Design And Implementation Of A Web-Based, Database-Driven Histology Atlas: Technology At Work

THE ANATOMICAL RECORD (PART B: NEW ANAT.) 289B:176 –183, 2006

ARTICLE

Design and Implementation of a Web-Based, Database-Driven Histology Atlas: Technology at Work
SANJAY G. PATEL, BENJAMIN P. ROSENBAUM, DAVIN W. CHARK,
AND

H. WAYNE LAMBERT*

At Vanderbilt University, the “Human Cell and Tissue Biology” course is a required lecture and laboratory course with 2 full-time instructorsand 106 students. To address demands placed on faculty for individual attention, an interactive Web-based histology atlas was developed and implemented in January 2005. This atlas was specifically designed to complement the existing laboratory manual and to transform the manual into an interactive educational tool whereby students could view high-resolution images of histological specimens online.By utilizing a computer scripting language, interactive highlighting of histological structures was accomplished through the implementation of a simple mouse-rollover function. This computer-aided instruction software allows students to preview histological structures of interest prior to entering the laboratory, to have additional faculty-directed contact hours during laboratory, and to reviewmaterial efficiently. The conversion of the originally developed static application into a database-driven tool streamlined the development and modification of the atlas while facilitating the creation of advanced features. Six weeks after launching this interactive atlas, Vanderbilt medical students logged 1,200 hr of use. Through the cooperative efforts of faculty and students, the interactive atlasevolved to meet the educational demands of medical students owing to the development and implementation of a database structure. The functionality and educational value of the interactive atlas in facilitating self-learning was ultimately measured by positive student feedback and use. Anat Rec (Part B: New Anat) 289B:176 –183, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. KEY WORDS: medical education; cellbiology; tissue biology; virtual atlas; virtual microscopy; microscopic anatomy; computer-assisted instruction; interactive; computer-assisted learning; Web-based learning; database

INTRODUCTION
Teaching the basic sciences to undergraduate medical students with different learning styles and educational backgrounds has often challenged
Mr. Patel and Mr. Rosenbaum are thirdyear medical students atVanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSOM). Mr. Chark is a fourth-year medical student at VUSOM. Dr. Lambert is an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, where he teaches medical and dental students gross anatomy, embryology, neuroanatomy, and histology. *Correspondence to: H. Wayne Lambert,University of Louisville Health Science Center, Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, Office 916, Building A, 500 South Preston Street, Louisville, KY 40202. Fax: 502-852-6228; E-mail: wayne.lambert@louisville.edu DOI 10.1002/ar.b.20112 Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).

medical educators, particularly given the decline in the number of properly trainedbasic science faculty (Cottam, 1999; Drake et al., 2002; Qayumi et al., 2004; McCuskey et al., 2005; Sritharan, 2005). In response to such obstacles, many schools have implemented computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to meet the demands of their technology savvy students, to present alternative study tools, and to compensate for decreased contact hours without sacrificing instructional content (Marsand McLean, 1996; McLean, 2000; Cotter, 2001). The role of CAI in medical education has increased significantly in the past decade, especially in the courses that emphasize visual learning (anatomy, histology, and neurosciences) (Heidger et al., 2002; Nieder and Nagy, 2002; Letterie, 2003; McNulty et al., 2004; Sinav and Ambron, 2004; Foreman et al., 2005; Lei et al., 2005).

More recently, the...