Application of Blended Learning to Veterinary Gross Anatomy Practical Sessions: Students’ Perceptions of Their Learning Experience and Academic Outcomes
Olga Gómez,
Maria García-Manzanares,
Deborah Chicharro,
Miriam Juárez,
Clara Llamazares-Martín,
Enrique Soriano,
José Terrado
Affiliations
Olga Gómez
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, C/Tirant lo Blanch, 7, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain
Maria García-Manzanares
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, C/Tirant lo Blanch, 7, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain
Deborah Chicharro
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, C/Tirant lo Blanch, 7, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain
Miriam Juárez
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, C/Tirant lo Blanch, 7, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain
Clara Llamazares-Martín
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, C/Tirant lo Blanch, 7, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain
Enrique Soriano
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, C/Tirant lo Blanch, 7, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain
José Terrado
Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, C/Tirant lo Blanch, 7, Alfara del Patriarca, 46115 Valencia, Spain
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 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.