An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Incorporating Virtual Cadaver Study on Student Performance in Human Anatomy and Physiology

In an ideal Human Anatomy & Physiology (Human A&P) laboratory, students would use human cadavers for study. However, due to the limited supply of human cadavers and high cost of constructing and maintaining laboratory facilities, many institutions choose to use various animal organs and models to teach human anatomy. Dissections are an irreplaceable tool to help students understand human anatomy because models often have garish colors that allow easy discrimination of structures but do not show the colors and textures associated with real tissue. Additionally, cadavers, organs. and models must remain within the laboratory, so students have limited access. The use of virtual cadaver software is an innovative way to provide students with unlimited access to a more holistic approach to human anatomy, as well as tools to study the structure and function of the human body. While some universities are choosing to completely replace dissections with virtual cadaver software. The University of Mississippi Human Anatomy & Physiology I (BISC 206) course uses virtual dissections to supplement, not substitute, for dissections. Prior to the initiation of this study, it was hypothesized that incorporating virtual cadaver software into Human Anatomy and Physiology courses helps the students study, increases their understanding of the human body, and improves their retention of the material learned both in the classroom and in the laboratory. BISC 206 students are required to use Anatomy & Physiology Revealed® (APR) software during the required laboratory period. In addition, they dissect animal organs and examine models, when plausible. APR provides online access to a layered virtual cadaver dissection as well as quizzes, organ descriptions and functions, and even imaging such as X-rays and CT scans. In the current study, all students in Human A&P I during the fall semester of 2012 were asked to participate. Three surveys were administered during the laboratory sessions, at the beginning, middle. and end of the course. In order to maintain anonymity, the students were asked to qualitatively evaluate how APR affected their interest in Human Anatomy and Physiology and whether virtual cadaver software supplemented with dissection and models, improved their grades in the course. A significant majority of students felt that APR not only improved their grades in the course, but also made the material more interesting and would like to use virtual cadaver software in future courses. Therefore, using virtual cadaver software to supplement laboratory dissections and models assists the students in preparing for test and quiz material in Human A&P I by giving them unlimited access to real human tissue and providing additional learning aids in the form of histology, organ descriptions and functions, quizzes, animations, and imaging

The development, assessment and validation of virtual reality for human anatomy instruction

This research project seeks to meet the objective of science training by developing, assessing, validating and utilizing VR as a human anatomy training medium. Current anatomy instruction is primarily in the form of lectures and usage of textbooks. In ideal situations, anatomic models, computer-based instruction, and cadaver dissection are utilized to augment traditional methods of instruction. At many institutions, lack of financial resources limits anatomy instruction to textbooks and lectures. However, human anatomy is three-dimensional, unlike the one-dimensional depiction found in textbooks and the two-dimensional depiction found on the computer. Virtual reality allows one to step through the computer screen into a 3-D artificial world. The primary objective of this project is to produce a virtual reality application of the abdominopelvic region of a human cadaver that can be taken back to the classroom. The hypothesis is that an immersive learning environment affords quicker anatomic recognition and orientation and a greater level of retention in human anatomy instruction. The goal is to augment not replace traditional modes of instruction

Effectiveness of the digital image library cases in human anatomy studies

In several education technologies and options for teaching and studies one of the alternatives is the Anatomage 3D virtual dissection table with included Digital Image Library. The aim of this study was to observe the effectiveness of the Digital Image Library cases in Human Anatomy studies at Rīga Stradiņš University(RSU). In 2017 it was used every second week during the autumn`s practical classes on several occasions to show variety of interesting and many unique human anatomy cases, abnormalities, diseases and detailed sectional scans. As methods for collecting data were used discussions between students groups and survays. The sample included 100 students and 1 Human Anatomy tutor. The findings suggest that the Digital Image Library cases are very interactive and effective tools of the teaching and studies in HumanAnatomy at RSU. This is a new form of the communication between students, tutor, virtual reality of the body systems and it provides a lot of digital materials that develop relationships between basic and clinical study subjects.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Investigating the User Experience with a 3D Virtual Anatomy Application

Decreasing hours dedicated to teaching anatomy courses and declining use of human cadavers have spurred the need for innovative solutions in teaching anatomy in medical schools. Advancements in virtual reality (VR), 3D visualizations, computer graphics, and medical graphic images have enabled the development of highly interactive 3D virtual applications. Over recent years, variations of interactive systems on computer-mediated environments have been used as supplementary resource for learners. However, despite the growing sophistication of these resources for learning anatomy, studies show that students predominantly prefer traditional methods of learning and hands-on cadaver-based learning over computer-mediated platforms. There is limited research on evaluating user experience in the use of interactive 3D anatomy systems, even though Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) studies show that usability (ease of use) and user engagement are essential to technology adoption and satisfaction. The addressable problem of the research was to investigate how ease of use and flow affected aspects of the students’ engagement experience with the use of a 3D virtual anatomy application. The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of a 3D virtual application in performing dissection learning tasks and to understand aspects of user engagement as assessed by ease of use and flow experience. The flow experience was quantified using the Short Flow State Scale (S FSS-2) and the System Usability Scale (SUS) to measure perceptions about ease of use and user satisfaction. The research questions included: (1) What consequences of flow do students experience? (2) What aspects of the 3D virtual platform are distracting to performing the learning tasks? (3) How do students’ perception of ease of use affect the flow experience based on the SUS and S FSS-2 scores? (4) How do students rate their level of engagement as measured by flow based on their S FSS-2 scores? (5) How does flow help explain student satisfaction and motivation? (6) How do students perceive use of the application to learn anatomy compared with cadaver-based dissection? The study consisted of medical student participants who were asked to complete virtual dissection activities associated with learning objectives in the Structure of the Human Body course to perform using a 3D virtual anatomy application. A subset of participants who completed the learning task and the surveys had a follow-up Cognitive Walkthrough with Think-Aloud Protocol observation activity with an interview segment to gain deeper insights into their user experience with the application. The data from the convergent mixed method analysis indicated that ease of use had some impact on the flow experience and that perceived user satisfaction and motivation were attributed to the interactive 3D visualization design. Seven super-ordinate themes were identified: Ease of Use, Learnability, Interface-Technical, User Satisfaction, Visuospatial, Focus/In the Zone, and CA vs Cadaver. The results have implications for educators (particularly anatomists), educational technologists, and HCI and UX practitioners. Additional research should be conducted using the long version of the Flow State Scale to provide a better understanding of each flow dimension. Further study is recommended with students who have hands-on experience with human cadaver dissection that are also able to compare their experience with the use of a 3D virtual anatomy platform for a direct side-by-side assessment. It would also be helpful to conduct the study as part of the entire duration of the anatomy course and assess how the flow experience impacts student learning performance

