Introduction:

Medical Schools sought feasible ways to introduce improvements in the teaching-learning process, specifically in remote teaching, during the period of social distancing enforced by the new Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus pandemic. One of the biggest challenges encountered was the structuring of practical laboratory classes, essential to medical training, in the face of this new reality. The design, development, and installation of a remote automation system, called Weblab, replacing face-to-face practical classes, was presented as a possible alternative for meeting the workload established by the Brazilian Ministry of Education.

Experience report:

this experiment took place in practical Anatomy classes, in the first semesters of 2020 and 2022. In 2020, there was a need to carry out laboratory activities respecting the social distancing rules. A system with hardware and software was developed for students to perform the activities proposed by the teacher. In this system, the student can position a certain anatomical piece remotely, save images with different views and send them to their e-mail, completing the proposed exercises.

Discussion:

the experiment provided indications of increased student motivation to execute laboratory activities remotely, in view of the dynamic teacher-student interaction. The results of the qualitative evaluations carried out by 10 students indicated that students found it easy to use the equipment in the experiment. From the students’ perspective, there was also an indication of improvement in the teaching/learning process. However, statistical indications are needed to demonstrate this improvement with the application of quantitative assessments on the course content in control groups, using a larger population and with and without the use of the Weblab.

Conclusion:

the Weblab Anatomy platform demonstrated that the use of technologies makes it possible to change face-to-face laboratory classes to a remote model, helping to solve the problem of physical distancing, complying with health guidelines to avoid contagion in pandemic periods. Qualitative results show important and positive aspects of this experiment, such as the ease of using the Weblab platform.

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