Juárez Cuevas, Miriam

The use of blended learning strategies is increasingly common in health sciences, including veterinary medicine; however, there are very few descriptions of these methods being applied to practicals. We describe here the application of blended learning based on the implementation of flipped classrooms with collaborative learning and gamification to the 2020–2021 veterinary medicine gross anatomy practicals at CEU Cardenal Herrera University (Spain). Students prepared for the sessions by pre-viewing videos and taking a quiz before the start. The sessions were conducted in small groups where students learned through collaborative work and reviewed their learning with a card game. A small but significant increase was observed when comparing the scores of practical exams of the locomotor apparatus with those of 2018–2019 (6.79 ± 2.22 vs. 6.38 ± 2.24, p < 0.05), while the scores were similar (7.76 ± 1.99 vs. 7.64 ± 1.92) for the organ system exams. Students’ responses in a satisfaction survey were mostly positive (>80%) regarding the motivating and learning-facilitating effect of this educational method. Our work shows that the application of blended learning in anatomy practicals based on a flipped classroom and with elements of gamification and collaborative work can be an effective way to improve the learning experience of students.

The use of cadavers is essential for veterinary anatomy learning. However, facing an animal corpse can be stressful for veterinary students because of their empathy toward animals. The objective of this study was to evaluate veterinary medicine students' emotions, feelings, and anxiety levels related to practicals with dog cadavers. Two questionnaires were administered to 1st year students (n = 168) at CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia (Spain) before and after their first practical session with cadavers. The application of State–Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaires showed that “state anxiety” decreased significantly (p < 0.05), from a score of 14.8 before the practical to 10.4 after, and that female students showed higher but not significantly different levels than males. Most (64%) of the students were not willing to donate the bodies of their pets, and those students were more stressed before the practical than their peers, although their anxiety levels significantly decreased by the end of the session. The majority of the students answered positively about emotions, such as feeling calm, safe, not nervous, relaxed and not worried before the practical, and this increased significantly to more than 80% by the end of the session. The visualization of educational videos prior to the session was evaluated positively by students. These results agree with those reported in other health science disciplines, showing that students face practical sessions with corpses in a similar way and suggesting that the use of videos can help decrease anxiety and enhance their learning experience.