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A mixed methods study of the effectiveness of plastinated specimens and tracheobronchial casts in an undergraduate anatomy course

This mixed methods study was designed to look at the effectiveness of plastinated specimens, tracheobronchial casts and standard formalin preserved specimens used in the laboratory portion of an undergraduate anatomy course. This study consists of two rounds of data collection from students enrolled in Biology 307 (Human Anatomy). The first round was completed during the fall semester of 2009 and the second round currently is in progress with the class of 2010. In this study, the plastinated specimens used have been dilated canine hearts and horse brains and tracheobronchial casts produced from air‐dried canine lungs. The quantitative assessments for the three anatomical areas consist of pre and posttests developed from concept inventories for the cardiovascular system, the nervous system and the respiratory system. These quantitative assessments are given before and after each type of specimen exposure. Following the quantitative data collection, qualitative data in the form of individual student interviews, focus groups, and student surveys have also been collected. The results from the pretest and posttests for each class will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 19 to: 1) to determine whether the plastinated specimens and tracheobronchial casts are superior to the formalin preserved specimens, 2) show whether the order or exposure to the treatments make a difference in terms of student comprehension and 3) show if having two experiences regardless of the specimen type compared to only one specimen exposure affect student comprehension. The data and comments from the qualitative data will also be analyzed for common themes in terms of the student's perception on the usefulness of plastinated specimens, tracheobronchial casts and formalin preserved specimens. This research is supported by the Lippincott Williams Wilkins‐American Association of Anatomists Education Research Scholarship.