Histology Course Research Articles

Perceived Enablers of and Barriers to Serious Game as Oral Histology Learning Strategy for Undergraduate Dental Students.

Previously, we reported the serious game HistoRM as an innovative learning approach for an oral histology course. This study aimed to examine the impact of HistoRM on summative assessment and the enablers and barriers factors affecting HistoRM as an interactive learning strategy in an oral histology course. A crossover randomized controlled trial was performed. Study participants were first-year dental students at the Universitas Indonesia. The average final grades of students who participated in HistoRM serious game were significantly higher than those of students who did not participate in this trial (p < 0.001). Positive responses of HistoRM were observed in the learning content, games and learning experience domains. The enabler factors most recognized by the students were the game method, which helped students to understand the learning materials; the immediate feedback provided following each gameplay; as well as the fun and interesting gameplay. The barrier factors most recognized by the students were some challenges of the gameplay, which resulted in a longer time needed to study. While the HistoRM serious game can stimulate student motivation and engagement in learning oral histology, overcoming the barriers is essential for the implementation of serious games as a complementary learning approach in the dental curriculum.

Impact of an E-Learning Histology Course on the Satisfaction and Performance of Medical, Nursing and Midwifery Students

Impact of an E-Learning Histology Course on the Satisfaction and Performance of Medical, Nursing and Midwifery Students

Formative peer evaluation instrument for a team-based learning course: Content and construct validity

Purpose Team-based learning (TBL) is an evidence-based approach to promote teamwork. Peer evaluation (PE) is an essential component to shape future team engagement and promote reflection. As PEs vary in use, implementation, and assessment, this study establishes the content and construct validity of a formative PE tool for a TBL course. Methods A ten-item instrument was developed based on a comprehensive review of PE literature and was critically edited by a team of experienced educators. Each student in a graduate histology course rated peers at two timepoints on a scale from Never to Always (0–3). The instrument’s factor structure was analyzed by dividing the response set (D1 and D2); with D1 utilized for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and D2 for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach’s alpha assessed internal consistency. Results Data from 158 students across four cohorts were included in the analyses (D1, D2 = 972). A three-factor solution had good overall internal consistency (alpha = 0.82), and within the subscales ranged from 0.67 to 0.81. The factor structures were resonant with existing literature on (1) preparation, (2) providing feedback, and (3) feedback receptivity and attitude. Conclusion This study establishes evidence of content and construct validity of a formative PE instrument for a TBL course.

Early practice makes histology masters: The use of a formative assessment quiz to prepare histology learners for a high-stakes final examination.

Assessment of learners in the anatomical sciences is a complex task as it not only tests students' fact knowledge, but also the analysis of visual information. Sometimes, novice histology learners must acquire image recognition skills of microscopic structures in a short time frame. This paper describes a strategy of offering first year dental students at the University of Michigan a short, non-grade contributing, formative assessment quiz in order to better prepare them for a high-stakes, final summative histology examination. Data collected over 7 years indicate that students, who made use of this formative assessment opportunity, performed significantly better in their summative examination than students, who did not. Especially early practice quiz users profited most. Students, who used the practice quiz until they achieved a perfect score, also had statistically higher final examination scores. Students, who did not use the practice quiz, had a significantly lower cumulative D1-year Grade Point Average (D1-GPA) than students, who did, indicating that academically weaker students often underuse supporting learning resources. In general, scores from the Dental Admission Test (DAT) were weak predictors of learning success in the DENT 510 histology course. In contrast, the D1-GPA values had a medium strength positive correlation with final histology examination scores. The major problem that was encountered with this practice quiz strategy was that many students waited until close to the day of the final examination before taking advantage of this feedback opportunity, thereby reducing its potential benefit for improving their overall learning strategy for histology.

Transfer of learning in histology: Insights from a longitudinal study.

