This book focuses on the challenges to biomedical education posed by the lockdowns and restrictions to on campus teaching brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the tools and digital visualization technologies that have been successfully developed and used for remote teaching.
Biomedical education for science, medical, dental and allied health professionals relies on teaching visual and tactile knowledge using practice-based approaches. This has been delivered for decades via on-campus lectures, workshops and laboratories, teaching practical skills as well as fundamental knowledge and understanding. However, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that education across the globe had to pivot very quickly to be able to deliver these skills and knowledge in a predominantly online environment. This brought with it many challenges, as Higher Education staff, had to adapt to deliver these visual subjects remotely. This book addresses the challenges and solutions faced by Higher Education staff in teaching visual content in distance education. Chapters include literature reviews, original research, and pedagogical reflections for a wide range of biomedical subjects, degrees such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary sciences with examples from undergraduate and postgraduate settings. The goal of the book is to provide a compendium of expertise based on evidence gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reflections on the challenges and lessons learned from this dramatic shift in teaching. It also presents new examples of best practices that have emerged from this experience to ensure that they are not lost as we return to on-campus learning in a new era of biomedical teaching.
This book will be of interest to anyone looking for a helpful reference point when designing online or blended teaching for visual practice-based subjects.
About the Author: Dr Ourania Varsou is a Lecturer in Anatomy at the University of Glasgow and holds a BSc (Hons), MBChB, PgCert in Mentoring and Coaching and PhD in Neuroscience. She is an Associate Fellow of Advance HE and a University of Glasgow RET Fellow. Ourania teaches anatomy to science, medical and dental students with her specialist areas including the head and neck and imaging. She also develops and delivers bespoke teaching on medical humanities at the University of Glasgow and several international institutions. Ourania's research includes imaging with a focus on ultrasound, clinically-applied anatomy and scholarship of teaching and learning. She is also a strong advocate of medical humanities, writing her own poetry, and is passionate about sustainability and alternative approaches to teaching in Higher Education.
Paul M. Rea - Paul is Professor of Digital and Anatomical Education at the University of Glasgow. He is Director of Innovation, Engagement and Enterprise within the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing. He is also a Senate Assessor for Student Conduct, Council Member on Senate and coordinates the day-to-day running of the Body Donor Program and is a Licensed Teacher of Anatomy, licensed by the Scottish Government.
He is qualified with a medical degree (MBChB), a MSc (by research) in craniofacial anatomy/surgery, a PhD in neuroscience, the Diploma in Forensic Medical Science (DipFMS), and an MEd with Merit (Learning and Teaching in Higher Education). He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Institute of Medical Illustrators (MIMI) and a registered medical illustrator with the Academy for Healthcare Science.
