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Reciprocal peer teaching (RPT), wherein students alternate roles as teacher and learner, has been applied in several educational arenas with varying success. Here, we describe the implementation of a reciprocal peer teaching protocol in a human gross anatomy laboratory curriculum. We compared the outcomes of the RPT class with those of previous classes in which RPT was not employed. Objective data (i.e., course grades) show no significant differences in gross anatomy laboratory grades between students in the RPT and non-RPT classes. To subjectively evaluate the relative success of RPT in the laboratory, we analyzed student opinions obtained through anonymous surveys. These data show that a powerful majority of student respondents felt that RPT was beneficial and should be used in future classes. The greatest disadvantage was unreliable quality of teaching from peers; however, most students still felt that RPT should be continued. Students who felt that they had insufficient hands-on experience (by virtue of dissecting only half the time) were significantly more likely to recommend abandoning RPT. These results underscore the importance of active student dissection, and suggest that a modified version of the described RPT protocol may satisfy more of the needs of large, diverse student populations. Several hidden benefits of RPT exist for faculty, administration, and students, including reduced need for large numbers of cadavers, attendant reduction in operating costs, and smaller student-to-teacher ratios. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Inexact measurements can have devastating effects in sciences where precision is of paramount importance. In contrast, morphological sciences rely heavily on description, comparison, and estimation to make meaningful inferences about the structure of humans and other animals. A review of the 1918 edition of "Gray's Anatomy" shows that the tendency to approximate was as marked nearly a century ago as it is today. Occasionally, objects of comparison may themselves become obsolete, necessitating changes in descriptive terminology.

Objective: Recent changes in undergraduate medical curricula have resulted in time constraints that are particularly challenging when students must learn large blocks of content. Musculoskeletal anatomy is one such blocks, and students may resort to rote memorization to cope. In an effort to help students learn both concepts and content, a "consolidation carnival" was developed. Methods: For a 6-week musculoskeletal course, two consolidation carnivals were scheduled: one on week 3 and the other on week 6, following the completion of the upper and lower limb contents, respectively. These largely self-directed speeddating- styled review sessions consisted of 6 to 7 students rotating through 7 to 8 clinical cases with corresponding cadaveric specimens every ten minutes. Results: Ninety-four per cent of the 103 students who participated in this study agreed that the consolidation carnival provided a helpful overview of musculoskeletal anatomy content, including other positive reviews. Student performance on the short, open-ended, case-based musculoskeletal examination showed no significant difference on shoulder, hand, hip, thigh, or leg questions. There was however a statistically significant decrease in the students' scores on a forearm question in 2021 compared to 2019. Conclusion: This study shows that the consolidation carnival was positively received by students as having value in reviewing the musculoskeletal content and enhancing their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, while promoting peer collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]