All anatomical educators hope that students apply past training to both similar and new tasks. This two-group longitudinal study investigated the development of such transfer of learning in a histology course. After 0, 10, and 20 sessions of the 10-week-long course, medical students completed theoretical tasks, examined histological slides trained in the course (retention task), and unfamiliar histological slides (transfer task). The results showed that students in the histology group gradually outperformed the control group in all tasks, especially in the second half of the course, η2 = 0.268 (p < 0.001). The best predictor of final transfer performance was students' retention performance after 10 sessions, β = 0.32 (p = 0.028), and theoretical knowledge after 20 sessions, β = 0.46 (p = 0.003). Results of eye tracking methodology further revealed that the histology group engaged in greater "visual activity" when solving transfer tasks, as indicated by an increase in the total fixation count, η2 = 0.103 (p = 0.014). This longitudinal study provides evidence that medical students can use what they learn in histology courses to solve unfamiliar problems but cautions that positive transfer effects develop relatively late in the course. Thus, course time and the complex relationship between theory, retention, and transfer holds critical implications for anatomical curricula seeking to foster the transfer of learning.

Validating instructional design and predicting student performance in histology education: Using machine learning via virtual microscopy.

As a part of modern technological environments, virtual microscopy enriches histological learning, with support from large institutional investments. However, existing literature does not supply empirical evidence of its role in improving pedagogy. Virtual microscopy provides fresh opportunities for investigating user behavior during the histology learning process, through digitized histological slides. This study establishes how students' perceptions and user behavior data can be processed and analyzed using machine learning algorithms. These also provide predictive data called learning analytics that enable predicting students' performance and behavior favorable for academic success. This information can be interpreted and used for validating instructional designs. Data on the perceptions, performances, and user behavior of 552 students enrolled in a histology course were collected from the virtual microscope, Cytomine®. These data were analyzed using an ensemble of machine learning algorithms, the extra-tree regression method, and predictive statistics. The predictive algorithms identified the most pertinent histological slides and descriptive tags, alongside 10 types of student behavior conducive to academic success. We used these data to validate our instructional design, and align the educational purpose, learning outcomes, and evaluation methods of digitized histological slides on Cytomine®. This model also predicts students' examination scores, with an error margin of <0.5 out of 20 points. The results empirically demonstrate the value of a digital learning environment for both students and teachers of histology.

Rethinking Learning Experience: How Generally Perceived Life Stress Influences Students' Course Perceptions in Different Learning Environments.

Previous research work has already demonstrated that both the form of teaching as well as different teaching methods directly influence students' learning experience along with their psychobiological responses at the endocrine and autonomic level. Aiming to gain deeper insights into the constitution of the learning experience, this study examined the influence of external factors such as generally perceived life stress and self-efficacy on the immediate learning experience in different learning environments. Therefore, a randomized experimental field study was conducted in which both psychological constructs and physiological data (heart rate variability) were collected from healthy first-year medical students (n = 101) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to determine the consistency of the effects across various teaching formats, the same content of a practical histology course was carried out in a face-to-face setting as well as in passive and active online teaching. While self-efficacy was a strong predictor for positive course perceptions in all learning conditions (Pearson's r = 0.41-0.58), generally perceived worries correlated with higher anxiety during passive online learning and face-to-face learning (Pearson's r = 0.21-0.44), a finding supported by the negative correlation between the level of perceived life demands and enjoyment during the learning unit (Pearson's r = -0.40--0.43). Here, we additionally report initial evidence pointing towards the role of reduced general life stress as a resilience factor for the expression of physiological stress parameters in an academic context (small-sized effect; Pearson's r = 0.18). The data gathered in this study illustrate the relevance of emerging emotional manifestations-either aversive; negative effect or positive; protective effect-for the immediate learning process and thus establish a connection between medical education and the importance of mental health and wellbeing-especially discussed against the background of current social and political challenges in increasingly complex societal structures.

Trajectories of liver fibrosis and gene expression profiles in NAFLD associated with diabetes.

