Virtual microscopy as a teaching tool adjuvant to traditional microscopy
Seema Raja · Medical Education · 2010
Context and setting The curriculum of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Bangalore for Year 1 dental students allocates 2 hours per week to histology. One of these 2 hours is spent on explaining background theory and thus the time remaining for demonstration, and learning and revision by students is very limited. Why the idea was necessary Recently the university revised its marking pattern, doubling the marks required to pass the histology practical examination. As a result, about 20% of the students were unable to score passing marks. In order to improve student marks, virtual microscopy was introduced. This refers to the viewing of whole microscope slide images in digital form on a computer network. These digital images are called ‘virtual slides’. Traditionally, students viewed images on a microscope and each student would view a different part of the slide. Virtual microscopy allows for the viewing of virtual slides by large numbers of students over a computer network and enables both faculty members and students to view exactly the same image at the same time. Virtual microscopy enhances the quality of the learning experience for students, enables them to study in their free time at their own pace and reduces the costs of microscope maintenance. What was done Twenty general histology glass slides were digitalised and made available through the virtual microscope system to 61 Year 1 dental students in the 2009–2010 cohort. A specific area on each slide was selected and magnified to 40× and 100×. Static labelled images were placed on CD-ROMs and introduced to students as virtual slides. Before the virtual microscopy was implemented, 20 general slides were focused in the traditional microscope and a pre-test assessment was conducted. Fifty-three students viewed all the images on CD-ROMs in their free time. An unlabelled image was used by the students for self-learning and evaluation. A post-test assessment was conducted and student perceptions were collected using a pre-validated questionnaire (Cronbach’s α = 0.79). Evaluation of results and impact Average scores on the pre- and post-tests improved significantly (p < 0.001) from 17.80% (mean 3.56) to 46.27% (mean 9.25). Similarly, mean scores on the first and second internal assessments were 16.15 and 18.75, respectively, and the difference was significant (p < 0.001). Maximum obtained score in first and second internal assessment were 22 and 24 respectively for maximum marks of 30. Most (96%) students felt virtual microscopy improved their learning and their performance in the examination. Overall, 66% of students preferred virtual microscopy to traditional microscopy. Hence, we conclude that virtual microscopy was well accepted by students as a supplementary learning tool which facilitated their learning of histology. It can be implemented in regular classes along with traditional microscopy.