Development and Evaluation of a Methodology for Teaching Human Embryology

Traditional human embryology courses are demanding in that they require students to rapidly understand the various changes that occur simultaneously on a macro and on a microscopic scale in embryos. Students have difficulty in grasping the concepts presented and in creating three-dimensional mental images of the processes invblved. Knowledge of normal and abnormal human development is important for understanding the pathophysiology, clinical treatment and surgical repair of malformations. In this study, we developed a teaching methodology to illustrate and enhance the comprehension of normal human embryology and of birth defects. The strategy involved movies of the assisted reproduction techniques, congenital malformations correction surgeries, the Flash MX (Macromedia) animation development and the macro- and microscopical digital documentation of embryos, fetuses and neonates following autopsy. Newborn babies were also photographed in a nursery. The ultrasound and macro- and microscopic images were carefully described, computer edited, catalogued and organized into a digital image database. The autopsy findings, clinical history and other relevant data were aiso stored in the database. These teaching tools were used in the Human Morpho-Physiology course of the medical curriculum at State University of Campinas. The embryology lectures were divided into two parts. During the first part, the development of the body's structures was explained, while in the second, images of selected autopsies were shown to the students, who were also encouraged to find and discuss the malformations and their clinical history, diagnosis and therapeutics. The teaching materiais were also organized on an educational software used by the students as a complement to the lectures. At the end of the course, research methodology was used aiming at evaluating the developed teaching material and method via an attitudinal measuring scale instrument. Most of the students approved of the method and emphasized the importance of integration between basic and clinical disciplines. This approach proved useful for solving an important difficulty associated with teaching methods in many medical institutions, namely, the lack of integration between basic and clinical disciplines