Immersive Virtual Reality is a Game Changer for Anatomy Education
Editorial by Derek Harmon, PhD
Derek is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
While the use of extended reality (XR) within higher education has steadily increased in popularity since the launch of the Oculus Rift headset in 2013, there has been an ongoing debate between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) as the ideal learning platform. As an early adopter of XR technology in anatomy education, I quickly noticed a key metric that seemed important in the efficacy of these tools: immersion. Immersive environments create an experience where students’ eyes and attention are singularly focused on what is in front of them. A new meta-analysis of XR anatomy training studies highlights immersion as a dominant factor in improvement of anatomy knowledge scores.
Salimi et al., (2024) published “Efficacy of virtual reality and augmented reality in anatomy education: A systematic review and meta-analysis” in Anatomical Sciences Education. In this meta-analysis the authors focused on the impact of AR and VR on the knowledge, attitude, and skill levels of learners in the field of anatomy compared with “traditional” learning methods. In order for a study to be analyzed by Salimi et al. (inclusion criteria) they had to: 1) be randomized controlled trials; 2) utilize VR or AR; 3) show no significant differences in any pre-experiment assessments between learners in the control and experimental groups; and 4) be published after 2005. After their thorough review of the literature, the authors found 17 studies focused solely on VR (and 1 study focused on AR and VR together) for inclusion in the meta-analysis.
A human arm, imaged via computed tomography (CT), gives students a chance to study the complexity of the bone structures and arteries.
First, looking at AR, the study found that AR had no impact on anatomy learning compared to traditional teaching methods. This suggests that AR has no advantage over traditional learning methods (textbooks, 2D images, and 3D models). This result was also found in a previous meta-analysis conducted by Moro et al. (2021). One of the features that all AR technologies for education lack is the inability to create an immersive environment. In a world with a shorter and shorter attention spans, the ability to eliminate all distractions for our students may be a silver bullet for education.
The Visible Human Dataset, rendered in syGlass, gives anatomy students a new perspective on the internal structures of the human body.
On the other hand, the study found that VR had a significant effect on increasing knowledge scores in anatomy compared to “traditional” teaching methods. Similarly, students that utilized VR for anatomy evaluated the software to be significantly more “useful” compared to traditional methods. In addition, the authors found that when students used VR for 30 minutes or more, their knowledge scores were significantly higher. When separating the data to look at “immersive” vs. “non-immersive” VR learning experiences, immersive VR significantly improved anatomy scores, while non-immersive software had no impact. The findings of this meta-analysis were similar to those published by Zhao et al., (2020), which found VR improved test scores compared to traditional methods.
Meta-analyses provide a summary of data from independent studies to see if there are any trends. This provides the scientific community with a better way to understand a specific field of research. It is clear that VR provides students with a unique and effective method to learn anatomy. A quote from the article’s conclusion summarizes the ideal VR anatomy software: “Based on the findings of the subgroup analysis, interactive immersive VR with high usability, low side effects, and high-quality simulated models seems to be the most suitable type of VR tool for anatomy education.”
