Michigan Medicine Faculty Discuss Improving Online Courses, Leveling the Playing Field, and the Value of Donor Models

Exploring and mastering the systems of the body can be daunting for learners of any experience level. The instructors of the newly updated “Anatomy” course series wanted to ease the entry for beginning students while also providing a useful resource that learners can return to throughout their studies.

Michigan Medicine teaching professors B. Kathleen Alsup, Glenn M. Fox, and Kelli A. Sullivan significantly updated their original “Anatomy” online course series to enhance the learning experience. The new content features more details, clearer and better-organized content, and interactive photogrammetric scans of actual models and donor dissections.

The trio started by adding relevant definitions and descriptions to the beginning of each course, creating a consistent entry point for every learner. The use of 3D photogrammetric scans sets this course series apart, giving learners a realistic view of the body, while 3D interaction allows for exploring anatomy in a way that closely mimics an in-person lab experience. They also redesigned each course in the series so it can be taken as a stand-alone element, allowing learners to select lessons on specific systems or regions.

Alsup, Fox, and Sullivan share insight into their motivations behind the updates, their goals for the new material, and what excites them, both in and out of the classroom.

What inspired this major iteration of the “Anatomy” course series, and what are the biggest changes from the original?

Alsup: While human anatomy itself doesn’t change much, how we teach it can — and should — continue to evolve. This major iteration was inspired by the opportunity to reassess the original series and improve clarity, depth, and learner experience.

The biggest changes include adding more detail throughout the course, improving the organization and terminology in the pelvic anatomy content, and, most importantly, incorporating photogrammetric scans in teaching. These scans enhance the three-dimensional experience and help learners better understand the spatial relationships and placement of anatomical structures.

B. Kathleen Alsup

How does this series compare to anatomy classes taught on campus at the University of Michigan, and how will this curriculum translate to online learners?

Sullivan: We teach the only human anatomy courses on the Ann Arbor campus. Our goal with the online anatomy course is to introduce the discipline, hopefully early in a student’s career. Taking this course gives them the background concepts and terminology to succeed in our advanced, in-person courses. Anatomy may be overwhelming; the language and the large number of structures to learn are a considerable cognitive load. We hope that bringing students along at their own pace and providing the best imagery possible supports their learning and gives them the confidence to move forward.

Kelli A. Sullivan

All four courses now start with a focus on foundational terminology. Why was establishing this common starting point so important for the learning experience?

Fox: Anatomy has its own language, and learners must feel comfortable with that language before they can learn effectively. Terms describing position, direction, movement, and relationships provide a common framework for everything that follows. Without that foundation, even a relatively simple anatomical explanation can feel much more complicated.

Introducing core terminology at the beginning of each course creates a more inclusive starting point. Some learners arrive with extensive science backgrounds, while others may be encountering anatomy for the first time. Establishing a shared vocabulary helps level the playing field and allows everyone to move forward with greater confidence. Once learners understand the language, they can spend less energy decoding the words and more energy visualizing structures, recognizing patterns, and understanding foundational and more complex anatomical concepts.

Instead of relying on generic drawings or stylized animation, this series showcases 3D digital assets created from actual donor models. How does interacting with real donor models change how learners visualize human anatomy?

Fox: Illustrations are incredibly valuable, especially for initial learning experiences in anatomy, but they often present anatomy as cleaner, more symmetrical, and more predictable than it really is. Virtual reality models created from anatomical donors allow learners to see the body as it truly exists, including its complexity, depth, spatial relationships, and natural variation.

The ability to explore anatomy through rotating a model and examining it from different perspectives is especially powerful. Anatomy is three-dimensional, but students are often asked to learn it from two-dimensional pages or screens. These models allow learners to explore structures in a way that more closely resembles working with a donor in the laboratory.

There is also something meaningful about knowing that the model came from a real person. It reminds learners that anatomy is not simply a collection of structures to memorize. It is the study of the human body and its intricacies, made possible through the extraordinary generosity of donors and their families.

Glenn M. Fox

Learners have the option to take individual courses, such as “Human Neuroanatomy” or “Musculoskeletal Anatomy,” or the full series. Why did you structure the courses to be stand-alone while also fitting into a cohesive series?

Alsup: We structured the courses this way because we know learners come to anatomy with different goals. Some want or need a comprehensive review of human anatomy, while others are looking for focused study in a specific area, such as the musculoskeletal system or neuroanatomy.

By making each course stand-alone, learners can take only what is most relevant to them without feeling like they are missing essential context. At the same time, the courses are designed to fit together seamlessly, so those who complete all four get a cohesive, comprehensive anatomy learning experience.

If you had to pick one anatomical structure in the human body that you think is completely underrated, what would it be and why?

Alsup: This is a great question, and honestly, almost any anatomical structure could qualify — there is so much variation and complexity in the human body. It is hard for me to pick just one, so I will hedge a little and name a couple.

Bones are my all-time favorite anatomical structures. They are so much more than the dry, static objects we often picture as Halloween decorations that are just there to support other structures. Bones are dynamic living tissues that change throughout life, respond to stress, store minerals, and even produce bone cells. Plus, they come in so many shapes and sizes — they are just amazing.

I also think arteries are fascinating and underrated, especially since some of them are so visually striking. A great example is the splenic artery, which supplies the spleen, pancreas, and parts of the stomach. It is famously tortuous, meaning it twists and winds like an old telephone cord. It is one of the most unique-looking structures in the body.

When you aren’t teaching or dissecting human anatomy, what is a favorite hobby or passion project that you’re pursuing?

Fox: One of my favorite escapes from anatomy is rockhounding, particularly along the shores of the Great Lakes near where I live. I enjoy searching for agates, fossils, unusual minerals, and other pieces of geological history. There is something incredibly satisfying about picking up an ordinary-looking stone and discovering that it contains a pattern or story that began hundreds of millions of years ago.

It is probably not a complete departure from anatomy. Both anatomy and geology involve looking closely, recognizing patterns, reconstructing history, and trying to understand how complex structures developed. I also enjoy photographing what I find, which gives me another reason to slow down and appreciate details that are easy to overlook. It is part science, part treasure hunt, and a very good excuse to spend time outdoors.

What was an initial “aha!” moment during your time as a student that made you fall in love with human anatomy?

Sullivan: In my senior year at Illinois College, I had the most amazing professor. Dr. Elaine Chapman taught histology and cell biology and regaled us with stories of her graduate research project and experiences. These stories helped me realize that there was an outlet for my curiosity and a path toward a career in anatomy. As a graduate student, we were expected to master all four anatomical disciplines: gross and neuroanatomy, histology, and embryology. Understanding that every living organism is incredibly complex and that we still know so very little will keep me in science for the rest of my life. Having the opportunity to share what I have learned so far with undergraduate and graduate students is a joy. I hope that I can be someone else’s Dr. Chapman.