Understanding the mechanisms linking steatosis to fibrosis is needed to establish a promising therapy against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aims to clarify clinical features and hepatic gene expression signatures that predict and contribute to liver fibrosis development during the long-term real-world histological course of NAFLD subjects with and without diabetes. A pathologist scored 342 serial liver biopsy samples from 118 subjects clinically diagnosed with NAFLD during a 3.8 years (SD 3.45, maximum 15 years) course of clinical treatment (UMIN; Clinical Trials Registry, no. UMIN000035231). At the initial biopsy, 26 subjects had simple fatty liver, and 92 had nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In the trend analysis, the Fibrosis-4 index (P < 0.001) and its components at baseline predicted the future fibrosis progression. In the generalized linear mixed model, an increase in HbA1c, but not BMI, was significantly associated with fibrosis progression (0.17 [0.009-0.326]; P = 0.038) for NAFLD subjects with diabetes. In gene set enrichment analyses, the pathways involved in hepatocytes zone 3, central liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (LSEC), stellate cells, and plasma cells were coordinately altered in association with fibrosis progression and HbA1c elevation. Therefore, in NAFLD subjects with diabetes, HbA1c elevation is significantly associated with liver fibrosis progression, independent of weight gain, which may be a valuable therapeutic target to prevent the pathological progression of NASH. Gene expression profiles suggest that diabetes-induced hypoxia and oxidative stress injure LSEC injury in zone 3, which may mediate inflammation and stellate cell activation, leading to liver fibrosis.

Cumulative Effects of Histology Course on Pathology Curriculum: A Dental Student’s Perspective

Aim: The way students perceive and express their thoughts significantly influences their success in academics. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the first-year general histology course influences medical students' perceptions of pathology in the second year of dental school. The survey assessed students' perspectives on studying the body, their opinions on their initial year's histology and subsequent year's pathology courses, and their sentiments regarding the integration of these classes. Method: It was a cross-sectional study conducted using a questionnaire. A five-point likert scale was used. 250 questionnaires were distributed among the dental students of private and government dental college from 2nd year. Out of 250 questionnaires that were disturbed 220 were responded. Sampling type was convenient sampling. Dental students perspective was the main objective hence target population were 2nd year dental students. Pre- tested questionnaire was utilized. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the data. Result: The data was collected from second year students of private and government dental colleges. Questionnaire was generated using Goggle Forms. A 30 items, self-administrated questionnaires was used. Out of the 220 students 99 were boys (45%) the rest 121(55%) students were girls. The mean age of the participants was 20.12 years (SD = 0.86). Out of which 165 (75%) students recognizes the importance of histology and pathology course. 57% participants considered that the integration of these two courses will bring about a positive change. The integration of histology and pathology into the curriculum in the first year needs to be evaluated, as demonstrated by our experience for a better understanding of the course. Conclusion: It is important to examine the first-year curriculum's integration of histology and pathology, and some suitable steps must be taken to improve students' interest in general histology and histopathology. Keywords: Histology, Pathology, Integration, Dental students, Syllabus.

A core syllabus for histology within the medical curriculum - The cardiovascular and lymphoid systems, the respiratory and digestive systems, and the integument.

Medical courses worldwide are undergoing significant curricular changes, including the teaching and learning of histology. In order to set international standards for the anatomical sciences, the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) is developing core anatomical syllabuses by means of Delphi panels. Already published is a core syllabus for the teaching of the cell and the basic tissues within medicine. Here, we record the deliberations of an IFAA Delphi panel commissioned to develop core subject matter for the teaching within a medical histology course of the cardiovascular and lymphatic circulatory system, the lymphoid, respiratory, and digestive systems, and the integument. The Delphi panel was comprised of academics from multiple countries who were required to review relevant histological topics/items by evaluating each topic as being either "Essential," "Important," "Acceptable," or "Not required." Topics that were rated by over 60% of the panelists as being "Essential" are reported in this paper as being core topics for the teaching of medical histology. Also reported are topics that, while not reaching the threshold for being designated as core material, may be recommended or not required within the curriculum.

