The use of dragster® software to reinforce learning for webducate

Background
Anatomy has always been one of the more difficult subjects to teach.
Recently, Interactive Digital Media has helped to provide new ways to study anatomy: Self Directed Learning, which is based in interactive programs
However, some students still experience problems with this less structured approach to learning.

Background
Wide range of innovative resources to support anatomy teaching
Dissection videos
Interactive powerpoints
Potcasts,
Plastinated specimens, etc.
However, students request the provision of some form of feedback to provide reassurance that they are on the right track

Goal : to describe and evaluate the use of Dragster® to reinforce Self Learning of Veterinary Anatomical structures - Interactivity - Autoevaluation

Method
The present work is based in two facts
Strategic collaborations between teaching institutions.
A recent software: Dragster ® (Webducate)

Collaborations :
Veterinary Faculty in Murcia (Spain) & the RVC (London, England).
Interactive bilingual programs
Development of plastination material
Veterinary Faculty in Murcia and the Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre (Caceres, Spain)
Teaching and research in animal models for minimally invasive surgery

What is Dragster ® ?
A new software launched by Webducate, to enhance interactive learning experiences through the use of “drag and drop” activities.
Works over images or videos
Available by subscription (≈ 50 Euros/year).

How does Dragster ® work?
Activities created from pictures or videos
Straight forward menu (≈ 20-30 min/activity)
Publication of the activity (4 files): Web page or Learning Environment (Blackboard, Moodle, etc).
Examples:
Example 1: Horse leg lateral dissection
Example 2: Dog abdominal laparoscopy video

Creation of activities based on images of bones, dissections, radiographs, CT, MR and laparoscopy videos.
A set of activities was trialled with students
Veterinary Faculty of Murcia (UMU):
10 activities of the pelvic limb
85 students
10 days before examination
Royal Veterinary College (RVC):
5 activities of the pelvic limb
22 students.
10 days after examination
At the end students were asked to fulfil a Survey Sheet
Experimental design

Survey on Dragster use
Give your opinion about the ACTIVITIES
1= No at all
2= A little
3= Indifference
4= Quite a bit
5= A lot
Entertaining
Motivating
Help self-directed learning
Easy to use
Compliment dissections
Compliment the theory
Give your opinion about the FEED-BACK QUESTIONS
Easy to answer
Useful for revising
Usseful for helping me pass the exam

Survey on Dragster use
Other topics: (Yes or Not)
Would you have used these activities for revising before your exams?
Would you like to have access to these sort of activities as a part of the teaching plan?

RESULTS
Evaluation of Activities
Not at all A little Indiference Quite a bit A lot

RESULTS Not at all A little Indiference Quite a bit A lot

RESULTS

RESULTS
Evaluation of Feed-Back Questions

RESULTS
Would you have used these activities for revising before your exams? Yes 100 %
Would you like to have access to these sort of activities as a part of the teaching plan? Yes 100%

Conclusions:
The development of interactive drag and drop activities with Dragster ® has proved relatively straightforward.
Feedback from learners indicates that these materials are valued by students as a useful facility to enhance self directed learning in Veterinary Anatomy.
Collaboration between two different educational institutions has provided an efficient process to simultaneously create the same content for students in different countries giving the product a wide readership.

The use of dragster® software to reinforce learning for webducate

by carcali on Oct 03, 2010

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