Teaching context and philosophy

My teaching philosophy centres on a humanistic approach that respects the diversity, achievements, and limitations of every student. I firmly believe in harnessing students' emotional resonance to fuel their curiosity and drive them towards becoming lifelong learners.My teaching remains innovative and dynamic and ever-evolving to adapt and resonate with students, allowing them to positively influence society through their acquired knowledge and skills.

@OrientateWithJoyce is an Instagram initiative that serves as a digital extension of the classroom. It features intricately designed anatomical illustrations and animations aimed at facilitating the understanding of complex anatomical concepts.

Gap: Addressing the challenge of engaging students in the ever-evolving landscape of education and transcending traditional boundaries.

Approach: I leveraged Instagram to create a hub of active learning and knowledge exchange. The platform allows students to actively participate, ask questions, and explore subjects beyond the classroom. I use visual aids to make complex medical concepts accessible (Figure 1).

Outcomes: Improved student engagement, collaborative learning, and a sense of community that extends beyond the physical campus. Recognition from clinicians and collaborative ventures, including contributions to an upcoming textbook. The initiative instils digital etiquette, a crucial skill in today's interconnected world. @OrientateWithJoyce has also attracted the attention of clinicians who appreciate the effectiveness of visual aids in conveying complex medical concepts. This recognition has led to collaborative ventures, such as contributing anatomical illustrations to an upcoming textbook. Through this platform, I not only disseminate research and anatomical knowledge but also serve as a role model for professionalism and effective communication on social media. This instills digital etiquette, a crucial skill in today's interconnected world.

Evidence and Impact: The reverberations of using social media as an extension of the classroom is palpable, as colleagues and students harmonize their voices to express how it not only compliments their learning but orchestrates a transformative shift in their school of thought and engagement with intricate anatomical concepts as evidenced by the following comments and MyExperience scores:

• “I've had the pleasure of collaborating with Joyce on multiple pieces of social media on medical topics, with the purposes of increasing public health literacy. I've also observed Joyce interacting with her students and the wider health and medical community on social media. To say that Joyce is good at what she does is an understatement. On a practical level, Joyce is a talented illustrator of human anatomy and an excellent verbal and written communicator. On a much more real level, Joyce has the ability to inspire her students to want to learn - this is the highest praise I can pay someone working in academia. and as a former student of anatomy, I can attest that this is no easy task. Joyce is professional and personable, smart and down-to-earth, and a joy to work with through and through.” – Dr Maria Li, Principal Medical Advisor of the Health Care Complaints Commission
• “Joyce was an amazing lecturer who always kept the content fun and engaging, even when the content was dense. She brought a great energy to all her lessons and always taught us the content expertly. Her commitment to teaching even outside of the classroom (through her Instagram posts) was really appreciated and helped us all learn a little more.” - myExperience feedback, ANAT3121, 2023.

The international impact of my work is evident through my presentation at the International Federation of Association of Anatomists, titled "Anatomy through Visual-Rich Social Media: Experiences, Lessons, and Opportunities." (2). This presentation showcased the transformative potential of visual-rich social media in education and resonated with anatomists from around the world. Furthermore, my innovations have been recognized at the national level as well. I was invited to present on this ground-breaking initiative at the UTS Educational Media Community of Practice Cross-Institutional Event, adding to the national discourse on innovative teaching methods.

My contributions extend beyond Instagram as I actively provide medical illustrations to Radiopaedia, reaching national and international audiences and emphasizing the widespread impact of my educational efforts.

Figure 1: Examples of Joyce’s illustrations and the ways in which I use them to break down complex concepts. To the left is a diagram aimed at patients and what to except during a Cervical Screening Test; in the middle, an illustration of the lungs used as a greenscreen with Joyce as the cursor; to the right a schematic done on a whiteboard filmed from the top showing students how to draw the pelvis (a complex bone) in under a minute.

In my role as an anatomy lecturer, I also focus on topics related to the reproductive system and address the discomfort that may arise due to non-inclusive terminology.

Gap: Fostering inclusivity for students who are intersex, transgender, or non-binary in the study of anatomy. Promoting understanding of human variation beyond biological typology.

Approach: I preface discussions on reproductive anatomy with an exploration of the distinctions between sex and gender. This approach enriches the learning experience by fostering inclusivity and a more comprehensive understanding of human diversity.

Outcomes: Improved student satisfaction and engagement. Students appreciate the inclusive approach, and it contributes to the development of responsible medical practitioners and researchers who perceive humanity beyond biological typology. The approach has positively influenced students' ability to comprehend the complexities of human variation. This is evidenced by the following comments:

• “Student engagement, creative lectures, informative and creative displays of the course content, relatability, open–minded. Most importantly I loved her inclusion in discussing the reproductive system, it is very important to have a conversation about the difference between gender and sex, intersex individuals and alternative bodies when people who could possibly be healthcare providers are beginning their studies. I thought her approach to this course was the gold standard” - myExperience feedback, ANAT2241, 2022.
• “ Joyce is an INCREDIBLE teacher and deserves every bit of the plaudits she gets. She is wonderful at creating a welcoming, supportive, encouraging and exciting learning environment and community. She has an excellent way of engaging the class and explaining difficult concepts clearly…Most importantly, I really respect and enjoy how up to date Joyce is with topical socio–political issues around medicine and the medical community which I feel makes us students better individuals and better clinicians. Any student is lucky to have her as a teacher.” – myExperience feedback, ANAT2241, 2022.