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INTERACTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS FOR
HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
BRIEF REPORT--FEBRUARY 16, 1996
With this project members of the Biology and PERSS departments have
brought SCSU students to the newest technology available for learning
anatomy and physiology. The project includes six new computer stations and
up-grading hardware for one existing computer. The software includes the
A.D.A.M. Standard program which is a new interactive CD-ROM program
designed for teaching both undergraduate and professional level human
anatomy. The Visible Human Male is a CD-ROM program which utilizes an
actual human cadaver sectioned and photographed to provide three planes of
view of the entire body in one millimeter increments. A.D.A.M. Physiology
Modules also provide the combination of the newest technology with the
fundamentals of systems physiology. These cutting edge technologies user in a
new era of teaching by enabling students to gain Òhands-onÓ experience in
comprehending complex relationships through problem solving exercises and
easily manipulated multidimensional approaches to structure and function.
This technology also permits faculty to create personalized teaching materials
by incorporating virtually any printed material into the program data bases.
The project will ultimately provide yearly opportunities for over 500 Biology
and PERSS students to become personally involved using the newest learning
aids in the field. At least eight faculty members will eventually utilize the
programs.*
Summary of Participation and Use of Project Material
Three computer stations were set up in the Human Performance area where
Human Anatomy (PESS 248) and Human Physiology (PESS 349) are taught.
Two computer stations were set up in each of the Human Anatomy and
Physiology rooms used by the Biology Department for Human Anatomy and
Physiology (BIOL 310-311) and Human Anatomy (BIOL 378).
The A.D.A.M. Standard program is proving to be somewhat difficult for
students and faculty to navigate. A simplified set of directions is being
developed and appears with the full report. The programÕs primary uses have
been in learning three dimensional relationships of the structures, in reviewing
of structure location, and in the correct pronunciation of anatomical terms.
For most students the study of anatomy is also a study of two foreign
languages, Latin and Greek. The fact that students can hear and practice
verbalizing these new words is extremely important. The program was also
used in self and group quizzing.
The Visible Man program is unique in that all of the pictures, x-rays, MRIs
and CAT scans are from a human cadaver. StudentsÕs response to this format
was very positive. They quickly explored the program potential gaining skill
and confidence at a fast pace. The major value of the program was in gaining
multidimensional perspectives and understanding of human structures. It is
also an excellent testing tool.
The A.D.A.M. physiology modules are perhaps the most used component of
the project so far. These programs are interactive and take the student
through the basics to the complex biochemical events of muscle and
cardiovascular physiology. The students are quizzed at every stage and have
the option to repeat sections. The evaluation of these modules indicates a
much improved student understanding of the material and an increased interest
and motivation on the part of the students.
*This project was beset with several problems which should be noted. Within
days of its arrival on campus, a major portion of the software was stolen from
the Human Performance Laboratory in Halenbeck Hall. This limited the
number of classrooms which could be included in the fall quarter use of the
programs. In addition, much of the hardware and securing devices were not
available until the fifth week of fall quarter. Some of the hardware was not
received until December 1995. Funds for replacement of the stolen software
were provided by the Q-7 initiative and shipments were received in mid-
December 1995. With these circumstances in mind, this report is based on
two partial quarters of experience.