Combination of new, innovative and demonstrative 3D elements with classical learning methods in Human Anatomy course

The aim of this work was to study, compare and summarize our experience in combination of innovative and demonstrative 3D elements with classical learning methods in Human Anatomy course. In practical classes 100 students of the 1st study year of the Faculty of Medicine used the virtual dissection Anatomage Table and/or their own prepared anatomical models by 3D printer. 100 students of the 2nd study year used the classical human cadaveric dissections. All participants were asked to discuss about these used teaching methods and complete an anonymous feedback questionnaire. 70% of students were satisfied with the virtual dissection and/or their own prepared anatomical 3D models in group 1, but they liked to highlight the role and necessity of real dissection. Some students were satisfied with the classical learning and teaching of human anatomy when associated it with the use of different 3D elements. 90% of students considered that virtual elements and models were useful in learning the study course outside the practical classes. In group 2 more than 95% of participants indicated that dissections should be regular. There classical learning of anatomical structures obtained better results than only in the innovations supported group. In human anatomy 3D elements together with classical learning methods can motivate students to study the morphological disciplines, increase their interest and the effectiveness of studies.publishersversionPeer reviewe

User Interface Design in Virtual Reality Research

Thesis Statement The primary objective of this research is to develop and investigate a user interface that supports learning to be implemented in the virtual reality application Anatomy Builder VR, an ongoing project from the Department of Visualization. Through the conception of this interface, we will explore the research question “how can user interface design in virtual reality applications support learning and engagement?”. Theoretical Framework Through the use of iterative design, we will develop an interface to be implemented in the virtual reality application Anatomy Builder VR.To accomplish this, we will create several prototypes to be evaluated by a focus group before implementing a high fidelity interface into the application. The three prototypes will be used to conduct a user study that will improve the quality and functionality of the final interface as a whole. Project Description Effective user interface design is extremely important when creating an application focused on learning. If the application’s interface is misleading, the user will either incorrectly learn the information or stop using the application altogether. For this reason, we will center our research on the question “how can user interface design in virtual reality applications support learning and engagement?”. Expected outcomes include designing a user interface that will provide an intuitive and engaging learning experience. Our interface will be implemented intoAnatomy Builder VR, an application that allows users to assemble a human or canine skeleton while learning comparative anatomy. Anatomy Builder VR is a current collaborative project between Department of Visualization and Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences. We will investigate how our design impacts the user’s anatomy learning experience

A Serious Game for the Cardiovascular System Anatomy: A case study of the performance effects on health sciences students

The study aims to investigate the effects of a serious game on the performance of health science students in the education of the cardiovascular system anatomy. Experiments were performed using a serious game to teach the cardiovascular system anatomy to Physiotherapy undergraduate students. Data collection was performed through pre and post-tests with a study group using knowledge questionnaires of the cardiovascular system anatomy. In addition, a usability scale and open-ended questions were answered by students and human anatomy experts following experiments in the computer lab. From the data analysis, it has been observed an increase in the educational performance of the students with the use of the serious game to aid teaching of the cardiovascular system anatomy in a virtual 3D Web environment

Virtual modelling of the surgical anatomy of the petrous bone

The surgical anatomy of the petrous bone is difficult to learn and to imagine due to the porous structure. Obviously the surgeon’s training is based on cadaver dissections as we are still lacking good, versatile models of the temporal bone and its important structures. The clearly visible, rapid development of computer science provides us with new possibilities that should be immediately engaged in modelling and simulating the human anatomy. The virtual, three-dimensional computer model of the bony pyramid was created based on the tomographic x-ray 1 mm slices and evaluated in accordance to its usefulness in learning and planning the neurosurgical approaches to the petrous region. The model was created in the virtual reality markup language, in order to make it available through the Internet. The basic anatomy of the main surgical approaches used in this region was visualised and evaluated in accordance with the real, intraoperative anatomy. The model could be easily accessed through the Internet. It was user-friendly and intuitive. The model seemed to be helpful in planning the basic approaches to the petroclival region. Computer science, with the help of the virtual modelling techniques, gives us a powerful method of learning and training surgical anatomy and approaches, although cadaveric dissection still remains the main point of the surgeon’s training