Traditional microscopy instruction versus process-oriented virtual microscopy instruction: a naturalistic experiment with control group

BackgroundVirtual microscopy is being introduced in medical education as an approach for learning how to interpret information in microscopic specimens. It is, however, far from evident how to incorporate its use into existing teaching practice. The aim of the study was to explore the consequences of introducing virtual microscopy tasks into an undergraduate pathology course in an attempt to render the instruction more process-oriented. The research questions were: 1) How is virtual microscopy perceived by students? 2) Does work on virtual microscopy tasks contribute to improvement in performance in microscopic pathology in comparison with attending assistant-led demonstrations only?MethodDuring a one-week period, an experimental group completed three sets of virtual microscopy homework assignments in addition to attending demonstrations. A control group attended the demonstrations only. Performance in microscopic pathology was measured by a pre-test and a post-test. Student perceptions of regular instruction and virtual microscopy were collected one month later by administering the Inventory of Intrinsic Motivation and open-ended questions.ResultsThe students voiced an appreciation for virtual microscopy for the purposes of the course and for self-study. As for learning gains, the results indicated that learning was speeded up in a subgroup of students consisting of conscientious high achievers.ConclusionsThe enriched instruction model may be suited as such for elective courses following the basic course. However, the instructional model needs further development to be suited for basic courses.

[1]  Vom Kinde aus : Arbeiten des Pädagogischen Ausschusses der Gesellschaft der Freunde des vaterländischen Schul- und Erziehungswesens zu Hamburg , 1920 .

[2]  Das „exemplarische Lehren“ , 1969 .

[3]  J. Nunnally.  Psychometric Theory (2nd ed), New York: McGraw-Hill. , 1978 .

[4]  R. Ryan,et al.  Control and information in the intrapersonal sphere: An extension of cognitive evaluation theory. , 1982 .

[5]  T. R. Knapp,et al.  Ten measurement commandments that often should be broken. , 1995, Research in nursing & health.

[6]  J. Bransford.  How people learn , 2000 .

[7]  S. Bolhuis,et al.  Toward self-directed learning in secondary schools: what do teachers do? , 2001 .

[8]  Boyd F. Richards,et al.  A Controlled Trial of Active Versus Passive Learning Strategies in a Large Group Setting , 2004, Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice.

[9]  M Lundin,et al.  A digital atlas of breast histopathology: an application of web based virtual microscopy , 2004, Journal of Clinical Pathology.

[10]  P. Kirschner,et al.  Optimizing the number of steps in learning tasks for complex skills. , 2005, The British journal of educational psychology.

[11]  J. Sweller,et al.  Cognitive Load Theory and Complex Learning: Recent Developments and Future Directions , 2005 .

[12]  Paul J. Feltovich,et al.  The Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance , 2006 .

[13]  Rob Nadolski,et al.  Process support in learning tasks for acquiring complex cognitive skills in the domain of law , 2006 .

[14]  Kevin W. Eva,et al.  The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance: Expertise in Medicine and Surgery , 2006 .

[15]  R. Mayer,et al.  Interactive Multimodal Learning Environments , 2007 .

[16]  Mikko Vesisenaho,et al.  DEVELOPING UNIVERSITY-LEVEL INTRODUCTORY ICT EDUCATION IN TANZANIA: AC ONTEXTUALIZED APPROACH , 2007 .

[17]  Yves Lacouture,et al.  Decision-tree models of categorization response times, choice proportions, and typicality judgments. , 2009, Psychological review.

[18]  Hans Beck,et al.  A European network for virtual microscopy—design, implementation and evaluation of performance , 2009, Virchows Archiv.

[19]  Roger Säljö,et al.  Digital tools and challenges to institutional traditions of learning: technologies, social memory and the performative nature of learning , 2010, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[20]  J. Sweller,et al.  Cognitive load theory in health professional education: design principles and strategies , 2010, Medical education.

[21]  V. Cooper.  Diagnostic pathology. , 2012, The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice.