Course Director: Dr. Haviva Goldman

• Introduction
• Goals
• Eligibility
• Medical Microanatomy Course Description
• Syllabus

Introduction

We have developed a web-based summer remediation course for medical students who have received a failing grade during their initial course in Medical Microanatomy.

Students take the course online while remaining at their own institution.

The course consists of materials from the Microanatomy course at Drexel University College of Medicine (see syllabus below) and is presented in a fashion that allows the students to progress at their own rate within established limits.

Some modular options will be available for remediation involving multidisciplinary integrated courses. Please contact us for pricing and availability.

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Goals

• To review the structure of cells, tissues and organs at the microscopic level, with an emphasis on clinical relevance.
• To demonstrate the principle that structure reflects function, and to introduce the idea that derangements in function (pathologies) often result from or cause changes in structure.
• To serve as a bridge that conceptually connects the molecular events learned in Biochemistry and Physiology to the macroscopic structures studied in Gross Anatomy.
• To provide the background necessary for success in the study of pathology.
• To certify by means of written and practical exams that, upon successful completion of this course, the student has demonstrated an acceptable level of competency in the subject matter.

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Eligibility

• The course is open only to students registered in an accredited U.S. medical or dental school, or equivalent.
• Students must provide written approval from their administrator (usually the dean of students) in order to take the course.
• Students must also supply written assurance from their administrator that a proctor will be supplied to administer the midterm and final exams.
• Prerequisite: Completion of a first-year medical school curriculum that included Microanatomy (Cell Biology and Histology).

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Medical Microanatomy Course Description

• Course name: Summer Remediation Course in Medical Microanatomy
• Offered by the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy at Drexel University College of Medicine.
• Tuition fee: $2,200 (please contact us for pricing and availability for remediation involving integrated multidisciplinary modules).
• The course material is available from June 10 until July 12 with a midterm exam on June 24, and a final exam on Friday, July 12, 2024.

The course includes:

• Approximately 57 lecture hours presented as streaming video.
• Lecture notes that can be downloaded or viewed simultaneously with the streaming video.
• A virtual microscopy lab experience based on annotated digitized glass slides.
• A lab manual that can be downloaded or viewed simultaneously with the slides.
• Section exams that will not count toward the final grade but will provide feedback to the students as they progress through the course, and also serve as practice for the midterm and final exams.
• A medical school faculty member available for questions and answers via telephone or email.

The course is divided into seven sections (see detailed syllabus below):

1. Introduction to Microscopy & Cell Biology
2. Epithelium, Connective Tissue & Skin
3. Muscle & Nerve, Cartilage & Bone
4. Respiratory and Endocrine Systems
5. Blood, Cardiovascular System & Lymphoid Organs
6. Digestive System
7. Urinary System, and Male & Female Reproductive Systems

Midterm and Final Exams:

• There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. These are the ONLY exams that will count toward the final course grade.
• The midterm will be on June 24, 2024, and will cover the material from Sections 1-3 and contribute 45% of the course grade. This exam has 50 questions and lasts for 70 minutes (1.4 minutes per question)
• The final exam will be on July 12, 2024, and will cover only the material from Sections 4-7 and contribute to 55% of the course grade. This exam has 75 questions and lasts 105 minutes (1.4 minutes per question)
• All questions are in a multiple choice format, and approximately half will include images.
• Both the midterm and final exams will be administered online using the Respondus Lockdown browser and Respondus Video Monitoring for proctoring.

Section Exams:

• At the end of each section there will be a section exam. These will help students assess their understanding of the material from that one section but WILL NOT count toward the final grade.
• Each section exam is taken through Blackboard LMS and requires a computer with the Respondus Lockdown browser installed.
• Each section exam is composed of 50 questions and lasts for 70 minutes.
• Passing a section exam will allow the student to start the next section. If a student fails to obtain a grade of 70% or more in a section exam, they must retake the exam the following day. A second failure on a section exam will not affect the course grade or prevent the student from moving on to the next section, but it will be reported to the student's home institution along with the final course grade.

Evaluation:

• A feedback questionnaire will be requested from each enrolled student to evaluate the course resources (lecture notes, streaming video lectures, lecturers, virtual microscopy resource, exams, help provided by the course directors, overall quality of the course, areas for improvement, etc.)
• Success on the final exam will indicate that the student has reached a level of proficiency in Medical Microanatomy, similar to that of other medical students in this institution.
• Since the material taught and the tests used in this course are equivalent to those used in our regular Microanatomy course, we expect that students passing this summer remediation course in Medical Microanatomy will be well-prepared to continue their medical education.

Administration:

• The course is packaged and administered using the Blackboard LMS.
• The course is offered through the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, and all administrative tasks related to the course will be handled by the course director.
• Final grades will be sent to the student's dean for confirmation of course completion as well as to the student.

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Medical Microanatomy Course Syllabus

All lectures are approximately 50-60 minutes long unless otherwise indicated. Labs are to be completed online by virtual microscopy, using annotated digitized glass slides and the online lab manual.

Sections 1, 2 and 3 must be completed between June 10 and June 23, 2024.

Section 1 (Introduction to Microscopy & Cell Biology):

Section 2 (Epithelium, Connective Tissue & Skin):

Section 3 (Muscle & Nerve, Cartilage & Bone):

 
Sections 4, 5, 6 and 7 must be completed between June 24 and July 11, 2024.

Section 4 (Endocrine Organs and Respiratory System):

Section 5 (Blood, Cardiovascular System, & Lymphoid Organs):

Section 6 (Digestive System):

Section 7 (Urinary System, and Male & Female Reproductive Systems):

 
Final exam is on July 12, 2024, and covers Sections 4, 5, 6 and 7.

 
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