Mills Paul C, Bradley Andrew P, Woodall Peter F, Wildermoth Michael
School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
J Vet Med Educ. 2007 Spring;34(2):177-82. doi: 10.3138/jvme.34.2.177.
Virtual microscopy (VM) is a comparatively recent innovation that is revolutionizing both the teaching of microscopic structure in human medicine and the concept of online diagnosis and telemedicine. The interactivity of the various commercially available browsers attempts to simulate the experience of looking down a microscope while offering advantages over traditional microscopy that include clarity of image, reduced infrastructure, and high flexibility, as the images are accessible online. We developed our own VM system, including customized software and a browser that was simple and intuitive to use, with the added advantage of further modifications possible to assist student learning. In this article, we report on a preliminary study wherein VM was introduced to veterinary science students in one course and directly compared to traditional microscopy to determine whether students would readily accept this new technology and which aspects of VM were advantageous. Responses from a survey form showed that students rated VM significantly higher than traditional microscopy as a tool to learn histology because it offers clearer images, the ability to learn collaboratively, more effective use of time, and the flexibility of online learning. Students also indicated a strong preference for the use of VM in future courses. These results suggest that VM is a flexible and enjoyable resource that could be useful to enhance the learning of microscopic structure in veterinary science courses.
虚拟显微镜（VM）是一项相对较新的创新技术，它正在彻底改变人类医学中微观结构的教学以及在线诊断和远程医疗的概念。各种商用浏览器的交互性试图模拟通过显微镜观察的体验，同时具有优于传统显微镜的优势，包括图像清晰度、减少基础设施需求和高度灵活性，因为这些图像可在线获取。我们开发了自己的虚拟显微镜系统，包括定制软件和一个使用简单直观的浏览器，还有进一步修改以辅助学生学习的额外优势。在本文中，我们报告了一项初步研究，其中在一门课程中向兽医学学生介绍了虚拟显微镜，并将其与传统显微镜直接比较，以确定学生是否会欣然接受这项新技术以及虚拟显微镜的哪些方面具有优势。一份调查问卷的反馈显示，作为学习组织学的工具，学生对虚拟显微镜的评价明显高于传统显微镜，因为它能提供更清晰的图像、协作学习的能力、更有效地利用时间以及在线学习的灵活性。学生们还表示强烈倾向于在未来的课程中使用虚拟显微镜。这些结果表明，虚拟显微镜是一种灵活且有趣的资源，有助于加强兽医学课程中微观结构的学习。
