Anatomy Teaching Models Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Teaching Models Assessment

The COVID-19 pandemic immediately changed teaching anatomy from in-person to online.Our study aimed to compare the results of anatomy exams, examine the students' attitudes to these two different teaching models, and propose a more desirable model.In the retrospective part of the study, the anatomy exam results of 211 students studying in person in 2018/2019 (before the pandemic) and 214 students studying online in 2020/2021 (during the pandemic) were analyzed.The cross-section study comprises a comprehensive survey of the students' attitudes towards in-person -136 students, and online teaching model -118 of the respective academic years.76.3 % of the students passed the anatomy exam after in-person teaching, compared to only 49.1 % after online teaching.The survey showed that within the in-person model, teachers were more available ( 2 (2, N=254) = 39.705,p < .001),examinations were useful for knowledge assessment ( 2 (2, N=254) = 7.307, p = .026),students were more satisfied with the exam ( 2 (2, N=254) = 9.587, p = .008),more confident about their knowledge ( 2 (2, N=254) = 23.464,p < .001),and overall appreciated the quality of this model more ( 2 (2, N=254) = 50.263,p < .001)than the online group.About half of the students in the online group believed that remote studying prevented the spread of Attitudes expressed in open-ended questions were more positive about in-person than online teaching, where the absence of in-person practical exercises received the most significant criticism.The in-person model was shown to be undisputedly superior.However, teaching aids, such as voice-over PowerPoint presentations and video recordings of practical exercises, applied in online teaching should be incorporated into future teaching models.