Enhancing histology education: Iranian medical students' experience with eHistoLab web-application virtual microscopy

Histology education relies on the visual interpretation of microscopic structures and requires repeated practice for effective learning. Advances in educational technology, particularly virtual microscopy, have created new opportunities for improving histology education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning approaches became essential alternatives to traditional laboratory-based teaching. This study aimed to compare the effects of the eHistoLab web application and conventional e-lecturing on students' learning outcomes and perceptions in histology education among medical sciences students in Iran.

This quasi-experimental study used a two-group pre-test/post-test design. A total of 100 medical, dentistry, and pharmacy students enrolled in a histology course at Smart University of Medical Sciences (SMUMS), Iran, during the summer semester of 2023 participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups. One group received instruction through e-lecturing, while the other group was taught using the eHistoLab web application, a bilingual virtual microscopy platform providing access to high-resolution histological slides, image magnification, search functions, and interactive communication with instructors. Learning outcomes were assessed using pre- and post-tests, and data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests in SPSS version 24.

The findings revealed that 50% of students preferred virtual microscopy alone for learning histology, while 30% preferred a combination of methods, and 20% preferred e-lecturing alone. Regarding educational resources, 58% of students preferred the eHistoLab application, whereas 26% preferred textbooks and 16% preferred recorded e-lectures. Meantime, 62% of students preferred the eHistoLab tool in terms of motivation for learning histology, whereas 30% preferred the combined approach and 8% favored recorded e-lectures. Moreover, the results indicated that the post-test scores in the group taught with the eHistoLab web application were significantly higher than those in the e-lecturing group (P < 0.001).

The findings of this study suggest that the eHistoLab web application improved students' learning outcomes and was positively perceived as a learning tool in histology education. Virtual microscopy may therefore serve as a useful complementary approach to lecture-based histology teaching.