High-Tech, High-Touch: balancing anatomy’s digital evolution in Biosciences

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 By Dr Ofelia Meza-Escobar

Anatomy education has a long, visceral history. At the University of Sheffield, this journey began in 1828 with Hall Overend’s early dissections, eventually moving through the Sheffield Medical Institute and the establishment of the Medical Teaching Unit. For nearly two centuries, the ‘physical lab’ (defined by manual dissection, distinct textures, and specific smells) was the undisputed home of anatomical study.

However, the 2025-26 academic year marked a major milestone in our history. As we move toward a fully digital anatomy facility by 2026/27 renamed as Anatomy at Sheffield, we have begun navigating a significant shift: the phasing out of traditional dissection in favour of a hybrid, high-tech approach.


Our current landscape

Our current landscape is a ‘pick-and-mix’ of resources. Alongside traditional plastic models and archaeological bones, we have introduced Anatomage Tables and von Hagens plastinations.

The Anatomage Table essentially functions as a giant iPad for the human body. Its greatest pedagogical strength is reversibility. In a traditional 'wet lab', once a structure is removed, it is gone. On a digital table, students can instantly "undo" a cut or toggle layers of muscle and bone. This allows for rapid-fire 'what if' scenarios that create immediate lightbulb moments, helping students visualise complex spatial relationships between organs much faster than manual exploration often allows.


Plastination represents a vital bridge between the sterile perfection of a screen and the tactile reality of the human body. Originally introduced to Sheffield in the 2025-26 academic year via von Hagens plastinations, these resources allow students to study real human variability without the barriers of a traditional wet lab.

Unlike 2D images or digital models, plastinations offer a three-dimensional, tangible experience that students describe as more clinically authentic. By providing this human element, plastinations prevent the learning process from feeling too abstract, ensuring that the high-tech efficiency of digital tools is always anchored in the physical truth of human anatomy.


The future of Anatomy in Biosciences

Enhancing Interaction: Lt and Anatomage Integration

To further enrich this digital transition, we have purposely integrated the Lt learning platform with our Anatomage Tables for our Level 2 Introduction to Human Anatomy module, part of the Biomedical Science programme in the School of Biosciences. This synergy moves beyond simple observation, allowing students to engage in structured, active learning activities. While the Anatomage Table provides the high-fidelity visualisation, the Lt platform offers:

  • Interactive quizzes: real-time knowledge checks that encourage students to apply what they see on the screen.
  • Structured guided learning: providing a clear pedagogical framework that prevents students from feeling overwhelmed by the vast amount of data available on the digital table.
  • Seamless resource access: creating a unified digital workspace where students can reference clinical imaging (X-rays, CT, and MRI scans) alongside virtual cadavers.

The High-Tech, High-Touch Framework

Despite the initial ‘wow factor’ all students and staff experiment, we’ve learned that screen-based learning has its limits. After about forty minutes of swiping and zooming, students often report digital fatigue. The clinical perfection of a screen can begin to feel sterile and abstract. This is where our hybrid approach is key; high-tech tools are excellent for orientation, but they can lead to a cognitive disconnect if not anchored by something physical.
In anatomy at Biosciences, our strategy for the future is summarised as ‘High-Tech, High-Touch Framework’. We’ve found that the best learning happens in the conversation between digital platforms and physical resources. But the most critical component isn't the hardware, it's the human connection.

Feedback from our students highlights that access to staff is the most valued part of their practicals. Staff members provide:

  • Accountability and challenge: testing and challenging students to reinforce learning.
  • Personalised perspectives: offering multiple ways to understand a single concept.
  • Emotional safety: filling gaps in understanding without judgment, which makes the teaching staff more approachable.

Takeaways for your practice

Whether you teach anatomy or engineering, our transition offers a few universal lessons for Higher Education:
  1. Encourage risk-taking: use tools that allow students to make and undo mistakes to encourage deeper exploration.
  2. Hybridity is key: balance the efficiency of digital platforms with the tangible ‘real-world’ equivalent of your study.
  3. Humanise the digital: technology should support, not replace, the interpersonal interactions that make students feel safe and engaged.
By blending the cutting-edge with the clinically authentic, we are ensuring that while the scalpels may be retired, our teaching remains as sharp as ever.

Dr Ofleia Meza-Escobar is a University Teaching Associate in the School of Biosciences