VIRTUAL LEARNING VERSUS INPERSON LEARNING AN ANATOMY AND

VIRTUAL LEARNING VERSUS IN-PERSON LEARNING: AN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY COMPARISON M. Harrison 1, C. Ballard 1, E. Cheatham 1, K. Gardner 1, G. Barfield 1, M. Kwenda 2, P. L. Crosswhite 1 1 Department 2 Office Purpose: With the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many courses traditionally taught in-person have moved to an online platform in a fully virtual setting. While online courses appear to have many benefits, many questions remain as to how well students perform online compared to in-person. Moreover, there is little specific information on how learning anatomy and physiology (A&P) virtually compares to traditional in-person classes. Methods: Fifteen students from the fall 2019 in-person A&P cohort and 24 students from the fall 2020 online A&P cohort were included in the study. Each of these students took the course as sophomores for the first time and were enrolled in the School of Nursing and Human Physiology at Gonzaga University. Each student was asked to complete a survey categorizing their overall perception of education as well as self-reported GPA. Exam grades and GPAs were used to analyze across sections. IBM SPSS version 27. 0 was used to perform t-test, one way ANOVA, regression, bivariate correlation and overall descriptive statistics. Each test was performed against gender as well as in person and online instruction. Results: Data collection was completed in January 2021 and therefore analysis is currently on-going and preliminary results will be presented. Potential implications of this study could inform A&P instructors of how student learning is potentially impacted when courses shift online. Traditionally, anatomy and physiology (A&P) lectures and labs are thought of as a hands-on learning experience. In many labs, students are given the opportunity to use cadavers, models, and virtual reality systems to immerse themselves in the material. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many A&P courses have moved to a completely virtual classroom. With technological advancements in virtual learning, professors can provide a unique and more accessible educational experience than in-person teaching. Professors are no longer limited to classroom sizes, and students can access materials on their own time at his or her own pace (3). Many of the earliest studies comparing virtual learning to traditional classrooms found no difference between the learning outcomes (3). Several studies have compared online learning to in-person learning. A study comparing physical therapy students in flipped versus traditional classrooms used a multiplechoice examination to compare the two and found no significant differences (3). In a study comparing fully online models with traditional models in a psychology course there were no significant differences in grades; however, students felt more unsatisfied with their education (2). Another study found a small positive effective towards student achievement on distance learning (1). However, this study also concluded there was a negative retention rate skewed towards technology-based learning. There were also negative effects towards the subject matter and the attitude towards the professors in distance learning when compared to traditional in person learning (1). While previous studies have compared virtual to traditional learning, there are no specific studies on how learning may be impacted in A&P courses. This study will examine two cohorts at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. One cohort attended A&P courses in person in 2019 while the second cohort attended A&P virtually in 2020. of Human Physiology, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA of Institutional Research, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA Research Design: This was blinded cross-sectional study. Data was collected from a period of one and a half years during the fall semesters of 2019 and 2020. Study Population: Thirty-four collegiate students (n= 34; male= 5, female= 29) participated in the study. Participants were volunteers who were enrolled in A&P during fall 2019 or 2020 as a sophomore, as well as having concurrent enrollment in the School of Nursing and Human Physiology at Gonzaga University. Procedures & Data Collection: Each participant was asked to complete a survey asking questions about their gender, major, self-reported cumulative GPA, current and prior STEM classes. Questions about A&P lecture included prior A&P classes taken, modality of A&P, number of office hours attended weekly, number of hours studied weekly as well as opinion on effectiveness of professor’s method and level of investment in the class. Questions about A&P lab included modality, number of times open lab was attended, numbers of hours studied weekly as well as opinion on effectiveness of professor’s method and level of investment in the class. Additionally, participants were asked what modality they preferred, if they purchased outside resources, location of residence during A&P, if an online modality effected their learning, and likeliness in enrolling in an online program in the future. Finally, participants were asked if the switch to remote learning affected their learning negatively or positively. A) B) Figure 1: Grades , means and standard deviations for lecture. A. grade distribution for lecture portion (gray = 2020, Black = 2019). B. Mean and standard deviation of exam scores for lecture portion Description A) B) Figure 2: Grades , means and standard deviations for lab. A. grade distribution for lecture portion (gray = 2020, black =2019). B. Mean and standard deviation of exam scores for lecture portion Description We would like to acknowledge the Office of Institutional Research and Dr. Maxwell Kawenda for deidentifying our data as well as professors Dr. Mc. Kenzie, Dr. Crosswhite, Dr. Donovan, Dr. Wilkins, Dr. Issacson, and Dr. Slater for allowing us to recruit from their classes. A special acknowledgement to our research advisor Dr. Crosswhite In 2020, Gonzaga A&P students did not have the opportunity to take their course in the traditional in-person environment. Our preliminary findings suggest the mode of delivery has no significant effect on exam scores or final grades. As grades can be a sensitive topic, this study appears to have an appeal to higher performing students, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. There is a large portion of A and B scoring students who participated in our study compared to C or D scoring students. Our statistics showed an abnormal distribution of results. It would be ideal to capture data from students across the performance spectrum to increase the power of our results. Regardless, our initial results suggest there is no significant impact on grades between virtual A&P instruction and traditional in-person instruction. However, analysis of the student survey is on-going and may reveal interesting findings beyond just the grades presented here. In a future study, a larger and more diverse sample size would be ideal. As well as a verification of self-reported data. Our study highlights that a virtual learning environment does not have a significant impact on anatomy and physiology lecture and lab grades in relation to in-person learning. With advances in technology and a current global pandemic, instructors have more educational tools than ever to offer virtual learning experiences yet the impact on student learning remains largely under-studied. This study suggests that there is no difference in either A&P lab or lecture scores between the 2019 and 2020 cohort, even with a large difference regarding exam means. It is essential in this new age that students and instructors are aware of the impacts of virtual and online learning on student performance and attitude. These results, while at a low sample size, may provide future opportunities to follow-up on the impacts of different teaching modalities. Future research could be performed to evaluate instructor attitude, and student-teacher interactions, as these were not included in our study. 1. Bernard, R. M. , Abrami, P. C. , Lou, Y. , Borokhovski, E. , Wade, A. , Wozney, L. , Wallet, P. A. , Fiset, M. , & Huang, B. (2004). How Does Distance Education Compare With Classroom Instruction? A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 379– 439. https: //doi. org/10. 3102/00346543074003379 2. Lyke, J. , & Frank, M. (2012). Comparison of student learning outcomes in online and traditional classroom environments in a psychology course. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 39(3 -4), 245– 250. 3. Murray, L. , Mc. Callum, C. , & Petrosino, C. (2014). Flipping the Classroom Experience: A Comparison of Online Learning to Traditional Lecture. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 28(3), 35– 41. https: //doi. org/10. 1097/00001416 -201407000 -00006