Student perceptions of novel and traditional anatomy teaching tools in sport and exercise science

Anatomy teaching is considered a cornerstone of Sport and Exercise Science programmes, however has a wide array of teaching tools to consider. The present study has compared student perceptions of traditional anatomy teaching tools (cadaveric prosections, plastic models, electronic resources and printed resources) and novel teaching tools (ultrasound, muscle elastics and muscle modelling). 28 students from a Sport and Exercise Science cohort completed a student perception of anatomy teaching tools questionnaire. Students ranked cadaveric prosections, muscle modelling and muscle elastics as their top 3 tools, while cadaveric prosections were consistently rated significantly higher than printed resources and plastic models in students’ perception of achieving learning outcomes (P<.05). Students reported difficulties in identifying anatomical structures with ultrasound. However, 70% recommended ultrasound for teaching, along with 67% and 86% for novel methods of muscle elastics and muscle modelling, respectively. The present study has demonstrated high student perceptions of cadaveric prosections for anatomy teaching. However, it notes that this is not a viable option for all higher education institutions. Muscle modelling appears as a novel method that is well perceived by students; however, educators should continually engage with students in relation to the most effective teaching tools.