Exhibits facilitate histology laboratory instruction: student evaluation of learning resources.

Full Abstract

Some professional schools have replaced microscopes for histology laboratory instruction with printed and electronic media. It is recognized that these media cannot replace experience with the microscope and that there is a cognitive dissonance of completely replacing microscope study. In addition, students believe that their time is not optimally used in the traditional histology laboratory. Therefore, at Loma Linda University, nine weekly microscope exhibits consisting of 10-15 slides each were prepared. For each exhibited slide, a one page "atlas" is provided, consisting of labeled low- and high-power color micrographs taken from that slide and an informative legend. By referring to the atlas, the student can easily identify the exact field and the labeled features with little help from an instructor. A live or taped video demonstration of the microscope exhibit is available on the first day of the exhibit. During the eighth week of the quarter, students were asked to evaluate the various learning resources available to them. No resource was valued significantly more than the microscope exhibits, but the video demonstrations were valued significantly more than the printed black and white atlas or the color atlas on CD. These exhibits have been used for 2 years to instruct a class of 90 dental students. Advantages are (1) students' time is used efficiently, (2) only one slide set and a fourth as many microscopes need be maintained compared with a traditional laboratory, and (3) one-of-a-kind slides derived from research activities provide for high impact learning. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Author information

Author/s: McMillan, P J (PJ);

Affiliation: Department of Pathology and Human Anatomy, Loma Linda University, CA 92350, USA. pmcmillan(-atsign-)som.llu.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: The Anatomical record (Anat Rec), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2001-Oct; vol 265 (issue 5) : pp 222-7

Dates: Created 2001/12/17; Completed 2002/01/30; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 11745106, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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