Virtual Microscopy: A Useful Tool for Meeting Evolving Challenges in the Veterinary Medical Curriculum

Meta-analysis and review of learner performance and preference: virtual versus optical microscopy

“…Whereas some studies have reported students advocating for the elimination of OM, 6,44-46 others have indicated a preference for the interchangeable use of VM and OM. In general, authors express hesitation about the complete elimination of OM, citing: (i) students' need to develop proficient microscope skills for future coursework and clinical practice; 6,43,[49][50][51][52][53][54][55] (ii) a preference for realistic slides rather than 'textbook-quality' virtual slides, 45,52,54 and (iii) the inadequate fine focus and illumination/contrast capabilities of VM systems. 43,45,48,51,54 Not only are some educators critical of this last point, but so too are clinical pathologists and regulatory agencies.…”

“…Kumar et al, 43 Krippendorf & Lough, 52 Boutonnat et al, 66 Glatz-Krieger et al, 67 Kumar et al, 68 Mills et al, 53 Neel et al, 7 Scoville & Buskirk, 11 Braun & Kearns, 15 Farah & Maybury, 6 Weaker & Herbert, 47 Maybury & Farah, 44 Sivamalai et al, 38 Camparo et al, 5 Bonser et al, 64 Bowa & Anderson, 65 Kogan et al 51 Slides selected for their educational quality can be viewed by multiple students simultaneously (including slides that were once too scarce or too valuable to be used) Blake et al, 46 Dee et al, 70 Kumar et al, 43 Krippendorf & Lough, 52 Boutonnat et al, 66 Glatz-Krieger et al, 67 Mills et al, 53 Pinder et al, 10 Farah & Maybury, 6 Husmann et al, 8 Weaker & Herbert, 47 F onyad et al, 50 Fontelo et al, 69 Solberg, 54 Bonser et al, 64 Kogan et al 51 Virtual slides can be accessed outside the classroom (anytime/anywhere) Dee et al, 70 Kumar et al, 43 Mills et al, 53 Pinder et al, 10 Farah & Maybury, 6 Maybury & Farah, 44 Sivamalai et al, 38 McCready & Jham, 71 Kogan et al, 51 Tian et al…”

“…Students may no longer be trained in how to use light microscopes Harris et al, 13 Marchevsky et al, 55 Kumar et al, 43 Krippendorf & Lough, 52 Mills et al, 53 Neel et al, 7 Scoville & Buskirk, 11 Farah & Maybury, 6 Husmann et al, 8 Koch et al, 19 F onyad et al, 50 Solberg, 54 Kogan et al, 51 Tian et al 62 Technology-related issues may be problematic (e.g. servers, image quality/resolution, Wi-Fi connectivity, loss of focal planes, etc.…”

The “flipped classroom” approach: Stimulating positive learning attitudes and improving mastery of histology among medical students

“…Recently, new techniques have been gradually introduced into histology education, including virtual microscopy laboratories and online virtual microscopy. These tools are quite popular among many medical schools, including those in China, although each has its own unique design and characteristic requirements (Filipiak et al, ; Kogan et al, ; Mione et al, ). The School of Medicine at Jinan University has been among the first of the universities in China to make full use of virtual microscopy for histology education.…”

The Pathologist 2.0: An Update on Digital Pathology in Veterinary Medicine

“…66,76 Digital Pathology for Educational Purposes Traditionally, histopathology and cytopathology have been taught using LM and glass slides for every student, static and dynamic images, multiheaded microscopes, or video microscopy. 15,34,62 All of these educational tools have disadvantages: access to light microscopes and glass slides is restricted to specific time and places; in static images, it is impossible to zoom in or out and explore the surrounding tissue; multiheaded microscopes allow the examination of slides only in small groups; and video microscopy often is of inferior quality and handling is cumbersome. 15,62 More recently, VM has been identified as an excellent alternative method to teach and examine in histopathology and is increasingly implemented in many veterinary faculties in the curriculum of histopathology, histology, and parasitology as a tool for lectures, self-directed learning, and practical examinations.…”