The use of a QTVR image database for teaching veterinary radiology and diagnostic ultrasound to distance education students

Abstract

The result of the project described in this paper is an innovative use of Quicktime Virtual Reality (QTVR) for display and manipulation of veterinary radiographs and ultrasound images, within a database developed for use in the Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging unit of the Master of Veterinary Studies at Murdoch University. One of the aims of this project was to find an alternative for the bulky sets of radiographs used by external students for their case based coursework and assessment activities. The QTVR solution provides a means by which students can move and zoom within images, resize images and compare images side by side. QTVR also allows important areas of images to be highlighted by hotspots, allowing annotation of images, which is helpful for assisting external students. Some of the priorities of this project were to maintain the detail and the depth of the hard copy radiographs in the QTVR images, to simulate the problem solving process used in reading radiographs, and to improve the learning outcomes by highlighting and annotating important areas of images. It was hoped that this solution would provide a more cost effective and convenient method of delivery of large numbers of images to external students. In the subsequent cost benefit analysis, it was found that the innovation described here offers many economic advantages to the School of Veterinary Clinical Science.