Investing Instructional Strategies in a Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory

Laboratory teaching is an essential component of Human Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) courses. The application of active learning strategies in teaching has been documented. However, studies on the effectiveness of active learning-based instructional strategies in A&P laboratories are inadequate. The current study investigates both effectiveness and student acceptance in the context of adoption of a team-based teaching method for the A&P laboratory. We offered team-based projects in two out of six laboratory-sections. The group that engaged in team-based projects did so during half of the laboratory sessions; these active learning projects consisted of near-peer teaching, group discussions, and other activities. Other sections (control group) were taught only in the traditional method. Quantitative methods were used to assess student performance. Qualitative analyses were performed on the anonymous feedback that was provided by the students. The data indicate that students in the experimental group (team-based projects) outperform those taught using traditional methods