Developing the NERVE center: an immersive VR enabled Neuroanatomy E-learning platform
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The School of Anatomy - Dr Denis Barry, Dr Eric Downer, Caitlin Kane, Claire Murphy
Objective
Neurophobia is a fear of neurology and neurological diseases, and manifests in medical students and young doctors as a reluctance or inability to utilize their neurological knowledge in clinical settings. Neuroanatomy is a core syllabus in health sciences education; however, due to its complexity and sheer scope, neuroanatomy is the key contributor to neurophobia. The aim of this proposal is to develop an immersive VR enabled E-learning platform, the NERVE center, designed to retain the extraordinary educational value of our annually donated human brain specimens, and evaluate the impact of the platform as an inclusive learning tool. The NERVE center will reduce the pedagogical space between the basic and clinical sciences and function across all student cohorts to promote inclusion and equality of learning in anatomy.
Timeline
June-August 2024
- Building the NERVE centre, which includes developing the platform itself and the 3D neuroanatomical models of the donated brains.
September-December 2024
- Assessing perceptions of prior neuroanatomy students towards a novel 3D platform for neuroanatomical education.
January 2025-January 2026
- Integrating the VR enabled learning material into the neuroanatomy curriculum.
January-April 2025
- Assessing the impact of the NERVE centre on student learning with post-intervention feedback questionnaires and semi-structured focus groups.
Progress
The initial development of the NERVE centre is complete and all three surveys have passed ethical review, so a survey polling prior neuroanatomy students’ opinions on this 3D platform’s potential to promote inclusivity in neuroanatomical education is currently underway. The next stage is to evaluate the impact of the NERVE centre on student learning during neuroanatomy instruction this term.
Accompanying Materials
Follow the link below to learn more about the NERVE center: