Effectiveness of a Radiographic Anatomy Software Application for Enhancing Learning of Veterinary Radiographic...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Anatomy
• Medical Education Technology
• Radiology

Background:

• Veterinary students require robust understanding of canine radiographic anatomy.
• Traditional anatomy education methods may benefit from supplementary digital tools.
• Interactive software offers a novel approach to learning complex anatomical structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a newly developed interactive radiology software application.
• To determine if the software enhances the learning of normal canine radiographic anatomy.
• To assess the impact of the software on student performance in anatomical quizzes.

Main Methods:

• A pre-test-post-test experimental design was employed with first-year veterinary students.
• The software featured four body regions (limb, skull/spine, thorax/abdomen) with learning and quiz modes.
• Students completed quizzes before and after utilizing the software's learning mode for 30 minutes per region.

Main Results:

• Post-learning mode quiz scores showed statistically significant improvement across all four body regions (p<.001).
• The software demonstrated a large effect size (Cohen's d=0.83-1.56) for all regions, indicating substantial learning gains.
• All students experienced higher scores after engaging with the software's learning module.

Conclusions:

• The interactive radiology software is an effective educational tool for learning normal canine radiographic anatomy.
• The application significantly boosts student comprehension and retention of anatomical details.
• Digital learning solutions can positively impact veterinary medical education outcomes.