Sharon Sneddon

Anatomical knowledge is central to the advancement of biomedical research and clinical practice and provides the underpinning foundations for many clinical examinations and processes. Anatomy is a very practical and three-dimensional subject, requiring learners to be able to visualise structures within the body and how they interact with each other. Typically, this is taught through a combination of lectures and practical laboratories in which students can interact with human cadaveric material to gain an appreciation of real-life anatomy, often commenting on how these lab sessions really bring their lectures to life. Like so many things, the teaching of anatomy on university campuses became severely restricted with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Staff and students were no longer able to attend universities and body donation programmes were halted. This brought with it both challenges and opportunities to redevelop digital anatomy education. This chapter will discuss the different teaching approaches taken to delivery anatomy education at the University of Glasgow in three different programmes: (1) Bachelor of Science Honours (BSc Hons) degree in Anatomy, (2) the Glasgow Access to Medicine Programme (GAP), and (3) the undergraduate Bachelor degree in Medicine (MBChB). These three programmes were selected as they each teach anatomy to undergraduate students but the teaching methods, class sizes, and student backgrounds for each is very different. In discussing the different approaches taken and reflecting on staff and student feedback on these experiences, we hope to provide not just a record of the unprecedented and rapid changes to education during this time but also to offer some thoughts on how lessons might be learned as we return to on-campus teaching. Keywords Anatomy COVID-19 Online learning Medicine Sciences Visualisation

Background: In the transition from academic to clinical learning, the development of clinical reasoning skills and teamwork is essential, but not easily achieved by didactic teaching only. Case-based learning (CBL) was designed to stimulate discussions of genuine clinical cases and diagnoses but in our initial format (CBL’10) remained predominantly tutor-driven rather than student-directed. However, interactive teaching methods stimulate deep learning and consolidate taught material, and we therefore introduced a more collaborative CBL (cCBL), featuring a structured format with discussions in small breakout groups. This aimed to increase student participation and improve learning outcomes. Method: A survey with open and closed questions was distributed among 149 students and 36 tutors that had participated in sessions of both CBL formats. A statistical analysis compared exam scores of topics taught via CBL’10 and cCBL. Results: Students and tutors both evaluated the switch to cCBL positively, reporting that it increased student participation and enhanced consolidation and integration of the wider subject area. They also reported that the cCBL sessions increased constructive discussion and stimulated deep learning. Moreover, tutors found the more structured cCBL sessions easier to facilitate. Analysis of exam results showed that summative assessment scores of subjects switched to cCBL significantly increased compared to previous years, whereas scores of subjects that remained taught as CBL’10 did not change. Conclusions: Compared to our initial, tutor-led CBL format, cCBL resulted in improved educational outcomes, leading to increased participation, confidence, discussion and higher exam scores.

Background: The undergraduate five-year MBChB programme at the University of Glasgow has a high volume of pathology teaching integrated into the course. The ability to better understand what pathology is taught and when, so as to build a picture of the types and depth of pathology topics covered across the programme stages is crucial, especially in a spiral curriculum. A novel method of curriculum mapping, known as curriculum heat mapping, was developed as a way to visualise where and when topics are taught, in an easier to understand format. Methods: This method involved comparing the Glasgow curriculum to a pre-determined standard of what should be taught. In this case, The Royal College of Pathologists’ ‘Pathology Undergraduate Curriculum’ was used as a comparison of what a graduating doctor should know about pathology. Results: Following the developed template, heat maps showcasing the range of pathology topics covered, and where they are covered, were developed for local use. These heat maps provided a clear visual representation of where and when topics are taught, and how they cluster. Conclusions: Heat mapping is a novel low-cost, high-input method of curriculum mapping. It requires a person to input the data which can take a long time for large curricula. There are no other upfront financial costs. It can be used in any area with a curriculum and an external or internal comparator. Examples of gold standard external comparators include validated national or international curricula. Heat mapping can help integrated, spiral curriculum programmes to identify where core topics are taught throughout their course. The heat maps themselves successfully demonstrate the required information and are easy to interpret. The process of mapping, as well as the final heat map, can yield important information. This includes information about trends within the curriculum, areas for potential improvement in sessional design and a clearer understanding of the depth to which each topic is covered in each lecture. Overall, it is a viable novel method, which has been successful locally and is easily transferable to other areas such as pharmacology.

As the higher education landscape changes, teaching-only faculty face increasing challenges to deliver evidence-based teaching through engaging with the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). This transition from discipline expert to SoTL practitioner is often poorly supported and undertaken in isolation. We describe a faculty learning community (FLC) to support teaching-only faculty engaging in SoTL. The FLC was formed to provide a space to share challenges regarding scholarship and give practical support to engage in SoTL. The FLC successfully bridged members’ transition to SoTL, providing a sense of belonging to re-connect faculty and promote scholarship.

