Evaluation of Anatomy Course Teaching and Learning Outcomes for Iraqi Pharmacy Students: Internet-based Learning versus Blended Learning During the Pandemic

Sinan Farhan; Ahmed Al-Imam; Marek A. Motyka

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2021.6771

Authors

Sinan Farhan Department of Anesthesia Techniques, College of Medical Science Technology, University of Mashreq, Baghdad, Iraq
Ahmed Al-Imam Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq; Department of Computer Science and Statistics, PUMS Doctoral School, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland; Alumni Ambassador, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
Marek A. Motyka Department of Social Work, Institute of Sociological Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.6771

Keywords:

Academies and institutes, Anatomy, Coronavirus disease-19, Internet, Learning, Medical education, Pandemic, Pharmacy students, Severe acute

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Academic courses of human anatomy need to be reviewed periodically by students to ensure better learning outcomes, especially when the teaching process became internet-dependent during the pandemic.

AIM: Our study aims to explore pharmacy students’ opinions concerning the theoretical and practical elements of the anatomy course taught in the College of Pharmacy at Al-Rafidain University.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ethical committee of the College of Pharmacy at Al-Rafidain University approved the study. We prepared a questionnaire (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.735) to evaluate the positive and negative aspects of the teaching process. The questionnaire was presented as an online survey to pharmacy students (n = 305) who finished their anatomy course in two learning modalities, Internet-based learning (n1 = 105, 34.43%) and blended learning (BL) (n2 = 200, 65.57%).

RESULTS: Participants of both groups were satisfied with the syllabus, using internet-based materials, and problem-based learning concerning the theoretical aspect of the course. Concerning practical knowledge, both groups preferred using cadavers instead of dummies, and they verified the beneficial effect of online educational materials and computer-based applications. Pharmacy students demanded more than one anatomy course, while students from the BL group considered the anatomy course duration insufficient. Concerning the practical knowledge, students’ marks were superior for students using BL, and the opposite was the case with theoretical knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS: BL is favored by Iraqi undergraduate pharmacy students; perhaps, it is attributed to the lively interaction between students and the teaching staff. We conclude that internet resources can be supportive of the classical teaching of anatomy.

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