Is Augmented Reality the New Way for Teaching and Learning Veterinary Cardiac Anatomy?

Strong understanding of cardiac anatomy and function are essential components of veterinary medical education; however, the heart is considered challenging to comprehend due to its complexity. This study introduced and assessed a new learning resource, the IVALA® augmented reality (AR) heart program in a cohort of pre-veterinary students. Students were randomly divided into traditional textbook learning and AR learning groups. All students underwent a pre- and post-intervention testing assessing baseline cardiac anatomy knowledge, as well as pre-intervention evaluation of inherent spatial awareness. Teaching and learning included a 60-min cadaveric learning experience guided by either traditional learning resources or the IVALA® program. All students completed a participant survey about their learning experiences. Seventy-four students (36 in the control, and 38 in the IVALA® group) participated in the research. Overall, students improved in cardiac knowledge by an average of 24.5% after intervention regardless of study methodology. No significant difference in post-test improvement was noted between the two groups. On a 20-question assessment, students in the IVALA ® group improved by an average of 4.9 questions correct over their pre-intervention test, and the control group improved by an average of 4.8 questions ( p = 0.9). A positive correlation was found between spatial awareness scores and post-test improvement regardless of cohort group ( p = 0.03). Sixty-two individuals (83.8%) completing the participant survey reported an overwhelming preference for learning with AR compared to traditional methods. This study illustrates student preference of IVALA® program in learning anatomy of the heart and supports its use is as effective as traditional methods of teaching with the benefit of increased enthusiasm and engagement.