Abstract
Medical and health sciences education requires constant updating and refining to best prepare students for the expectations of working in the modern healthcare professional environment. Learning about a range of diseases is a core component within these courses, and a fundamental part of many curricula and assessment-focussed outcomes. One common example is asthma, a widespread and prevalent respiratory condition estimated to affect up to 339 million people globally. However, learning about the management of asthma requires students to integrate knowledge of physiology, anatomy, pathology, immunology, pharmacology and more. It also necessitates a need for an understanding of the lungs and its associated structures in 3D space. This can be difficult when studying from a textbook or lecture notes alone. In recent years, there has been a shift towards technology-enhanced learning to deliver content in an engaging manner. Emerging technology, such as the Microsoft HoloLens, is of great interest as it can provide 3D representations of the human body, while also encouraging interactivity with any presented organs or systems. Though never employed for the specific use of teaching asthma, the HoloLens shows potential as a way to effectively explain the mechanisms underlying asthma, and its associated multidisciplinary concepts. The aim of this honours research project will be to assess whether a textbook-style written delivery, or a three-dimensional (3D) augmented reality HoloLens resource, is more effective for learning. This will be a randomised-control trial utilising pre- and post-testing with first year health sciences and medical students. Lessons will be set up with an instructional module explaining the epidemiology, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, immunology and pharmacology of the respiratory system and asthma. The control group are to be provided with a printed textbook- style version of the lesson, with 2-dimensional diagrams, while the HoloLens intervention group viewing the models in 3D, with the text read out as an audio transcript. Though data collection will commence shortly, it is hypothesised that learning through augmented reality using the HoloLens device will provide a better overall learning experience and improve test performance for health sciences and medical students.
Original language | English |
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Pages | OC27 |
Publication status | Published - 22 Apr 2020 |
Event | Future Physiology : 2021 and Beyond - United Kingdom (Virtual Online Conference), London, United Kingdom Duration: 19 Apr 2021 → 22 Apr 2021 https://www.physoc.org/events/future-physiology-2021/ |
Conference
Conference | Future Physiology |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | London |
Period | 19/04/21 → 22/04/21 |
Other | Future Physiology is our annual conference for professional development, organised for early career researchers by early career researchers. It is tailor-made to offer you the experience, renewed enthusiasm, and networking opportunities to help you take the next steps in your career. |
Internet address |