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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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Volume VIII, Number 2 |
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U N I V E R S I T Y O F P I T T S B U R G H |
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Volume VIII, Number 2 |
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The Virtual Slide Set: Interactive Digital
Microscopy for Medical Students
"One way in which medical students learn about disease,” Rebecca Crowley,
School of Medicine, writes, “is by examining human tissues.” While gross
anatomy and gross pathology can be seen with the naked eye, the microscopic
anatomy of the human body requires the use of a microscope.
ACIE will support the three-phase project. First, current Java software will be modified to support rich text-to-image annotation. Second, software for creating and presenting three levels of interaction will be created. Students who access the site will be able to choose the level of interaction they need. In the unguided mode, students will see the case the way they do in a microscope, with no annotation. In the partially guided mode, students will read text and use hyperlinks that bring them to the correct part of the slide. In the fully guided mode, students will have complete image annotation. Third, the virtual slide set will be implemented and tested in three courses. Student and instructor surveys, direct observation, and log file analyses will provide the means for evaluation. The virtual slide set will enhance active learning and problem-based learning principles already in place in the medical curriculum. “At its foundation,” Crowley reports, “the virtual slide set supports an active learning style in which students are enabled to explore a slide on their own, learning by seeing the actual features of human disease.” She continues, “The technology is well-suited to problem-based learning, a core medical education innovation, because the slides are case-based, and can incorporate other material such as clinical history.” Early tests of the virtual slides indicate that medical students are
enthusiastic about the new application. “Within the first five minutes,”
Crowley points out, “students were able to use the virtual microscope
interface.” Unlike conventional microscopes, students appreciated how
easy the virtual slides were to use. “Everything is already in focus—that
saves them a tremendous amount of time,” she observes. | |||||
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A newsletter devoted to the support of teaching and learning at the University of Pittsburgh |
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Center for Instructional
Development & Distance Education |
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As medical
schools integrate their curricula, however, pathology courses are becoming
rare. Because of this diminished role, “the opportunity to directly
examine the microscopic expression of disease is limited. Most students
no longer purchase their own microscopes, relying on static images from
books.” Crowley’s project, The Virtual Slide Set: Interactive Digital
Microscopy for Medical Students, is designed to fill this gap with an
interactive, Web-based, virtual slide set.