Teaching in 3D: Engaging Students in Learning Through Technology

By: Devin Cashman

I think we have all experienced the scene on the left in one lecture or another. As a teacher, I want my students participating but what I really want is my students to be as excited and engaged in the classroom as they are at a sporting event.

With the idea of actively engaging students, I began using Visible Body® an online 3D anatomy and physiology platform this year. Visible Body® allows students to interact with 3D models of anatomical structures and explore content directly related to what they will be learning in class. The platform also provides a way to take advantage of augmented reality technology. Augmented Reality (AR) places virtual objects in the real world using the camera on a phone or tablet device. If you are unfamiliar with AR, think Pokémon Go, which debuted in 2017. AR is a cost effective way to create an immersive environment that allows students to interact with the objects on their screen. The use of this technology has even expanded to medicine where surgeons use AR to plan and prepare for complex surgeries (Draper, 2018).

There are several ways I implement active learning using Visible Body® in the classroom. The fist way I use the technology is to create a lab or module that students follow. A typical lab or module includes specific content for a student to explore. For example in kinesiology, students may look at a specific joint movement and then explore the skeletal muscles and the bony landmarks. A kinesiology lab might involve answering questions such as, what do you observe about the scapula during shoulder movement? In exercise physiology, students might do a heart dissection and draw the location of ECG leads allowing them to view the electrical activity from a 3D perspective.

The Visible Body® platform is an ideal way to flip the classroom. Students can put together interactive presentations of specific anatomical structures such as the knee joint using the 3D models. Additional information related to pathologies such as osteoarthritis or ACL rupture are easily included for class discussion.

Another way I use 3D anatomy is to create scavenger hunt activities with specific structures for the student to find.

1. Find a muscle that attaches to the greater tubercle of the humerus and primarily abducts the shoulder.

2. Find a muscle that attaches to the lesser tubercle of the humerus.

Using this type of activity gives students the ability to explore the different structures and learn about them as they try to find all of the given structures in an assignment.

Students can relate virtual anatomy to reality by having them overlay images using AR. Overlay helps with identifying anatomical landmarks while practicing palpation and being able to describe the relationship of anatomical structures.

Listed below are some of the positives and negatives I have found using Visible Body® 3D and AR in classroom.

Pros

1. Creates an Immersive classroom experience

2. Does not require expensive lab equipment, i.e. gross anatomy lab, anatomical models, etc.

3. Students can access material outside of class

4. Integrates with LMS

5. Motivates students to explore – intrinsic motivation

6. Built in quizzing allows students to study and track their own progress

7. Instructor can customize content presented to students

Cons

1. May be difficult to learn how to use

2. Can be distracting

3. Student’s may not have compatible technology

Overall, I have found that using Visible Body® has allowed me to create engaging content that relates to the core learning outcomes of my courses. Students in turn are able to build on their basic knowledge and relate it in a meaningful way to the concepts they need to understand as an exercise and health professional.

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Reference

Draper, S. (2018, November 12). Cardiologists Use Augmented Reality to Plan and Perform Complex Procedures. Wearable Technologies. Retrieved from https://www.wearable-technologies.com/2018/11/cardiologists-use-augmented-reality-to-plan-and-perform-complex-procedures/

#AR #AugmentedReality