138 - Effectiveness of Using Online Anatomical Variation-based Extended Reality Cases on the Learning Outcomes and Knowledge Retention

Poster Board Number: 138
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Introduction and Objective: There are unique challenges to facilitating and mastering anatomy learning in particular, given the importance of understanding complex spatial arrangements. The use of extended reality (XR) technology has been shown to complement traditional learning methods in anatomy. This study aimed to develop and implement anatomical variation-based extended reality cases, and assess student perceptions and learning outcomes.
Materials and Methods: The case preparation phase of this project involved gathering MRI data from selected donors at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). Volunteer first-year medical students from the JABSOM class of 2024 (n=61) and 2025 (n=67) were included in the study for two years consecutively. All participants received an email explaining the purpose of this activity 3 days prior to the laboratory session. During the gross anatomy laboratory, students accessed the Anatomy XRCore website directing them to anatomical variation-based cases consisting of learning objectives, clinical, radiological, and pathologic reports enriched with 3D artificial and segmented models, and 3D donor MRIs. A quantitative assessment of 12 questions measuring remembering, understanding, and application was given before, immediately after, and 8 weeks later than the anatomical variation-based extended reality case presentation. Students also received a qualitative feedback survey comprised of either bimodal or Likert-based (5-point) and short answer questions. The one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the assessment outcomes.
Results: The results of the ANOVA indicated that the case study had a significant effect on student test scores, Wilk's Lambda =.38, F (2,59) = 47.27, p < 0.001 for the first year and, Wilk's Lambda =.30, F (2,65) = 72.72, p < 0.001 for the second year. Follow-up pairwise comparisons indicated that there was a significant increase in scores from the pre-test to the post-test (p< 0.001) and from the pre-test to the post-post test (p< 0.001) for both years suggesting that the case study had an effect on student learning outcomes and knowledge retention.
Conclusion: Results from two years suggest that the anatomical variation-based extended reality cases had a positive impact on student learning outcomes and knowledge retention.
Significance/Implication: Incorporating multimodal resources into the gross anatomy laboratory was perceived positively by the students and enhanced short and long-term learning outcomes. This opens the possibility that XR technology can be used to benefit medical students’ educational goals.