ERIC Number: EJ1358886
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Sep
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1043-4046
EISSN: EISSN-1522-1229
Skeletal Muscle Coverage in Undergraduate Courses: A Comparison of Stand-Alone Human Anatomy and Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) Courses
O'Loughlin, Valerie Dean; Goodwin, Michael; Reynolds, Amberly
Advances in Physiology Education, v46 n3 p400-415 Sep 2022
Anecdotal data suggest great variation in breadth and depth of skeletal muscle coverage between undergraduate human anatomy (HA) and anatomy and physiology (A&P) courses. This manuscript is the second in a series (Reynolds A, Goodwin M, O'Loughlin V. D. "Adv Physiol Educ" 46: 309-318, 2022. doi:https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.1152/advan.00084.2021) that methodically assesses skeletal muscle content coverage across undergraduate HA and A&P courses. The authors developed an online skeletal muscle coverage survey and collected 342 responses worldwide, 156 from instructors of HA courses and 186 from A&P course instructors. Demographic results showed that HA courses are primarily taught at 4-year baccalaureate institutions, have relatively larger class sizes, and are more likely to use human (vs. animal) prosections or dissections. In contrast, A&P courses are primarily taught at community colleges, have relatively smaller class sizes, and are more likely to use animal (vs. human) dissections. HA courses tend to require their students to learn all skeletal muscle aspects (i.e., identification, action, attachments, innervation), whereas A&P courses tend to focus on muscle identification or action only. The proportions of courses that require identification of large, superficial skeletal muscles are similar between the two course types. However, HA courses are more likely to require their students to identify deeper and smaller muscles, including more distal appendicular muscles and pelvic muscles. These differences likely are due, in part, to the more anatomical focus of HA courses and the slightly different student populations between these courses. These findings provide much-needed information about muscular system coverage between HA and A&P courses and may guide instructor discussions about curricula. [For the first article in the series, "General Trends in Skeletal Muscle Coverage in Undergraduate Human Anatomy and Anatomy and Physiology Courses," see EJ1347509.]
Descriptors: Anatomy, Undergraduate Study, Physiology, Course Content, Human Body, Class Size, Teaching Methods, Laboratory Procedures, Curriculum, Institutional Characteristics, Student Characteristics, Foreign Countries, Geographic Location
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States; Canada; Australia; Europe; Africa; Latin America
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A