Anatomy & Physiology: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0940
ISSN: 2161-0940
Geoffrey T Meyer
University of Western Australia, Australia
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Anat Physiol
The teaching of histology is expensive particularly in some universities with limited or aging resources such as microscopes and inadequate histological slide collections and increasing numbers of students. Laboratory classes are staff intensive. Technology can now solve many of these issues and also caters for the self-directed and independent learning needs of students. This presentation will demonstrate a series of innovative learning resources that have enabled a histology course to be presented completely online ��? including practical classes. This histology course has not only been delivered to students attending my own institution but also to a number of other students attending universities worldwide but facilitated by histology instructors on the other side of the globe. Innovative learning tools include an updated interactive histology atlas and an interactive platform for viewing histological slides using virtual microscopy. Students can annotate their histological sections and view annotations of histological features as they view sections at any desired magnification. A learning platform also includes a series of assessment packages; discussion forums encourage student interactions with their peers as well as with histology instructors. One new additional resource and one highly acclaimed by students is a series of at least 31 professionally recorded lectures whereby students see their lecturer visually as well as viewing informative power-point slide presentations. Quantitative data from formal student evaluations verify that all traditional learning outcomes in an extensive histology curriculum delivered in medical, dental and biomedical science courses can be achieved.
Email: geoff.meyer@uwa.edu.au