Integrated approach to teaching and testing in histology with real and virtual imaging

Abstract

The University of Iowa College of Medicine histology teaching laboratory incorporates extensive Web- and computer-based teaching modalities, including the Virtual Microscope (VM), as emerging learning aids in histology and pathology laboratory instruction. We report here our experience in offering a multiple resource-based approach to laboratory instruction while retaining the opportunity and requirement of examining actual microscopic slide preparations with the microscope. Acceptance of this approach has been high among our students and faculty, and performance levels established over years of teaching histology by traditional means have been maintained.

Teaching medical histology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine: Transition to virtual slides and virtual microscopes

“…The images were placed originally on videodiscs and subsequently on CD-ROMs (Downing, 1995, and personal communication). Virtual slides and virtual microscopes have been integrated successfully into the laboratories in histology along with microscope glass slides and light microscopes at the University of Iowa (Harris et al, 2001;Heidger et al, 2002). To our knowledge, ours is the first report of a successful complete transition from the use of microscope glass slides and microscopes to the combined use of static labeled images and virtual slides and virtual microscopes for the teaching of laboratory sessions in medical histology courses in North America.…”

“…Subsequently, all slides in the student collections (nearly 130) were made into virtual slides and made available to the students on the Web as an option for learning the histological material. Students again rated the virtual slides and microscopes very highly (Heidger et al, 2002).…”

Medical Undergraduates’ Residual Knowledge of Structural, Functional and Clinical Aspects of Cell and Histology at Recall and Understanding Levels

“…Universities in various parts of the world have addressed this important realisation while designing their courses. In the University of Iowa College of Medicine, the departmentally based courses, General Histology for Medical students, and Medical Physiology, have been folded into a single structure-function course entitled 'Human organ systems' 17 .…”

Results of the implementation of a virtual microscope in a course of histology

“…In addition, the virtual microscope allows the group study being able to point with a finger to features on virtual slides, allowing interaction tutor-student or between students (Randell et al, 2012) and allowing to focus on the links between histology, physiology, and pathology (Goldberg & Dintzis, 2007). It has been studied that the use of virtual microscope reduce the learning time: students learn more quickly (Harris et al, 2001) and the time required for a concrete lesson can be reduced to a half (Heidger et al, 2002). The average marks of the practical exams also increase (Goldberg & Dintzis, 2007).…”