LQB670 Anatomical Dissection

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

The ability to navigate the human body and its composite tissues is strengthened through the dissection of human donor bodies. This unit focuses on developing anatomical dissection skills at the Medical Engineering Research Facility at Prince Charles Hospital campus on whole human donor bodies. In teams, through the synthesis of an anatomical prosection for teaching purposes your skills in communication, self-management, judgement and interpersonal relationships will be tested. The semester will conclude with an Anatomical Showcase, where peers and academics are invited to view your designs and critically evaluate your technical and communicative skills. This advanced unit forms the capstone for Study Area A Anatomical Sciences in the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences and provides ideal skills for those considering research careers utilising animal models and graduate destinations in Medicine and Allied Health.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Use the process of dissection and computed tomography image interpretation to investigate and critically analyse clinical relationships between anatomical structure and pathology.
2. Apply teamwork, project management, critical judgement, technical competence and entrepreneurial skills to design and implement an anatomical dissection.
3. Apply effective oral communication skills to demonstrate advanced understanding of anatomical concepts to a variety of audiences.
4. Interrogate the literature to form an evidence-based opinion on the phenotypic range of anatomical variation within a population and hypothesise probable causes.
5. Create and deliver an authentic inquiry-based anatomy lesson by effectively applying student-centred educational theory.

Content

Learning Approaches

You will be exposed to a variety of learning contexts including workshops and practical sessions. The academic team will introduce you to techniques in anatomical dissection and prosection, explore anatomical variants and discuss ethical considerations in the use of human donor material. The practical classes are held at the Medical Engineering Research Facility (MERF) at Prince Charles Hospital campus in West Chermside. You will need to organise your own transport to and from MERF. In the first part of the semester you will perform a whole donor dissection in a team of your peers to develop the necessary technical skills and confidence to design and complete an anatomical teaching specimen (prosection) suitable for undergraduate teaching in the second half of the semester. You will receive specific training on presenting a business case to pitch your creative prosection idea from members of the QUT Foundry and then work towards planning how you will turn your idea into action to produce a resourceful prosection for the benefit of future anatomy student learning. In order to complete the prosection project and submit by the deadline, you will need to demonstrate effective project management, problem-solving and teamwork skills. The workshops are held at Gardens Point and allow an opportunity to observe demonstrations from senior anatomy academics on dissection techniques and attempt these techniques on donor material to refine your practice. You will also receive guidance and team feedback on assessment tasks and progress in the workshops throughout the semester to prepare for each assessment and reflect on your performance.

As a capstone unit in the Anatomical Sciences major, you will be invited to participate in career discussions and planning, with workshops and events led by guest academics and industry experts.

The semester concludes with the Anatomical Showcase, where senior staff and academics from the Faculty of Health are invited to exhibit your completed prosections. This is a celebratory event to share your achievements with the QUT community and apply effective communication skills to discuss the anatomy and pathology presented in your prosection in a professional forum. This is followed by your final assessment, the prosection demonstration where you will demonstrate how your prosection should be used in the undergraduate teaching laboratory by teaching a group of junior anatomy students from QUT an anatomical concept using your prosection.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback will be provided to all students on their design proposal for the prosection early in the semester, allowing sufficient time for student reflection and reconsideration of prosection if necessary. You will have the opportunity to submit your draft prosection report for peer review to strengthen your anatomical description of your prosection before the final deadline for this first assessment task. Technical feedback and coaching will be provided at all dissection sessions at MERF and during technical skill workshops at Gardens Point. Individual feedback will be available on your lesson plans in preparation for the prosection demonstration at the Anatomical Showcase.

You will be required to reflect on your own and your team members planning and execution of your prosection design weekly, and provide constructive feedback to your team member to improve the outcomes of your final prosection.

Assessment

Overview

The assessment in this unit takes the form of a large authenitc project task in which progress is assessed through staged assessment pieces through the semester. In assessment item 1, you will work in a team of two to design and create a prosection for undergraduate anatomy teaching. In assessment item 2, you will work individually to critically investigate the anatomical variation and pathology present in the donor body and write a donor case study report that demonstrates your advanced understanding of anatomy. At the end of semester you will demonstrate how the prosection you created should be used for anatomy teaching by designing and implementing an anatomy lesson plan where you will teach an anatomical concept to a group of junior anatomy students at the Anatomical Showcase.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Prosection

In your prosection team, you will present a professional plan of your proposed prosection. This will include (i) a written report of the implementation plan of the design (dissection steps), a proposed timeline and description of how each team-member will contribute to the implementation of the design; as well as (ii) presenting your business case of the rationale for the relevance of your chosen design as an appropriate teaching specimen using a persuasive pitch to a panel of academics and technical staff (20%). Your prosection team should convince the expert panel that you are the best team to undertake the prosection and you have the best idea to benefit future student learning.