FINAL REPORT--FEBRUARY 1996
INTERACTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL FOR
HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
1. Project Dates:
Project Start Date: September 1, 1995
Project End Date: February 1, 1996
2. Key Contact Person:
Judith Torrence, 273 MS, BIOL, COST
Phone: 255-3130
Email: JTORRENCE@tigger.stcloudstate.edu
3. Other Participants:
Glenn Street, 102 HaH, PERSS, COE
Phone: 255-3908
Email: STREET@tigger.stcloudstate.edu
Jack Kelly, 102 HaH, PERSS, COE
Phone: 255-3105
Email: KELLY@tigger.stcloudstate.edu
Al-Hassan Musah, 272 MS, BIOL, COST
Phone: 654-5110
Email: MUSAH@tigger.stcloudstate.edu
David Bacharach, 102 HaH, PERSS, COE
Phone: 255-3105
Email: BACHARACH@tigger.stcloud,msus.edu
David Mork, 226 MS, BIOL, COST
Phone: 255-3035
Email: DMORK@tigger.stcloudstate.edu
Vincent Johnson, 227 MS, BIOL, COST
Phone: 255-3045
Email: VAJOHNSON@tigger.stcloudstate.edu
Carol Brink, 209 HaH, PERSS, COE
Phone: 255-4718
Email: CBRINK@tigger.stcloud,msus.edu
4. Project Summary:
With this project members of the Biology and PERSS departments
plan to bring SCSU students to the newest technology available for
learning anatomy and physiology. The two departments have
already demonstrated the ability to work cooperatively in teaching
anatomy through human dissection. The A.D.A.M. standard is a
new interactive CD-ROM program designed for teaching both
undergraduate and professional level human anatomy. The
Visible Human Male is a CD-ROM program which utilizes an actual
human cadaver sectioned and photographed to provide three
planes of view of the entire body in millimeter increments. A.D.A.M.
Physiology Modules also provide the combination of the newest
technology with the fundamentals of systems physiology. These
cutting edge technologies usher in a new era of teaching by
enabling students to gain Òhands-onÓ experience in
comprehending complex relationships through problem solving
exercises and easily manipulated multidimensional approaches to
structure and function. This technology also permits faculty to
create personalized teaching materials by incorporating virtually
any printed material into the program data bases. The project will
provide yearly opportunities for over 500 Biology and PERSS
students to become personally involved using the newest learning
aids in the field. At least eight faculty members will ultimately utilize
the programs.
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE PROJECT
1. How did students/faculty assess the experience?
Student and faculty assessment has been mixed based on the
software used. The A.D.A.M. Standard program proved to be quite
complex with a variety of pathways to access the anatomical
material of interest. Students who already have considerable
computer knowledge rated the A.D.A.M. program very high. Those
with little or no computer experience rated the A.D.A.M. difficult to
use on their own but found it helpful to use in a larger group. The
feature which has been unanimously applauded is that of
pronunciation of terms.
The Visible Man and A.D.A.M. physiology modules have both
proven useful to the learning of computer skills and the learning of
facts and their integration into complex relationships. The
improvement in interest and motivation in those using the
programs is striking.
2. What evaluation parameters did you use and why?
To date, there has not been a full course taught using the
equipment and programs. During fall quarter, written evaluations
of the programs were completed by students in two courses.
Where equipment was in place, students were tested orally on
their ability to manipulate the programs.
This winter quarter Dr. Street and an undergraduate student, Yuki
Hokka, are developing assignments for the A.D.A.M. Standard and
Visible Human software. They are developing simple and concise
instructions that allow students to spend more time studying
anatomy and less time learning how to use the software. These
instructions are in Appendix A.
By the end of winter quarter we will have examination performance
data for the first full class to use the programs to compare to past
groups which did not have access to computerized anatomy and
physiology material.
3. Is on-going discussion across disciplines and between
institutions feasible or desirable?
The nature of this project and its short rocky history has demanded
that the participating departments work collaboratively. In doing
so, it has become clear that each group has some common and
some different needs in terms of student learning outcomes. It
appears that the software has the potential to fulfill the needs of all
anatomy and physiology students. In addition, each department
has brought a variety of skills and expertise to the project. In
working together over the past few months, this group has found
exciting resources in each other. We are working to expand the
number of faculty who participate. For instance, the articulation of
cellular and tissue material within the A.D.A.M. program makes it of
interest to students in the histology course and the physiology
modules are an excellent review and self-testing source for
kinesiology students.
In terms of the A.D.A.M. Standard program, consultation with other
institutions and with Addison-Wesley is planned and will expand
our understanding and usage of the program.
