What Makes Anatomy and Physiology Difficult: An Investigation of Student Perceptions

Presentation given at the annual GSU SoTL Expo, Statesboro, GA.

The session will present the results of a research project that investigated allied health students’ perceptions on what makes the introductory Human Anatomy and Physiology (HAP) class difficult. A survey was administered to approximately 400 students to examine students’ perception about the nature of the subject, the way it is taught and what students bring to learning the subject. Students returned 279 surveys (70% return rate). Students in parts 2 of HAP course found the class more difficult than students in part 1 of HAP. Students reported that discipline and student factors were more important in making HAP harder than teaching factors. However, the more difficult students perceived HAP to be, the more they attributed that difficulty to teaching factors, as well as student factors.