Farah C S, Maybury T
School of Dentistry/UQ Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD 4029, Australia.
Eur J Dent Educ. 2009 Aug;13(3):172-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0579.2009.00570.x.
The introduction of digital technologies into the dental curriculum is an ongoing feature of broader changes going on in tertiary education. This report examines the introduction of digital virtual microscopy technology into the curriculum of the School of Dentistry at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia.
Sixty students studying a course in pathology in 2005 were introduced to virtual microscopy technology alongside the more traditional light microscope and then asked to evaluate their own learning outcomes from this technology via a structured 5-point LIKART survey.
A wide variety of questions dealing the pedagogic implications of the introduction of virtual microscopy into pathology were asked of students with the overall result being that it positively enhanced their learning of pathology via digital microscopic means.
The success of virtual microscopy in dentistry at UQ is then discussed in the larger context of changes going on in tertiary education. In particular, the change from the print-literate tradition to the electronic one, that is from 'literacy to electracy'. Virtual microscopy is designated as a component of this transformation to electracy.
Whilst traditional microscopic skills may still be valued in dental curricula, the move to virtual microscopy and computer-assisted, student-centred learning of pathology appears to enhance the learning experience in relation to its effectiveness in helping students engage and interact with the course material.
将数字技术引入牙科课程是高等教育正在发生的更广泛变革的一个持续特点。本报告探讨了数字虚拟显微镜技术在澳大利亚布里斯班昆士兰大学牙科学院课程中的引入情况。
2005年，60名学习病理学课程的学生在学习传统光学显微镜的同时，也接触了虚拟显微镜技术，然后通过一项结构化的五点李克特量表调查，要求他们评估自己从该技术中获得的学习成果。
向学生提出了各种各样关于将虚拟显微镜引入病理学的教学意义的问题，总体结果是，它通过数字显微镜手段积极地增强了他们对病理学的学习。
然后在高等教育正在发生的更大变革背景下，讨论了昆士兰大学虚拟显微镜在牙科领域的成功。特别是从印刷文化传统向电子文化传统的转变，即从“读写能力到数字读写能力”的转变。虚拟显微镜被指定为这种向数字读写能力转变的一个组成部分。
虽然传统显微镜技能在牙科课程中可能仍然受到重视，但转向虚拟显微镜以及以计算机辅助、以学生为中心的病理学学习，似乎在帮助学生参与和与课程材料互动方面的有效性方面，提升了学习体验。
