Students participating in anatomy education, specifically an Anatomy and Physiology classroom, have shown difficulty in learning and retaining information on the various systems of the body. This study sought to assess the benefits of different learning activities associated with student engagement and performance on subsequent examinations regarding the integumentary system. For this study, three different hands-on laboratory activities (i.e., treatments) were given during different laboratory sessions. These hands-on activities included labeling a three-dimensional model, illustrating a model, or building a model of the integumentary system using materials provided. Students then completed a post-laboratory questionnaire regarding their enjoyment of their particular laboratory activity, whether they felt engaged during the activity, and their confidence in the learned material. Results from survey responses found that students felt the most confidence in their ability to visualize the integument system after participating in the build a model treatment. These students also indicated the highest levels of enjoyment out of their laboratory activity. Students in the build a model treatment also achieved the highest mean scores on the laboratory practical. These findings indicate that students’ feelings of confidence and enjoyment may correlate with their ability to retain the information presented on the location, identity, and function of parts of the integument system. My results and observations suggest that more hands-on laboratory activities that students find enjoyable may result in higher mean laboratory practical scores in the Human Anatomy and Physiology and other biology laboratories
