Design, implementation, and reflections on a two-week virtual visual arts and medicine course for third- and fourth-year medical students

• Main Authors: Howell, J.D (Author), Ike, J.D (Author), Kim, S. (Author), Waidyaratne, G.R (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central Ltd 2022
• Subjects: adult; article; curriculum; Curriculum evaluation; human; learning; medical education; medical humanities; Medical humanities; medical student; painting; pedagogics; Pedagogy; spring; Undergraduate medical education; Virtual learning; Visual arts
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Background: Medical humanities courses that incorporate the visual arts traditionally require in-person instruction and visits to museums. The COVID-19 pandemic afforded medical educators a unique opportunity to implement and evaluate virtual visual arts programming. Methods: A two-week, 7-module visual arts and medicine elective course for third and fourth-year medical students was conducted virtually in the Spring of 2021. The course included traditional didactic components as well as a range of hands-on creative art activities including painting, graphic medicine, photovoice, and Kintsugi (Japanese craft). Digital tools including Canvas, Google Jamboard, and Zoom facilitated student engagement. Student feedback was collected through anonymous post-course surveys. Results: We successfully conducted a virtual visual arts and medicine elective which integrated hands-on creative art activities. Most students “strongly agreed” that remote instruction was sufficient to meet course objectives. However, all students also “agreed” that in-person instruction may promote more in-depth engagement with the visual arts. The hands-on creative art activities were appreciated by all students. Conclusion: Visual arts-based medical humanities courses can be delivered virtually and can include hands-on creative art activities such as painting. Future visual arts and medicine courses may benefit from incorporating a range of pedagogical methodologies, digital tools, control groups, and pre−/post-course assessments. © 2022, The Author(s).