Study on the construction and quality evaluation of courses for ideological and political education in the course of oral histology and pathology

To give full play to the important role of courses for ideological and political education in moral cultivation, teaching group in the course of oral histology and pathology in Zhejiang University systematically studied the teaching model of which ideological and political education integrated into the course of oral histology and pathology, and put forward a quality evaluation index system of the course. This paper emphatically introduces the general framework of the course, as well as the experience and practices in the aspects of resource mining, teaching design, curriculum evaluation, etc. The quality of the course was evaluated by using the system, which showed that the grade of the course was AAA (excellent) and 95.5% (275/288) students agreed to integrate ideological and political content into the course. The teaching group believes that the integration of the ideological and political content in the course reflects the complementary effect of "teaching" and "educating", and the ideological and political quality as well as the professional level of the teachers are the primary factor to determine the quality of the course. This paper aims at providing a reliable reference for promoting the construction of courses for ideological and political education in the area of oral medical education.

ТРАДИЦИОННЫЕ И СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ МЕТОДЫ ВИЗУАЛИЗАЦИИ В ПРЕПОДАВАНИИ ГИСТОЛОГИИ

Currently, in the teaching of morphological disciplines, there is an acute problem of achieving a balance between the use of traditional methods and the involvement of innovative digital technologies for students training. The purpose of this study was to analyse classical and innovative methods of visualization of histological specimens and to develop proposals for their optimal use in teaching of medical students. The article presents our own long-term experience in teaching morphological disciplines with the involvement of recent literary sources on the methodology of teaching histology, in terms of the contribution of traditional and modern methods to the effectiveness and efficiency of the educational process. The features of the implementation of the course of histology at the Institute of Medical Education in the Almazov Centre are described. The reasons for the need to change approaches to the study of the discipline are presented. The transformation that has taken place in the last decade at the departments of histology in universities, which consists of finding the optimal balance between maintaining the traditional scheme of studying and controlling the assimilation of discipline, and the active integration of digital technologies into the educational process, is considered. Emphasis is placed on the need to improve pedagogical methods, master new educational technologies and actively apply them along with the generally accepted "classical" methods, in order to achieve the main goal - the education of medical stuff of the highest qualification in accordance with the modern needs of society and with the perspective for the future.

Scale to Measure Medical, Nursing and Midwifery Students&amp;#8217; Engagement in an E-learning Histology Course

Scale to Measure Medical, Nursing and Midwifery Students&amp;#8217; Engagement in an E-learning Histology Course

Online or physical class for histology course: Which one is better?

Background/purposeThe coronavirus disease 2019 gradually slows down. As schools now progressively went back to the physical class, it was essential to think about whether we should go back to the physical course, shift to the online course, or try to combine both. Materials and methodsOne hundred and six students (including 67 medical students, 19 dental students, and 20 students from another department) who took the histology course with both physical and online lectures and the virtual microscopy for the histology laboratory course were enrolled in this study. Students’ acceptance and learning effectiveness were evaluated by a questionnaire-based survey, and their examination scores were compared before and after the online class. ResultsMost students accepted the combined physical and online lectures (81.13%), considered increased interactivities in the physical class (79.25%), and felt comfortable when taking the online class (81.14%). Moreover, most students considered that the online learning was friendly to use (83.02%) and could improve the learning effectiveness (80.19%). The mean examination scores were significantly higher after the online class than before the online class, regardless of different genders and groups of students. Most participants (29.2%) preferred the 60% online learning proportion, followed in a descending order by the 40% online learning (25.5%) and the 80% online learning (14.2%). ConclusionOur students can generally accept the combined physical and online lectures for learning the histology course. The academic performances significantly improve after the online class. The hybrid course may become the future trend of learning the histology course.

