Perception of First-Year MBBS Students Toward Virtual Dissection in Learning Anatomy: A Comparative Study Between High and Low Academic Achievers

Introduction Anatomy, as a crucial subject in the medical curriculum, demands continuous efforts to adopt innovative teaching methods to make it a student-friendly subject. One of the new educational technologies is the virtual anatomy dissection. This high-tech tool allows students to perform some hands-on manipulation of a digital cadaver through an electronic screen in the form of a table. The objectives of the study are to determine the perceptions of first-year MBBS students toward virtual anatomy dissection and to compare the responses of high and low academic achievers. Methodology This cross-sectional study was carried out at AIIMS, Guwahati, India, with the approval of the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC). A validated questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms to 99 students in June 2024. The study used a questionnaire of 20 closed-ended items with a five-point Likert scale and 15 open-ended items to collect data on students' perceptions toward virtual dissection effectiveness, engagement and interactivity, accessibility, technical usability, learning outcomes, and comparison with traditional dissection. Independent t-test was done to identify statistically significant differences between the responses of high and low academic achievers. Results Out of 99 students, 89 (89.89%) responded. Most of the students agreed that virtual dissection is an effective tool for better understanding lectures (65, 73.03%), providing motivation to study (55, 61.79%), making learning a continuous process (57, 64.04%), facilitating deep learning (70, 78.65%), systematic knowledge gain (52, 58.42%), better memorization (72, 80.89%), improved academic performance (63, 70.78%), and reducing anxiety in learning anatomy (42, 47.19%). Sixty-seven (75.28%) stated that virtual dissection should only be a supplement to cadaver dissection for learning Anatomy. Among 20 items (closed-ended questions), only six items showed a statistically significant difference between high and low academic achievers. Conclusion The positive feedback from students presents a sound argument that justifies its incorporation into the anatomy curriculum as a supplement for cadaveric dissection.