Undergraduate medical education relies on a variety of small group learning formats to deliver the curriculum, support collaborative learning, encourage critical thinking, as well as the development of a number of professional, clinical and generic attributes. However, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020 reminded us that unanticipated circumstances may necessitate a rapid and abrupt switch to delivering medical education through alternative means, while still upholding teaching standards and meeting learning and graduate outcomes. For many medical schools, the pandemic resulted in small group teaching being moved to an online format. The experience of students and facilitators moving small group learning tutorials to online synchronous delivery forms the basis for a set of recommendations when considering the delivery of small group teaching remotely. Keywords: Small group learning; Online distance learning; Synchronous, blended learning; COVID-19 Keywords: Small group learning; Online distance learning; Synchronous, blended learning; COVID-19

Lectures underpin most medical school curricula; however, due to their frequently didactic nature, their pedagogical efficacy and value are continually questioned. The “flipped” lecture is one approach with the potential to increase student collaboration and interactivity within the lecture theatre environment. Increasingly, medical teachers are introducing flipped lectures, reflecting the increasing use of active learning techniques and digital technologies across the higher education sector more generally. This intervention is seen as a solution to the problems of a traditional lecture, yet whether the use of flipped lectures in medical school programmes enhances learning for all students is not clear. This study investigates whether flipped lectures are perceived as a valuable learning resource by undergraduate medical students. By introducing a flipped lecture at two stages of the curriculum to three student cohorts, and determining students’ observations and perceptions of each experience, we discuss why a flipped lecture does not always meet the needs of the increasingly diverse range of students in medical education and propose exercising caution when considering the introduction of flipped lectures to undergraduate programmes.

Background The undergraduate five-year MBChB programme at the University of Glasgow has a high volume of pathology teaching integrated into the course. The ability to better understand what pathology is taught and when, so as to build a picture of the types and depth of pathology topics covered across the programme stages is crucial, especially in a spiral curriculum. A novel method of curriculum mapping, known as curriculum heat mapping, was developed as a way to visualise where and when topics are taught, in an easier to understand format.Methods This method involved comparing the Glasgow curriculum to a pre-determined standard of what should be taught. In this case, The Royal College of Pathologists’ ‘Pathology Undergraduate Curriculum’ was used as a comparison of what a graduating doctor should know about pathology. Results Following the developed template, heat maps showcasing the range of pathology topics covered, and where they are covered, were developed for local use. These heat maps provided a clear visual representation of where and when topics are taught, and how they cluster.Conclusions Heat mapping is a novel low-cost, high-input method of curriculum mapping. It requires a person to input the data which can take a long time for large curricula. There are no other upfront financial costs. It can be used in any area with a curriculum and an external or internal comparator. Examples of gold standard external comparators include validated national or international curricula.Heat mapping can help integrated, spiral curriculum programmes to identify where core topics are taught throughout their course. The heat maps themselves successfully demonstrate the required information and are easy to interpret. The process of mapping, as well as the final heat map, can yield important information. This includes information about trends within the curriculum, areas for potential improvement in sessional design and a clearer understanding of the depth to which each topic is covered in each lecture.Overall, it is a viable novel method, which has been successful locally and is easily transferable to other areas such as pharmacology.

Little is understood of the molecular mechanisms involved in the earliest cell fate decision in human development, leading to the establishment of the trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) stem cell population. Notably, there is a lack of understanding of how transcriptional networks arise during reorganisation of the embryonic genome post-fertilisation. We identified a hierarchical structure of preimplantation gene network modules around the time of embryonic genome activation (EGA). Using network models along with eukaryotic initiation factor (EIF) and epigenetic-associated gene expression we defined two sets of blastomeres that exhibited diverging tendencies towards ICM or TE. Analysis of the developmental networks demonstrated stage specific EIF expression and revealed that histone modifications may be an important epigenetic regulatory mechanism in preimplantation human embryos. Comparison to published RNAseq data confirmed that during EGA the individual 8-cell blastomeres are transcriptionally primed for the first lineage decision in development towards ICM or TE. Using multiple systems biology approaches to compare developmental stages in the early human embryo with single cell transcript data from blastomeres, we have shown that blastomeres considered to be totipotent are not transcriptionally equivalent. Furthermore we have linked the developmental interactome to individual blastomeres and to later cell lineage. This has clinical implications for understanding the impact of fertility treatments and developmental programming of long term health.