Abstract
With the increasing volume of information for students to learn in a health sciences and medicine degree, tertiary educators need teaching resources that can maintain up-to-date information and educate effectively across a range of diseases and illnesses. Holograms may be the disruptive technology that can assist in this goal.
Keywords: Disruptive technology, Mixed reality, HoloLens, Holograms, Future learning, Augmented reality
There has been a recent shift in tertiary education from traditional lectures and tutorials to more self-paced, visual methods of learning [1]. This brings interesting challenges to education in health sciences and medicine. Technology, in the form of holograms, presents an opportunity to package content in an easy-to-comprehend way that enhances the student learning experience.
Students nowadays are experienced with handling many technological devices, including computers, smartphones and tablets. However, the introduction of more modern visualisation technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, offers additional tools for educators wishing to provide engaging 3D content for students. Researchers have investigated the effectiveness of incorporating this technology into the training of forthcoming health professionals to enhance knowledge acquisition and understanding of anatomical structures [2], with students reporting it to be useful and engaging for self-directed study. Furthermore, the use of this technology enables improved educational practices as these 3D visualisations can be used on devices that are already available for the general public [3–5].
One of the most recent advancements in educational technology is the introduction of mixed reality holograms, which is a platform combining augmented and virtual reality to provide a real-world experience with virtual objects. The most supported mixed reality device is Microsoft’s HoloLens, which provides users with a holographic platform of seeing and hearing the augmented world through a head-mounted computer. This link between the real and virtual environments should help to reduce adverse health effects, such as cybersickness, blurred vision, and disorientation, experienced in virtual reality applications using head-mounted displays [6].
Holograms demonstrate the potential to significantly improve knowledge scores and spatial awareness compared with traditional teaching methods, particularly for anatomical learning [7, 8]. The HoloLens presents high-precision holographic images, allowing students to visualise human anatomical structures from all perspectives [4], and can also detect precise shapes or objects in real space to accurately align the hologram with these structures [9]. Additional advantages of this mixed reality tool include the hands-free nature of the device for students to take notes while learning, as well as the ability to manipulate the holographic images via hand gestures to virtually dissect structures for advanced anatomical learning, without the constraints associated with the use of cadavers. The benefits of using 3D holographic visualisations compared with printed images were recently investigated in a study by Hackett and Proctor [10] who investigated a population of nursing students during a cardiac anatomy course. The authors reported a significant improvement in anatomical knowledge from the hologram intervention compared with printed images due to a suspected reduction in cognitive load. Students were able to actively learn content presented in their studies with the aid of the HoloLens, which increased their spatial understanding and overall engagement with the course material.
The mixed reality platform has demonstrated success as a delivery mode within health professional course curricula. Hologram technology via the HoloLens may become a powerful tool [2], that has the potential to allow transferability of education and training programs to health professionals, institutions, and faculty staff.
Compliance with Ethical Standards
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
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Informed Consent
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Footnotes
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