title: Passive vs. active virtual reality learning: the effects on short- and long-term memory of anatomical structures.
abstract: This pilot study compares the differences in learning outcomes when students are presented with either an active (student-centered) or passive (teacher-centered) virtual reality-based anatomy lesson. The "active" lesson used UCSD's Anatomic VisualizeR and enabled students to interact with 3D models and control presentation of learning materials. The "passive" lesson used a digital recording of an anatomical expert's tour of the same VR lesson played back as a QuickTime movie. Subsequent examination of the recall and retention of the studied anatomic objects were comparable in both groups. Issues underlying these results are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Office of Educational Computing, Division of Medical Education, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine La Jolla, California 92093, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Phelps
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fritchle
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008568:Memory; D014481:United States