Dr. Sarah Nemanic observes students testing virtual reality goggles used with an anatomy teaching tutorial.
Dr. Sarah Nemanic, assistant professor of radiology, has been working with an OSU team to develop a 3-D ‘virtual reality’ teaching tutorial for veterinary anatomy students (see story).
Concurrently, Dr. Nemanic studied the efficacy of the tutorial, and the results of that study were recently published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (Vol.43, No.3).
The study assessed the effectiveness of an interactive, computerized, 3D tutorial for teaching the anatomy of the canine larynx and hyoid apparatus using a randomized control design with first-year students. “Teaching the anatomy of the canine larynx and hyoid apparatus is challenging because dissection disassembles and/or damages these structures, making it difficult to understand their three-dimensional (3D) anatomy and spatial interrelationships,” said Nemanic.
Students in the study received the traditional methods of didactic teaching and dissection to learn the anatomy of the canine larynx and hyoid apparatus, after which they were divided into two statistically equal groups, based on their cumulative anatomy test scores from the prior term. One group received the interactive tutorial, while the control group received the same 3D images without the computerized tutorial. Sixty-three students participated in the study, 28 in the tutorial group, and 35 in the control group. Post-learning assessment and survey scores were significantly higher among students in the computerized tutorial group than those in the control group. Students likewise rated their learning experience higher when using the 3D computerized tutorial.
Dr. Nemanic is now seeking funding for the next phase of the project: creating computer stations in the college where students can access and use the virtual reality program.