You will then be assessed on your ability to apply entrepreneurial skills to technically prepare your proposed prosection within the set time period (20%). Your final prosection will be used in the teaching of anatomy in the undergraduate anatomy teaching laboratory at Gardens Point in future semesters.

Assessment: Donor Case Study

You will investigate and document the phenotypic expression of a range of anatomical variation throughout your donor body and research the population frequency of each phenotype. From this list you will then select one organ to write an anatomical variation case report suitable for publication in the Open Educational Resource (OER) titled Anatomical Variation: An Australian and New Zealand Context. This report will describe the anatomical appearance of the organ in the donor and compare to other phenotypes documented in primary literature. The clinical impact and possible causes of anatomical variation in this organ structure will also be explored. This OER will be made available to anatomy students across Australia and New Zealand to improve their understanding of anatomical variation.

Your case study will also include a detailed investigation of the major pathology visible in your donor body through macroscopic and computed tomography interpretation, to document the anatomical appearance of this pathology and estimate the cause of death of the donor.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Teaching Demonstration

You will develop a teaching lesson plan on an anatomical concept using your prosection to present your prosection to junior anatomy students at the Anatomical Showcase. In the role of an anatomy demonstrator you will explain the demonstrable anatomy on your prosection, and encourage student interaction with the prosection using a learner-centred engagement strategy.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

You will need to bring your safety glasses and wear fully enclosed non-slip shoes to each practical class; all other PPE and surgical instruments will be provided by QUT.

Costs

Cost of safety protection glasses are the students responsibility.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Rohen JW, Yokochi C, Lutjen-Drecoll E. Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body. 7th edition*:

Risk Assessment Statement

This unit includes a laboratory component. In order that you become proficient in necessary practical skills, you will be trained in the handling of equipment, materials and specimens normally associated with this discipline. You are required to view a Health & Safety Induction video and complete an online health and safety quiz prior to being permitted into the laboratory, to access please follow this link Health & Safety Induction. A passing score of 10/10 is required and will be checked prior to entry to the first laboratory session. You may repeat the quiz until this score is achieved. You are also referred to the Faculty of Health's Health & Safety Web Site for further information.

This unit includes a mandatory laboratory component that involves the observation and handling of human donor material, including skeletal material, prosected regional anatomical specimens, and/or potted pathology specimens. As the viewing and handling of human donor material is embedded in the content and assessment of this unit, if you have any personal objections or cultural sensitivities to observing or handling human donor material, you are advised not to enrol in this unit, and choose an appropriate alternative with the advice of your course coordinator.

You will be required to review a series of online induction resources and material specific to this unit including the General Gardens Point Laboratory Practice and Cadaver Preparedness online resources, and successfully complete an online quiz associated with each of these inductions, before being allowed access to the laboratory. You are required to adhere to the safety requirements outlined in this material, and exhibit professional and ethical conduct at all times when accessing human donor material. Check your Canvas site for information on how to access the induction material and quizzes, and complete the student declaration of compliance.

If you have an underlying health condition or have any concerns in viewing and/or handling human donor material you are encouraged to consult the unit coordinator, as you may be required to take additional precautions on occasions or be offered alternative learning experiences.

Course Learning Outcomes

LS40 Bachelor of Biomedical Science

1. Critically review, analyse and synthesise foundational knowledge in a broad range of biomedical discipline areas and in depth theoretical, technical and practical knowledge in specialised discipline areas.
   Relates to: Prosection, Donor Case Study, Teaching Demonstration
2. Demonstrate the technical skills required to solve multi-disciplinary problems in biomedical research, industry and clinical settings and do so in an ethical, safe and responsible manner.
   Relates to: Prosection
3. Demonstrate the cognitive skills required to find solutions to scientific problems.
   Relates to: Prosection, Donor Case Study
4. Contribute effectively to biomedical projects, either as an individual or as a member of a team, by demonstrating professional behaviour and participating in continuous learning.
   Relates to: Prosection, Teaching Demonstration
5. Apply knowledge and skills to rapidly source, critically analyse and communicate biomedical science information using appropriate technologies.
   Relates to: Prosection, Donor Case Study, Teaching Demonstration