ABSTRACT
Introduction: It is still a challenge that the dissecting room has a place in learning gross anatomy. Understanding the students’ preference of learning tools is important to devise alternative teaching aids for improvement in learning anatomy. This study was conducted to assess student’s preference of learning tools available in the anatomy laboratory of an integrated curriculum.Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was carried out for 4 weeks among 741 medical and dental students of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), University Sabah Malaysia (UMS) and University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). Pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administrated questionnaires including open-ended questions were distributed. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 17.Results: Most of the participants were Malays (86%) and female (67%). The students from IIUM, UiTM, UMS and UNIMAS preferred the plastic model in terms of handability and application in examination (OSPE). It was statistically significant (p<0.05). In terms of understanding and information, the students of IIUM, UiTM and UMS preferred the plastic model while UNIMAS students preferred the prosected wet specimen over the plastic models. In terms of overall preference, students of IIUM and UiTM preferred the plastic model (85.8% and 44.1% respectively). In UNIMAS, their preference for the prosected wet specimen (90.7%) was slightly higher than for the plastic model (87.8%). UMS students preferred both cadaver (51.9%) and plastic model (50%). Conclusion: Most of the students preferred the plastic model as the best learning tool in studying gross anatomy. This study suggests that plastic model may hold a role in enhancing students’ learning of gross anatomy in an integrated curriculum.