4. How was learning affected (method, didactic, and resources) in
the long- and short- term?
Since the computers have been in place since mid-fall and the
majority of the software since December 1995, outcomes are for
the short-term.
In the Biology DepartmentÕs anatomy course A.D.A.M. programs
initially sparked a keen interest in the computer technology. After
several weeks only a few students were still trying to explore the
full potential of the programs because of poor instructions. The
major learning benefits for these students were the quick re-
enforcement of the location of structures and the repetitive
practice of correct pronunciations of terms.
In PESS 248, Human Anatomy, the major benefit of A.D.A.M. and
especially, Visible Human is that students have become active in
their learning. They have used A.D.A.M. to assist themselves in
mastering pronunciation and more accurately identified the size,
shape and attachment sites of the muscles. The graphical images
in A.D.A.M. are clearer and more detailed than those found in the
book which has helped the students visualize the muscles. In
addition, they can move and click the pointer anywhere on the
muscles to determine the size and shape of each muscle, and the
boney landmarks that they attach to. This is particularly helpful for
the larger muscles that have expansive attachment sites. The
students are using Visible Human as a final test to evaluate their
understanding of muscle location in cross sections of an actual
cadaver.
In PESS 349, Human Physiology, the A.D.A.M. muscular and
cardiovascular modules have improved the studentsÕ
understanding of how muscle generates its force and heart
function. The students work independently with the animation
modules demonstrating these principles. This has resulted in the
highest test scores we have ever seen on these topics. We think
that this is directly attributable to A.D.A.M.
5. How were objectives of learning affected (e.g., concept building,
abstractions)?
Preliminary data supports a considerable improvement in
studentÕs compute skills, in mastery of anatomical terminology, in
three dimensional conceptualization of structures (molecular as
well as gross) and in understanding the chemistry and mechanics
of muscle, heart and blood vessel physiology.
The students who were most receptive to using the software
reached a mastery level of understanding much more quickly than
those who did not. In addition, the affective benefit of increased
excitement and enthusiasm was apparent in the computer users.
They were much more likely to eagerly accept challenging
questions which they could answer using the programs. For
instance, if asked to identify all of the organs they, as surgeons,
would encounter in an abdominal approach to the left kidney, the
computer users knew immediately how to get to parasagittal and
axial views of the abdomen. After practice, they became much
more confident of their own three dimensional visualization skills.
6. What are the challenges and benefits of collaborative efforts?
Collaborative efforts involving seven faculty members are, not
surprisingly, difficult. However, the presence of computer stations
in every anatomy laboratory on campus and students and faculty
who have been trained to use and benefit from the software, will
quickly lead to expanded participation.
7. Recommendations and Future Work
7.1 Outline an improved design for curriculum of participating
programs or departments.
A major need to be met in order to expand the use of the anatomy
software programs is improved instructional manuals. This effort is
currently underway and we anticipate its completion by fall.
The anatomy and physiology programs at SCSU have a unique
opportunity to share resources across departmental lines. We are
already collaboratively involved with human cadaver dissection
and plan to expand the collaboration in sharing the particular
perspective each area has in the use of the software programs,
i.e., comparative, medical, mechanical, sports training, etc. In a
seminar format this effort will draw faculty and students from
beyond the anatomy courses.
7.2 Comment on areas of learning that lend themselves to cross-
disciplinary endeavors.
As mentioned above the software programs can be used in a
seminar format (using projection) to do a number of things of
interest. Obvious topics such as the anatomy and injuries of the
foot would attract both human biologists and sport science
students. Other cross-disciplinary interests may also come about.
For instance, in a presentation on phonation, the anatomy
software enables the presented to focus on the larynx, approach
its structures from any of three plans and proceed to the
mechanics of voice production. This seminar would be of interest
to biology and speech pathology students.
7.33 Suggest benefits of continued exchange of knowledge
between departments/disciplines.