Student engagement and comprehension using tactile and virtual learning.

Dental students' levels of engagement and comprehension were assessed using tactile learning (with physical teeth) versus virtual learning (using computer images) in a dental histology course. Differences in engagement and comprehension by learning preferences were also examined. One hundred first-year dental students were randomly divided into twenty teams of five students. Conditions were counterbalanced such that half the students were given physical tooth models (Group A) while the other half were given access to virtual images of tooth models (Group B) during the first session. Conditions were switched for a second session. Both groups completed the same learning exercise and formative assessment (quiz) after each session. A survey assessed students' learning preferences and attitudes. There were no differences by group assignment in both formative assessment scores and learning preferences (p>0.10). For all students, comprehension of material was significantly higher in the tactile condition (with physical teeth) compared to the virtual experience (p=0.01), but there was no difference in engagement between conditions (p=0.35). Students who preferred learning with physical tooth models had higher engagement when using the physical tooth models compared to those who preferred virtual tooth models (p =0.04),and significantly more positive attitudes toward physical tooth models (p's<0.0001). Results suggest that for dental students, learning activities involving handling physical teeth may produce greater comprehension than viewing virtual images of teeth on a screen. More research is needed to determine the circumstances when virtual images can be substituted for physical models or be a beneficial adjunct method.

Integration of Gross Anatomy, Histology, and Pathology in a Pre-matriculation Curriculum: A Triple-Discipline Approach.

In recent years, many schools have cut back on their teaching and laboratory hours, and courses in the anatomical sciences are more integrated into the horizontal and longitudinal curriculums. Traditionally, teaching in anatomical science classes consists of lectures and laboratory sessions. Usually, gross anatomy and histology are the two main courses in pre-matriculation programs. The summer pre-matriculation program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) was designed to better prepare students for success in their first year of medicine and dentistry. The course provided these students with an opportunity to study gross anatomy and histology ahead of time and develop their learning skills for the coming academic year. Historically, gross anatomy and histology courses have been taught separately with a different emphasis. We have designed a new approach to implement gross anatomy, histology, and pathology-all three disciplines-in a single lecture in the organ section of the histology course. This triple-discipline (triple lecture) approach allows three professors in anatomy, histology, and pathology to work together in a two-and-a-half-hour review lecture. This approach allows students to develop their critical thinking skills and better prepares them to transfer basic anatomic knowledge into their future clinical practice. Students indicated this was their first experience with the triple-discipline approach, and they remarked that it helped them integrate anatomy and histology as well as demonstrate the clinical importance of the structures and organs. This approach can be used at different stages of medical education and helps faculty and students better integrate various disciplines and is more suitable in the modern curriculum. A similar approach was used in our fourth year course in medical histology.

Webcam-based eye-tracking to measure visual expertise of medical students during online histology training.

Visual expertise is essential for image-based tasks that rely on visual cues, such as in radiology or histology. Studies suggest that eye movements are related to visual expertise and can be measured by near-infrared eye-tracking. With the popularity of device-embedded webcam eye-tracking technology, cost-effective use in educational contexts has recently become amenable. This study investigated the feasibility of such methodology in a curricular online-only histology course during the 2021 summer term. At two timepoints (t1 and t2), third-semester medical students were asked to diagnose a series of histological slides while their eye movements were recorded. Students' eye metrics, performance and behavioral measures were analyzed using variance analyses and multiple regression models. First, webcam-eye tracking provided eye movement data with satisfactory quality (mean accuracy=115.7 px±31.1). Second, the eye movement metrics reflected the students' proficiency in finding relevant image sections (fixation count on relevant areas=6.96±1.56 vs. irrelevant areas=4.50±1.25). Third, students' eye movement metrics successfully predicted their performance (R2adj=0.39, p<0.001). This study supports the use of webcam-eye-tracking expanding the range of educational tools available in the (digital) classroom. As the students' interest in using the webcam eye-tracking was high, possible areas of implementation will be discussed.

