Creation of an E-Tutorial to Support Learning Embryology

No abstract available

The Creation of an E-Tutorial to Support Learning Embryology

Embryology is a complex subject that many students struggle to understand. With the advances of digital technologies, we sought to create a fully interactive e- learning resource to facilitate learning in this complex field. Therefore, the aim of this project was to create a digital resource which was created by a student, for students. We based this e-tutorial on the embryology curriculum from the Level 3 Honours BSc degree at the University of Glasgow. We ensured all aims and objectives were incorporated into the tutorial. By using Articulate 360, we created an e-tutorial which enabled the user to explore weeks 1 – 4 of development. Novel images and cartoons were created by the author and incorporated into the tutorial. This meant that there were no copyright issues from using materials from other sources. Images were designed and created using Paint Tool Sai. A simple interactive format was created with text related to each week of development. This linked to the intended learning outcomes, but ensured a unique presentation of resources to enhance learning. There was a fully interactive quiz at the end of each of the weeks, including hints and tips, with links back to the relevant part of the tutorial. This e-tutorial has now been adopted into the local curriculum and has been requested by several Scottish universities and the north of England to embed into their curricula. This study has shown how a co-creation of educational resources can result in the production of a novel and interactive learning resource

Creation of an E-Tutorial to Support Learning Embryology

No abstract available

The Creation of an E-Tutorial to Support Learning Embryology

Embryology is a complex subject that many students struggle to understand. With the advances of digital technologies, we sought to create a fully interactive e- learning resource to facilitate learning in this complex field. Therefore, the aim of this project was to create a digital resource which was created by a student, for students. We based this e-tutorial on the embryology curriculum from the Level 3 Honours BSc degree at the University of Glasgow. We ensured all aims and objectives were incorporated into the tutorial. By using Articulate 360, we created an e-tutorial which enabled the user to explore weeks 1 – 4 of development. Novel images and cartoons were created by the author and incorporated into the tutorial. This meant that there were no copyright issues from using materials from other sources. Images were designed and created using Paint Tool Sai. A simple interactive format was created with text related to each week of development. This linked to the intended learning outcomes, but ensured a unique presentation of resources to enhance learning. There was a fully interactive quiz at the end of each of the weeks, including hints and tips, with links back to the relevant part of the tutorial. This e-tutorial has now been adopted into the local curriculum and has been requested by several Scottish universities and the north of England to embed into their curricula. This study has shown how a co-creation of educational resources can result in the production of a novel and interactive learning resource

Application of AR and 3D technology for learning neuroanatomy

Neuroanatomy is a notoriously challenging subject for many students to master. The phenomenon of students having difficulties in mastering this discipline is so widespread that Ralph F. Jozephivicz coined term “neurophobia” in 1994, which he defined as “a fear of neural sciences and clinical neurology that is due to the students’ inability to apply their knowledge of basic sciences to clinical situations”. In order to successfully learn neuroanatomy, student must possess strong spatial skills in order to be able to visualise complex neuroanatomical structures and their relations to each other. Traditional learning resources such as textbooks and atlases can only provide 2D rendering of the complex 3D neuroanatomical structures, which makes learning process very cumbersome. Cadaveric dissection, which is currently regarded a golden standard of learning and teaching anatomy, present some major challenges, from both practical and ethical angles, which need to be taken into consideration. With an increasing demand for neurologists and specialists in adjacent disciplines, neurophobia amongst medical and life-science students presents a serious issue. Using emerging technologies such as 3D and augmented reality (AR) for teaching anatomy (including neuroanatomy) has been proven to be effective in improving academic performance of the students. These technologies add elements of novelty, which helps make the learning experience more exciting and enjoyable for students. This, in turn, increases students’ motivation and, subsequently, improves their learning outcomes. After looking at the previous research, the decision was made to develop a mobile application, featuring AR element and an interactive 3D model, which could be used as a learning tool by anyone who wishes to learn brain anatomy. The app features three scenes (AR, 3D, and 2D, and a short quiz. AR functionality relies on an accompanying PDF booklet, which contains AR-targets and instructions on how to download and use the app. The app was tested by twelve volunteers that were recruited through the XRDRN network (www.xrdrn.org/) and social media (e.g. linkedin.com, twitter.com). Overall, findings indicate the high usability of the application. The study results also demonstrated significant improvement of the neuroanatomy knowledge among the participants. While this study has some limitations, the developed application has the potential to become a valuable learning aid for anyone seeking to learn neuroanatomy

The art of serious storytelling: using novel visual methods to engage veterinary practitioners in reducing infection risk during surgical preparation

