Labs that require dissection

General Tips

Many programs have moved away from hands-on animal dissection in recent years, relying instead on virtual dissection simulations and other alternatives. Here are some considerations if you would prefer to use virtual dissection tools, or if you already use these in your residential classroom and need to transfer that experience online:

• Clearly outline the value of virtual dissection as opposed to hands-on options. While some students find the dissection process to be an enriching experience, research suggests that there is no significant difference in students’ short-term memory gains between traditional dissection and those achieved through other laboratory modalities. Explain this to students in a recorded video or text page prior to the lab.

• Utilize existing resources and tools. Various curated collections of dissection alternatives exist on the web. These range from videos of expert dissections, interactive “virtual dissection” tools, and smartphone apps. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute provides a comprehensive list of alternatives to dissection here.

• Encourage inquiry-based experimentation. Within virtual labs, any mistakes can be undone with a keystroke, and students can explore multiple views, development stages, and layers with more precision and less set-up than in a traditional dissection. Leverage this by adding opportunities for students to experiment with the tool and explore in a more self-directed way than might be possible in a hands-on dissection lab.

• If you use virtual dissection tools residentially, determine how students will access them from home. If they normally perform labs in a campus computer lab using limited license software, is there an individual user license available? Can web-based access be provided using their university credentials? If not, consider switching to an open-access tool. If that is not an option, consider recording a demo where you perform the virtual dissection instead.

Course Template

Jump-start your design process using the tailored course template below.