BodyViz in Education

Ease of use with an Xbox controller, along with clear visuals and an array of functions, make BodyViz an ideal fit for educational institutions to teach and engage students in health and anatomy. Two-dimensional images such as in textbooks can't provide the 3D spatial relationships rendered by  technology like BodyViz.  In turn, this visualization technology allows students to retain more information and improve their understanding, while instructors use less time teaching complex anatomical structures. The depth of understanding required of students is not possible with lectures, readings, cookbook labs, and plug-and-chug problem solving. Students must be actively investigating: designing experiments, observing, questioning, exploring, making and testing hypotheses, making and comparing predictions, evaluating data, and communicating and defending conclusions. Research on the learning benefits of using 3D in the classroom is ongoing, but early findings indicate that focus, attention span, retention, classroom behavior, and achievement gains are all seeing improvement. In a study conducted by researchers from the International Research Agency, students were tested before and after a lesson with a control group learning with traditional resources only. On average, 86% of students in 3D classrooms improved in test results, compared to 52% of students using traditional teaching methods. The study also found that attention levels rose significantly, with 92% of the class paying attention during the 3D lessons compared to 46% in the traditional learning environment. Teachers adopt the 3D technology because it provides a fun, interactive tool that helps them teach while keeping the student's attention.  BodyViz is currently a main software component in the Virtual Reality Education Pathfinder (VREP) project which is bringing 3D stereoscopic BodyViz to Iowa high schools.  VREP anticipates that BodyViz will be implemented at 400 Iowa high schools with the intention to expand nationally.  Jack Harris of Rockwell Collins and a leader of the project, says:

"...studies show the human mind is only able to observe 100 bits per second for a written task, in comparison to a visual task where the mind observes over a million bits.  This allows students to not only absorb the learning better, but also to retain the information as well - such is the argument for learning STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts visually rather than from a textbook."

For more information on the Virtual Reality Education Pathfinder visit www.vrep.org.

While VREP is making the push for virtual reality in high schools, BodyViz has also found success in institutions of higher education.  Dr. Jon Jackson, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of North Dakota says...

"Most of my students have grown up with game controllers," says Dr. Jon Jackson, an anatomy professor and medical education researcher at the University of North Dakota. "The capabilities that BodyViz literally puts at their fingertips promises to show a profound effect on their engagement with the material." Jackson will compare the performance on standardized tests of students exposed to a traditional, lecture based anatomy course with students who are involved in guided-inquiry in the SCALE -UP room, using resources such as BodyViz to facilitate their understanding of anatomy.

"One unifying feature in our lecture and laboratory courses with these students is the use of clinical anatomical images from CT or MRI scans," says Jackson. "The ease with which I learned to work my way through my DICOM database using BodyViz suggests my tech-savvy students are going to have a great experience learning 3D anatomy."

Jackson notes that he is using BodyViz with baccalaureate level undergraduate students. "We are working to increase the engagement and overall understanding of cadaver anatomy in students through the use of clinical anatomical images. If we can teach our students hoping to be better coaches and athletic trainers more effectively with this material, just imagine what kind of an impact this will have with our medical students."

VREP student using BodyViz in stereoscopic 3D

Students at Van Meter use BodyViz in stereoscopic at a recent training session