The Best Skin Disorder Project to Engage Your Anatomy Students

July 13, 2022

Try a skin disorder project in your anatomy class to bring real-life examples to the integumentary system unit. I do this every year and love how students get super involved and learn so much. They are engaged and intrigued which is the best combination.

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Skin Disorder Project

The integumentary system can be a boring unit unless real-life examples are brought into the curriculum. I like doing a skin disorder project to not only infuse real-world applications but also hone in on students’ research and presentation skills. Students are given a list of skin disorder names to choose from and they must do their research and presentation on that skin disorder. I make this an individual assignment since there are so many disorders. Once they have their disorder, they will begin their research.

Skin Disorders Description

In class, I will give students two half days to work on researching their disorders. I am able to answer questions they have and clear up any misconceptions during those in-class work sessions. After those two days, I give them additional time depending on how far along they got in their research. Typically I will give them 3-5 more days out of class to finish their research and put together their presentations. Students have a rubric of items that must be in their presentation. I ask that they double-check that they have all requirements as well as have a friend check their project too. This definitely helps with grading because a lot of mistakes are caught before they get to me. The project requirements include a description, the symptoms, the duration, statistics, etc. I also include any famous people that may possibly have the disorder. They always find this the most interesting.

Skin Disorder Names

As far as the presentations are concerned, I have them make a PowerPoint or a google slides presentation. In the past, I have had students ask to make posters as well, which is fine. I ask that students submit their presentations to me via email on the due date so that I can preview them and grade the information portion prior to presentations. I have several half days of presentations too because it spreads them out and breaks them up. They will sign up for a day to present to the class. If they are absent for their presentation, they can make it up or I will deduct points for the presentation.

Overall, this is a perfect way for students to learn about disorders and how they relate to the integumentary system. It reinforces research methods and presentation skills. This skin disorder project also allows them to understand how the skin works and what happens when it malfunctions.

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