Reducing Cognitive Load for Anatomy Students with a Multimodal ITS Platform

Abstract

Students of human anatomy face domain-specific and generational challenges in their acquisition of the subject material. Anatomy is detail-heavy and overwhelming, as the larger conceptual framework is built upon interdependent components connected by several types of multidirectional relationships in four domains, all acting simultaneously. Adding to the difficulty of the material are changes in the educational and social environment, including “teaching to the test” and extensive cell phone usage among students, which has been found to correlate positively with inattention. Proper scaffolding of student development of higher-level cognitive processes has the potential to create positive learner outcomes in tomorrow’s medical workforce. Based on over 100 hours of expert interviews, our new ITS for teaching human anatomy and physiology uses a hierarchical concept map with unlockable content, shows multiple types of relationships, and is color-coded by domain to help students master the complex material.