gms | German Medical Science

Objective: Anatomy is an important building block in medical education to this day and the teaching and learning of this subject is of particular importance. While drawing has been shown to have a positive effect on learning in general [1], it can specifically contribute to learning gross anatomy [2]. As technology advances, findings on the effect of the use of tablets for drawing to learn gross anatomy are still inconclusive [3]. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of drawing on a tablet and compare it to paper-based methods in terms of learning outcome and quality of strategy implementation.

Methods: Data from N=105 medical students were collected in Germany (78 female, 26 male, mean age=23.18 years, SD 3.22). Following a text-based learning phase, participants either had to draw anatomical content on a tablet or paper, or had to create text summaries on paper. Drawings on the tablet were created within an app we developed for the purpose of learning gross anatomy, see figure 1 [Fig. 1]. Prior knowledge was tested with an anatomy knowledge test (Cronbach’s α=.71). The learning outcome and its sustainability were measured with a knowledge post-test immediately after the learning phase (α=.77) and a delayed post-test 4-6 weeks later (α=.72). In addition, the quality of drawings and summaries was assessed as a potential moderator using a scoring sheet (α=.89 for drawings and α=.95 for summaries).

Results: ANCOVAs showed no significant difference between the learning methods in terms of learning outcome in the post-test, F(2, 101)=.356, p=.701, partial η²=.007 or the delayed post-test, F(2, 101)=.271, p=.763, partial η²=.005. The quality of strategy implementation did not differ either, F(2, 102)=2.056, p=.133, η²=.039. Partial correlations showed that there are positive relationships between the quality of strategy implementation and learning outcome in all three groups that are independent from prior knowledge (range r(35)=.408-.736). Regression analyses and simple slope analyses revealed that at low quality, participants drawing on a tablet or writing summaries achieved lower learning outcomes and at high quality they achieved higher learning outcomes than participants drawing on paper.

Discussion: The results indicate that drawing on a tablet can be considered as a modern alternative learning method for gross anatomy in terms of learning outcome when drawings of high quality are created.

Take home messages: At a high quality, drawing on the tablet led to higher learning outcome than the paper-based drawing method. Considering that the drawing app used for this study is still in its infancy, there is a huge potential for further development and the implementation of support features to enhance the learning experience and outcome, especially in a way that results in high strategy quality.