Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the anatomy of the human body.
2. Explain how structure governs function in the human body.
3. Describe how systems work together in normal function.
4. Discuss how anatomy can contribute to dysfunction or pathology.
5. Use anatomical terminology when discussing the human body.
6. Describe key transformative features occurring in the human body throughout the lifespan.
7. Apply anatomical knowledge to reason through clinical scenarios.

Organization of the Course

Our anatomy course is designed to include four (4) units (chunks).  Each unit consists of 9 modules.  There are two ways to navigate the course.  You can use the home page and click on each lecture or you can use the modules to ensure you are completing the requirements.

• Unit 1: Introduction to Anatomy: This unit lays the foundation for the information you will be learning in the following units. It will answer introductory questions such as, “What is a muscle?” and “What is a nerve?” as well as structures and systems that span or related to all body regions, such as the lymphatic system, blood vessels, and the spinal cord.
• Unit 2: Thorax, Abdomen, & Pelvis: This unit covers structures and systems located in the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis. Many of these systems work together to maintain balance (homeostasis) and health in the body. They are located in close proximity to each other, and as a result, clinicians must be able to understand the relationships between these structures and systems when evaluating patients. For example, if a patient has pain in a specific region of the abdomen, a clinician will need to know what structures are located in that region.
• Unit 3: Head & Neck: This unit will cover structures located in the head and neck, including the structures serving our special senses, muscles of the head and neck, the brain, the skull, and more. Much of this unit will revolve around the cranial nerves, as they play an integral role in all aspects of the head and neck.
• Unit 4: The Extremities: This unit will cover the bones, joints, nerves, muscles, and blood supply of the upper and lower extremities. As in the other units, we will use clinical cases to apply your knowledge of these structures.

Each Module will have an assignment worth 30 points. Each assignment is due before the lecture for which it is assigned. The due dates are strictly enforced, and we do not give extensions for missed assignments. See the Assignment Schedule on the Canvas Home page for the assignment due dates and the Assignments page of Canvas for more information on the assignments. There are also four Clinical Reasoning Discussion assignments that involve an original discussion post regarding a clinical case and responses to other students’ posts. The due dates can be found on the Assignment Calendar, and more information about these assignments can be found on Canvas.

There will be a Unit Exam for each of these four units. Questions on the exam will reflect the content presented in the course: the more time that is spent on a topic (more videos, activities, reading, etc.), the more questions you will have on that content. There will also be an optional final exam for each unit, and you have the opportunity to take up to TWO unit optional finals. The optional final for each unit will be similar to the original unit exam, except there will be 25 questions instead of 60 questions. If a student scores higher on the optional final exam than the original unit exam, the final exam score will replace the original exam score. If the original exam score is higher than the final exam score, the student will keep the original exam score (the final exam cannot hurt your grade). Think of this as a second chance to improve on up to TWO of the unit exams. More information on the exam format can be found on the Exams page of the Canvas site.

Email Policy

While we are very willing to answer your questions, email can become a burden in a class of this size. Please do not email Professor Stamm, Professor Walsh, or the TAs with specific questions about the course content. Instead, we have several opportunities for you to ask questions throughout the course:

• Online Discussion Forum: Students can ask questions in the Discussion Forum. Each module has a discussion page specific to that module, and it is linked at the bottom of the “Reading and Assignments” section of the module page. Students can ask questions and respond to other student’s questions. You should also review the questions other students have asked, as you may have the same question.
  • For non-content questions, you can post questions on the discussion forums titled, “The Office.” There will be an “Office” forum for each unit. This is a space for students to “ask your instructor” about course logistics and other non-content-related questions.
  • Before posting to “The Office” or emailing instructors or TAs with logistical questions, exam conflicts, homework questions, or other issues, please check the course Canvas site. We have gone to great lengths to make this site easy to navigate and include information covering commonly-asked questions. Most if not all of the questions you may have can be answered by information already posted on the Canvas site.
• Review Sessions: The TAs will host several weekly optional review sessions. They will review selected content, and answer student questions. For more information, see the Review Sessions page of the Canvas site.
• Student Hours (Office Hours): We call our office hours “student hours” because they are about you, the student. The professors and TAs will hold weekly student hours, and students who attend can ask questions on any course content or simply listen to the questions that other students have. For more information, see the Student Hours page of the Canvas site.