During our recent experience in sharing human cadaver
dissection, it has become clear that student (and faculty)
enthusiasm is greatly increased when interaction and sharing of
expertise occurs. We anticipate that collaborative efforts involving
the anatomy software will effect the same results.
7.4 Address potential for permanent academic exchanges
between the parties.
Three separate anatomy courses have been the tradition on our
campus for many years. Since the successful collaborative
cadaver and anatomy grant work, there is some anticipation that
we may be able to even more closely align the resources and
expertise into a common area thus making future collaboration
easier. A common anatomy laboratory with multiple cadavers and
multiple computer stations, open to students studying
biomechanics to premedicine would set the standard for
undergraduate institutions.
FINAL ACCOUNTING OF EXPENDITURES AND JUSTIFICATION
FINAL BUDGET FOR THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
Q-7 GRANT
January 1996
Computer Store
Gateway 2000 Computers (6) $11,100.00
Benjamin Cummings
A.D.A.M. Standard Lab Pack $2,995.00
A.D.A.M. Standard with Studio 652.00
Phys Module--Cardiovascular Sys (2) 501.50
Phys Module--Muscular Sys (2) 501.50
Phys Module--Respiratory (2) 501.50
Shipping 20.00
$5,171.50
IBMPC Direct
Multimedia Home Office--4x CD ROM Drive $424.60
ISA CD ROM Kit 12.10
14V Color Monitor 14Ó 7.50
$856.70
TOTAL $17,428.00
REPLACEMENT SOFTWARE AFTER THEFT
Benjamin Cummings
Phys Module--Cardiovascular Sys (4) $1,003.00
Phys Module--Muscular Sys (2) 501.50
Shipping 4.00
$1,508.50
Micron Biosystems
CD ROM Visible Human Male (2) $ 990.00
Shipping 25.00
$1,015.00
TOTAL $2,523.50
GRAND TOTAL $19,951.70
Our plan put three computers in Halenbeck Hall for the PESS
courses, two stations in the combined anatomy and physiology
laboratory in Math-Science and two in the cadaver anatomy lab in
Brown Hall. Since we had one available PC in the biology
department, we chose to upgrade it to specifications and order six
new computers to stay within the budget. Specific software
selected includes the following:
A.D.A.M. Standard is an interactive graphical program of gross
anatomy of the human body. Students may click on some of the
anatomical structures and hear the structure name pronounced.
This has been very helpful, particularly for students who struggle
with pronunciation. They can also click on all structures to have the
structure name displayed. For beginning students this has proven
to be helpful because the images are larger and clearer than in the
book, and they can explore the full shape and size of the organ or
structures. With some structures that are not clearly defined in the
text, being able to click on any region of an organ helps them
visualize the structure or organ.
A.D.A.M. Studio software allows users to load their own images into
A.D.A.M. for student use or classroom demonstrations. It also
allows the user to alter A.D.A.M. images to suit their needs. Dr.
Street and a graduate student spent one week learning how to use
A.D.A.M. Studio. Because of poor program documentation, the
company was contacted for additional information. A.D.A.M.
informed us that they are aware of the limitations and are working
on improving it. We plan to resume using Studio once the
improvements have been made.
Physiology Modules (Muscular and Cardiovascular) have proven
to be the most effective learning tools in the line of A.D.A.M.
products. A textbook is restricted to sequences of still pictures to
illustrate processes, along with a written description. A.D.A.M. has
animated some of the more important chemical and mechanical
processes that occur in muscle and heart. The students have
been enthusiastic about these modules, and test scores indicate a
deeper level of understanding than ever before. The Respiratory
System Module is not scheduled to be delivered until March 1996.
Also included in our software is the Visible Human Male. This
program became available this summer and represents the format
of human anatomy visualization of the future. It contains more
than 10,000 digital images of a male cadaver in axial, coronal and
sagittal orientations. The images can be used for exploration of
multidimensional relationships or can be used in presentations
with text overlay. Annotated images can be saved to a file and
opened for future use or printing. In contrast to single, static
images programs, the Visible Human can be animated to give
insights as to three dimensional relationships of chosen structures
over a long distance. The studentÕs response to this program has
been excellent. ItÕs authenticity immediately captures their interest.
