The exam is administered through Blackboard. In addition to the online examinations, there are three in class examinations during the course. After the online examinations, the students are required to attend a interactive faculty-led, clinically based, workshop in which they use the embryology learned to solve clinically relevant problems regarding congenital defects.

Finally, to insure that the learning is authentic, a significant portion of the student's grade is made up of a one-on-one interview with the instructor. The student is required to explain to the instructor the embryological basis that underlies a particular congenital defect as if the instructor were a parent. In this way, the students begin to appreciate how medical embryology can assist them in future clinical settings.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

Students in professional, health science related schools are, by and large, successful students. That is how they are admitted. They have learned how to master material successfully. This demonstration centers on how to provide them with the resources, feedback, and assessment that helps them learn clinically relevant basic science information so that they can use it in clinical settings. The course described is a hybrid course and demonstrates how a course management system and new technology can help students learn.

Thomas A. Marino, Ph.D.

Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology

Temple University School of Medicine

3400 North Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19140

Phone: 215.707.3704 Fax: 215.707.2966

Email: marino@temple.edu Website: http://isc.temple.edu/marino/tom