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Effect of Pre-Dissection Orientation on Students’ Performance During Cadaveric Practical Sessions

Abstract

The study examines the effect of pre-dissection orientation on students’ performance during cadaveric practical sessions among undergraduate students. Pre-dissection orientation provides students with organized information about the objectives, procedures, anatomical structures, safety requirements, specimen handling, and expected activities before entering practical dissection sessions. Adequate orientation may help students approach cadaveric practical work with better preparation and understanding of what to observe and identify. The study will therefore investigate whether pre-dissection orientation can improve students’ performance during cadaveric practical sessions. The specific objectives will include determining students’ baseline performance in cadaveric practical anatomy, assessing their performance following pre-dissection orientation, evaluating their ability to identify anatomical structures and landmarks during dissection, and determining their understanding of anatomical relationships encountered during cadaveric practical sessions. Attention will also be given to students’ ability to follow dissection procedures, handle specimens appropriately, use anatomical terminology, and apply theoretical knowledge during practical activities. A quasi-experimental research design will be adopted for the study. Undergraduate students enrolled in anatomy or related health science programmes will be selected using an appropriate sampling technique and assigned to suitable study groups. The intervention group will receive a structured pre-dissection orientation before cadaveric practical sessions, while the comparison group will participate in the practical sessions without the additional orientation. Data will be collected using standardized practical anatomy assessments involving anatomical identification, landmark recognition, structural relationships, procedural tasks, and relevant oral or written questions. The data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, while appropriate inferential statistical tests will be used to determine differences between the study groups. The study is expected to reveal improved performance among students who receive pre-dissection orientation before cadaveric practical sessions. Students exposed to structured orientation may demonstrate better preparation, more accurate identification of anatomical structures, improved recognition of landmarks, and clearer understanding of relationships between structures during dissection. However, students may continue to experience difficulties when identifying small, deep, closely related, damaged, or unfamiliar structures within cadaveric specimens. The findings will be useful to anatomists, anatomy educators, medical educators, curriculum planners, and other health science educators involved in cadaveric and practical anatomy instruction. The study may provide useful information on the value of structured preparation before dissection and its role in supporting students’ practical learning. It may also contribute to the development of practical teaching strategies that promote effective specimen observation, appropriate handling, active participation, and better application of theoretical anatomical knowledge during cadaveric sessions. The study will conclude by determining the effect of pre-dissection orientation on students’ performance during cadaveric practical sessions. It is recommended that structured pre-dissection orientation be incorporated into cadaveric practical teaching to prepare students for the objectives, procedures, and anatomical structures they are expected to encounter, while further studies involving larger and more diverse student populations should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of different orientation approaches in practical anatomy education.

Keywords: Pre-dissection orientation, cadaveric practical sessions, anatomy education, undergraduate students, cadaveric dissection, practical anatomy, anatomical identification, anatomical structures, anatomical landmarks, dissection procedures, anatomy learning, practical performance, specimen handling, practical assessment, medical education.