It is an excellent tool for group exploration of anatomy as one
question leads to another. Future evaluation is planned to further
document the usefulness of this program in the learning of
anatomy.
Future Use of Software
The participants in this project look forward to expanded
incorporation of the software into the everyday workings of the
courses. The response from preliminary use promises significant
rewards for student learning.
APPENDIX
STARTING A.D.A.M. OR VISIBLE HUMAN
1. Turn power switches on for the speakers, computer and monitor.
2. Close the ÔVsafe ManagerÕ window by selecting ÔExitÕ under the
ÔOptionsÕ menu and pressing the OK button.
3. If the A.D.A.M. Standard window is closed, open it by double clicking
on the A.D.A.M. Standard window icon.
4. Put the A.D.A.M. Standard CD into the drive. Open and close the CD
drive by pressing the button.
5. Open the program by double clicking on the appropriate icon:
A.D.A.M., Visible Human, Muscular Module or A.D.A.M. Interactive
Physiology
PRONUNCIATION INSTRUCTIONS
A.D.A.M. Standard
1. Follow the posted instructions to get into 'A.D.A.M. Standard'.
2. Select the desired 'System' from the 'View' menu. For example, for
bone pronunciations select 'Skeletal System'.
3. Click the size box symbol (up arrow head) in the upper right corner of
the window to enlarge it.
4. Enlarge the anatomical structures by clicking on the 'Zoom' button and
selecting 'Zoom In'. Then move the magnifying lens cursor out to the
image and click once.
5. Select the 'Identify' tool.
6. Point and click on a structure, and select 'Pronounce structure name'.
7. Use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars as needed to view the
structures of interest.
8. To quit, select 'Exit' from the 'File' menu.
MUSCLE EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
A.D.A.M. Standard
1. Follow the posted instructions to get into 'A.D.A.M. Standard'.
2. Select 'Full Anatomy' from the 'View' menu.
3. Click 'Navigator' button in the upper left corner if the Navigator
window silhouette is not visible.
4. Click the 'Find' button that is located on the left of the screen.
5. Type the full name of the muscle (e.g. Quadratus Lumborum)
6. Choose 'Detailed Search' and click 'Find'.
7. Choose the desired view (A=Anterior,...) for male or female.
8. Click the 'Go' button. (Note: You may have to use the
'Navigator' to find the muscle.)
9. Identify the shape, size and attachment sites of each muscle by pointing
and clicking on the image. (You may use the 'Magnify' tool to
change the size of the picture.)
10. To get a different view of the same muscle, click the 'Find' button and
choose the desired view of the same muscle and click the 'Go' button.
11. Return to step 4 to select a different muscle.
NOTE! Names of the following muscles are different in A.D.A.M. Standard
compared with your textbook.
Textbook A.D.A.M.
Biceps brachii Biceps
External oblique External abdominal oblique
Internal oblique Internal abdominal oblique
Rhomboid major Rhomboideus major
Rhomboid minor Rhomboideus minor
Triceps brachii Triceps
VISIBLE HUMAN INSTRUCTIONS
Work in small groups (<4 people) and develop a key for each of the four
cross sectional views. Several
muscles have been numbered on each cross section. Turn in your keys on the
due date.
Steps to display one of the cross sectional views.
Bookmark (Menu)
Open (Menu item)
pe248.bmk (item in list)
Bookmark (Menu)
Select (Menu item)
One of the following files (shoulder.sagg, shoulder.axial, thigh
axial, hips sagittal)
File (Menu)
View Image (Menu item)
Annotation (Menu)
Open (Menu item)
Pick file corresponding to your view
To select the next cross sectional view.
Image (Menu)
Close (Menu item)
Then repeat the steps listed above.
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