In the model degree programme in human medicine, the Department of Anatomy is very intensively involved in the development of the curriculum, the implementation and monitoring of innovative teaching formats and examinations and the improvement of interdisciplinary teaching. Teaching research focuses on the influence of digital teaching formats on macroscopic and microscopic anatomy and the teaching of anatomical skills in the clinical part of medical studies.

Comparison of conventional light microscopy with virtual microscopy in the context of the histology practical course of the study programme in human medicine

Virtual microscopy" (VM) is a procedure in which histological or pathological specimens are photographed using a scanning microscope to produce digital images. With the help of software, it is possible to zoom continuously into the preparations, create markers and share image sections and enlargements with other users. A major advantage of VM is its independence from the conventional light microscopic course, as the digital slides can be accessed with any electronic device (smartphone, tablet, PC). Since the introduction of VM into histology teaching in the early 2000s, there has been a debate about whether conventional light microscopy is still useful because of the advantages of VM. The studies to date show that VM is very well received by students, but that no differences can be observed in terms of examination results. However, the influence of the microscopy form on the acquisition, description and assessment of histological structures has not been sufficiently investigated to date. In order to clarify this aspect, this study focuses on the search and recognition strategies of histological structures depending on the microscopy form (conventional versus virtual microscopy). Thus, the results of the study can help to make a statement on how and to what extent virtual microscopy should be integrated into histology teaching.

Summary of the entire project
The project aims to establish a new activity-oriented learning concept for teaching macroscopic anatomy. Using the topic of "abdomen" as an example, a "circuit training course in anatomy (ZTA)" will be developed for students of human medicine (HM), physics-technology-medicine (PTM), sports science (SW) and medical informatics (MI).

Explanation of the overall objective and, if applicable, the sub-objectives of the project

The overall objective is to develop an anatomy learning concept on the topic of the abdomen and to integrate it into the curricula. The students will work through five stations in small groups, similar to a circuit training. At the stations, the students are to expand their anatomical knowledge and use it contextually to solve questions.

The five stations: anatomical models (1), anatomy in vivo (2), virtual 3D dissection table (3), digital anatomy learning tool (4), and augmented reality (AR) learning platform (5) represent the range of practical problem-oriented anatomical teaching.

Stations 1-4 are already established in Oldenburg.

Within the framework of the project:

• establish the infrastructure for station 5, AR learning platform, at the University of Oldenburg, in teaching.
• Learning units for the students of the different subjects will be developed for each station.

The learning concept is then to be integrated into the curricula of the individual degree programmes (HM, PTM, SW, MI). Overall, the teaching and learning concept should help students to:

(1) train their spatial perception of the conditions in the human body,

(2) better understand and contextually remember anatomical knowledge and positional relationships,

(3) be able to apply anatomical knowledge to solve subject-specific tasks,

(4) gain experience in dealing with modern digital concepts in medicine.