Discussion
Figure 7 . Percentages of responses on closed-ended questions on the feedback questionnaire .
Discussion
Anatomy remains a cornerstone in the medical and health science education ( Hu et al ., 2018 ; Jeyakumar et al ., 2020 ). New and novel teaching tools are constantly being developed and evaluated to ensure an effective learning experience ( Bareither et al ., 2013 ; Diaz and Woolley , 2021 ; Moore et al ., 2011 ; Na et al ., n . d .; Wu et al ., 2018 ). The HVOD method is an emerging teaching tool that has recently been used to support anatomy education ( Branson et al ., 2021 ; Reid et al ., 2019 ; Shapiro et al ., 2020 ). The current study aimed to gather student opinion on how it assisted their learning , how it compared to conventional methods , and what learning values were gained by participating in the workshop .
Based on findings from the reflective essay and feedback questionnaire , participants perceived the HVOD method positively , and felt engaged and interested . The HVOD method required students to observe the hammer and humerus through touch and sight , taking the time to collect sufficient information about these objects . This selfpaced learning method likely influenced students ' acceptance of the HVOD , as students had to draw while focusing on the object to be learned .
The humerus was used as an object to observe , draw and learn about its form during the workshop , and despite it already being covered in lectures and laboratory sessions , the students approached it differently during the HVOD workshop which resulted in a deeper understanding of it . This further supports the notion that multimodal approaches can enhance student engagement and motivate them to learn beyond formal teaching sessions ( Anderton et al ., 2016 ; Kharb and Samanta , 2016 ).
Another interesting finding is the educational value of knowledge gain offered by this method . The qualitative data suggests that the students achieved a higher level of understanding of the observed bone . Students had a higher perception of the humerus because they observed it with two senses . Details inaccessible by vision , can be registered alternatively by touch . This applies specifically to spatial properties that are best appreciated through a multisensory modality ( Kappers and Bergmann Tiest , 2013 ; Klatzky and Lederman , 2011 ). Supporting this are responses indicating newly discovered details on the humerus that students were unaware of “ I never realised how many different grooves / features that are present ”, and others pointing a corrected misconception “ I had the angles of the two inferior condyles when compared to the head of the humerus completely off until I did the HVOD ”. With the use of the EPs , haptic observation becomes an active form of touch that allows students to engage fully with the observed structure “ This lesson made me interact with the humerus as a whole ”. Furthermore , it can