Health sciences students’ viewpoint on innovative approaches in histology course

Background/Aim: It is crucial to improve histology education quality and train competent individuals in the fields of health and medical sciences. Feedback received from students can provide guidance to achieve these goals. This study aims to reveal the opinions of Faculty of Health Sciences students about histology education and to identify their need for innovative approaches to improve this course. Methods: This study was conducted with 174 students who were enrolled in their first year of the general histology course at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Siirt University, during the 2021–2022 academic year. The students answered survey questions electronically at the end of the semester, and the students’ opinions about the general histology course were obtained. A content analysis technique was used to evaluate the collected data. Results: Half of the students thought that the histology course was difficult. More than half of the students (57.5%) stated that the length of the theoretical course was sufficient and that practical courses should be supported by various applications. Most of the students (63.8%) stated that the histology course was important for their profession and that it would be more efficient to teach this course by integrating it with clinical sciences. Most of the students (81%) reported that the histology course integrated with technological tools would contribute to their education. Nearly half of the students (49.4%) had a negative response to teaching this course via the distance education method. Conclusion: Histology education is considered by students to be a difficult course to learn. For students to overcome these difficulties, it can be helpful to provide both theoretical and practical courses at close intervals in a holistic manner. Additionally, integrating this course with clinical sciences can also increase student performance. It is believed that for student success, it is important to integrate educational models with traditional methods supported by technological educational materials and distance education systems.

Medical Student Perceptions of Near Peer Teaching within an Histology Course at the University of Sassari, Italy

Near peer teaching (NPT) is becoming recognized as a valuable instrument with advantages for both students and teachers. Despite the recognized benefits, NPT programmes are not usually embedded within university healthcare curricula and, to our knowledge, there have been few studies assessing medical students’ attitudes towards NPT for histology courses. Our study is the first that assess medical students’ perceptions concerning the value of NPT for a course in the human organ histology component of anatomy. A NPT programme was provided for second-year medical students and delivered during laboratory sessions for microscopic anatomy. The NPT tutors were recruited from third-, fourth- or fifth-year medical students. The medical tutees completed a questionnaire to assess their attitudes towards NPT. The initial hypothesis tested was that students preferred to be taught by their professional teachers and not by NPT tutors. A total of 113 students completed the questionnaire (46% response rate). Of these, 70% of respondents rated the support of the NPT tutors as being excellent or good. Furthermore, 60% of respondents agreed that the NPT programme should be introduced officially into the medical curriculum. The findings are not consistent with our initial hypothesis, and suggest that NPT could be a valuable instrument for the understanding of histological concepts.

La virtualización de la enseñanza de la histología y embriología durante la pandemia COVID-19

Introduction: The Covid-19 disease is a globally spreading pandemic with serious consequences. The Universidad Nacional de Córdoba like all universities of Argentina ordered the suspension of face-to-face education and developed a teaching-learning process focused on a virtual environment that would allow compliance with mandatory isolation and at the same time continue with the dictation of the contents in their schools. Objective: The aim of this work was to obtain and analyze information regarding the conditions of technological access and e-competences with which the students developed the virtual activities for morphological sciences learning in the current context of covid-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive study of the data obtained of anonymous and voluntary survey among students course of Histology and Embryology A was carried out. Facultad de Odontología. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Results:95.7% of the students had the necessary technological devices and 49.3% considered themselves digitally proficient and 37.9% beginners. Only 26.4% of the students required help for the use of technology. Conclusion: The analysis of successes and difficulties with which we go through the teaching of morphological sciences in pandemic will allow creating a reflection space for us to be better prepared for the challenges of a post-pandemic education and promoting new teaching-learning forms that combine and integrate elements of the face-to-face class and virtual learning thus contributingto improving the future health professional’s university education