E-learning and developmental osteology: a test of suitability

Advances in technologies such as the Internet have shown a rapid increase of courses offering online supplements or being taught entirely online. The development of the skeleton has not as yet been approached as a subject taught online. The University of Dundee considerable expertise in this area, and houses the only known active repository of juvenile skeletal remains, and consequently it was proposed that this subject area should be assessed for its suitability for online teaching. A test module was created on the development of the "hip" bone in which 145 students and staff from the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification were enrolled. These participants were tested on the content of the module prior to access, and these results were compared to those received following completion of the module to highlight any improvements. In addition to this, evaluations were taken throughout the completion of the module in order to gain participants opinion of the module and its suitability for teaching. Overall, results demonstrated understanding as scores improved following completion of the online module. Evaluations were largely positive with a number of suggestions for improvement. Although participants found the module a useful revision tool, it was not supported as an alternative to traditional face-to-face teaching. Further developments to the test module should be made in order to produce a more interactive learning experience which would be suitable for teaching. Following the tentative success of the test module, the remaining skeleton could be addressed in the future. Further expansion into other areas of forensic anthropology could also be considered which has the potential to expand further into the vast subject of forensic science.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Master of Science

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Master's Thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Dundee

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Tyldesley, Katie

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Black, Sue

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/3ad366b5-68eb-4c0d-9eba-467d13d93c39

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/3ad366b5-68eb-4c0d-9eba-467d13d93c39