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are a growing global healthcare threat. Uptake of appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures is heavily influenced by human risk perception, consequent behaviour and the ways humans and animals interact within the environment. Effective IPC communication and teaching tools are necessary to ensure individuals’ understanding and behaviours are in line with scientific recommendations. This chapter describes a novel approach to developing an IPC training tool to raise the perception and understanding of risk of infection to animal patients during routine veterinary surgical procedures. The researchers ‘made the invisible visible’, revealing bacterial contamination sources and their spread during preparation for surgery via a dynamic 3-layer interactive virtual model of a veterinary practice based on real-world data on human, animal and bacterial interactions. They used a serious storytelling approach, visualisation, simple gamification techniques and a collaborative design approach to engage students, nurses and surgeons from the veterinary community in the co-development of the tool. Participants were invited to identify risky behaviours, direct and indirect sources of bacterial contamination, and were prompted to reflect on the potential consequences of poor or improved IPC measures on the patient outcome and residual bacterial contamination in the practice environment. The study was conducted over two phases. Phase 1 achieved proof-of-concept: at evaluation, 92% of 51 trial participants stated an intention to change their behaviour and to implement infection controls that aligned with training objectives. In Phase 2, the tool was enhanced, and software was developed to a beta-version to enable self-paced training on web-based and mobile platforms. The co-development and evaluation process, importance of end-user engagement throughout and findings are discussed

Co-IMMUNICATE: A project communicating immunity to the community

What is the Co-IMMUNICATE project? We are a group of researchers and teachers in Glasgow working together to help our local communities understand more about respiratory viruses and how our immune cells defend us against them. Each spring we work with the P6/7 class at Anderston primary school in Glasgow to design new activities that help enthuse and explain what happens when people are infected with a respiratory virus. Our project 2020 was the first year of the project and focused on describing what viruses are and what happens when we get infected. We ran various activities include “making your own snot” and “flu whispers” aimed to increase the pupil’s knowledge on how flu spreads; the immune response against it; and how viruses change when they pass between different people. In 2021, we decided to run an online compacted version of the project to ensure the delivery was feasible due to COVID-19. The theme was communication between cells infected with a virus and immune cells. Each session had a short display of information via slides before fun interactive activities involving skittles and cuddly microbes aimed to help the pupils understand various steps involved in the immune response. Our App The co-IMMUNICATE App was planned as another fun and informative tool that uses a tablet to help the pupils and the broader community understand what happens after a respiratory virus infection. The app is designed by our collaborators at the Glasgow school of Art with illustrations and voice overs done by the Anderton primary pupils. This app has been fundamental in us engaging with the public at events including the Glasgow science festival. The future In 2023, we aim shift focus and ask the pupils themselves to design their own activities to help younger children understand more about viruses. These displays will also be presented at the Glasgow Science festival allowing the pupils the opportunity to directly engage with the community

Co-IMMUNICATE: A project communicating immunity to the community

We are a group of researchers and teachers in Glasgow working together to help our local communities understand more about viruses and how our immune cells defend us against them. Each spring we work with the P6/7 class at Anderston primary school to design activities that help explain what happens when people are infected with a respiratory virus. 2020 was the first year of the project and focused on describing what viruses are and what happens when we get infected. We ran various fun activities aimed to increase the pupil’s knowledge on how flu spreads and the immune response against it. In 2021, we ran an online version of the project due to COVID-19. The theme was communication between cells infected with a virus and immune cells. Each session had a display of information via slides before exciting interactive activities aimed to help the pupils understand various steps involved in the immune response. The co-IMMUNICATE App was planned as another informative tool that uses a tablet to help the pupils and the broader community understand what happens after a respiratory virus infection. The app is designed by our collaborators at the Glasgow school of Art with illustrations and voice overs by the pupils. This app has been fundamental in us engaging with the public at events. In 2023, we will ask the pupils themselves to design their own activities to help younger children understand about viruses. These displays will be presented at the Glasgow Science festival allowing the pupils the opportunity to directly engage with the community

The Co-IMMUNicate App: an engaging and entertaining education resource on immunity to respiratory viruses

Co-IMMUNicate is a multi-layered engagement project with input from academics, teachers and pupils at a Glasgow primary school. The project is designed to ensure sustained impact on the school and local community, and increase knowledge of the importance of immunology research in protecting us against infectious diseases. The project aimed to enable pupils to design and build activities to teach and enthuse younger children and their families about the immune system through displays in the school and across Glasgow. Working across disciplines and ages, we have generated numerous resources and best practices. These resources include the ‘Co-IMMUNicate App’ which uses augmented reality, quizzes, and a fun game to help us more widely disseminate Co-IMMUNicate’s aims. This chapter describes the methodological and technological framework to support the development of the Co-IMMUNicate application. We designed and developed this application to engage and excite children about immunity to infection. A co-design approach was used to incorporate ideas from the primary 6/7 school children. They provided drawings to illustrate what happens after a respiratory virus infection and additional drawings to illustrate the quizzes. The pupils have also provided application voice overs to help increase the application’s accessibility. Their initial comments and feedback from testing the aplication shaped the design of the application and provided them with a sense of ownership. The application contains four main elements: an Augmented Reality section in which the user can learn about what happens during a respiratory virus infection; a quiz based on the learning in the first section; a second quiz that helps the user learn about how small viruses are; and an interactive game in which immune cells capture invading viruses. Users who complete the augmented reality section and the two quizzes are rewarded with a certificate