Histology and Histopathology
Course on VM
Target group addressed:
- Teaching staff in histology and histopathology departments across European universities.
- Medical educators looking to implement digital microscopy in their curricula.
- Undergraduate and postgraduate medical students seeking a modernized approach to microscopy education.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, trainees will be able to:
- Explain the principles and advantages of VM in histology and histopathology education.
- Identify the technical requirements and implementation strategies for VM in medical curricula.
- Navigate and utilize digital slides effectively for teaching and self-learning.
- Recognize and differentiate various tissue types and pathological conditions using VM.
- Interpret histological and histopathological features in digital slides.
- Reflect on personal learning progress and identify areas for improvement.
- Identify and differentiate basic tissue types, including epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissues.
- Recognize the structural organization of organs and systems at the microscopic level.
- Describe histological variations in different physiological and pathological conditions.
- Correlate microscopic structures with their functions in normal and diseased states.
- Distinguish between normal and abnormal histological features.
- Recognize key histopathological changes associated with major diseases.
- Interpret digital histological slides to identify pathological conditions.
- Utilize VM to analyze complex cases requiring special staining techniques.
Course contents:
Didactic content - 20 online learning modules, according to the basic tissues of the human body and of the body systems (19 sections), along with a chapter dedicated to pathologists in training, which contains complex uropathology cases, which need special staining and interdisciplinary discussions for the management of the patients.
Clinical case-based studies - each module includes between 5 and 30 clinical case-based studies from the library of slides on both normal histological slides along with the main pathologies of that organ/system. The case studies have some navigation tools available: zoom, pan/move, highlight, annotate, screenshot, rotate, and flip. These may be used to observe all the details of the virtual slides, to highlight an area of interest or different histological/pathological features/areas, and to save different screenshots on students’ personal devices to illustrate different microscopical elements. All these tools make the library highly educative and interactive, adding plus value to the slides collection.
Evaluation - quizzes, which may be used for the self-assessment of the students or by teachers.
The course is available in 6 EU languages – English, Romanian, French, Polish, Bulgarian, Spanish.
Piloting sessions of the open online course on Virtual microscopy
ROMANIA: 3 Pilot course sessions were held between 17-18.10.2024 by the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iași with 136 students in navigating through the collection of histology and histopathology virtual slides.
BULGARIA - Piloting sessions were held on 8-9.11.2024 in the Auditorium complex in Medical University-Plovdiv, with 120 students in medicine 2nd year of the Medical University - Plovdiv.
SPAIN: 8 Piloting sessions were held between 4-8.11.2024 by the Biotechnology Department of the University of Alicante with 125 students.
POLAND: Hybrid Pilot session was held on 27.09.2024 by Pomorska Noc Naukowców, GUMed Gdańsk, Poland with 100 students.
Testimonials
"The VM3.0 project stands out for its integration of cutting-edge virtual reality technology, enhancing interactive learning in medical education. Its immersive simulations offer hands-on practice in a risk-free environment, improving skill retention. The platform's flexibility allows for personalized learning paths, accommodating different learning paces. Additionally, its real-time feedback system ensures students can adjust and refine their techniques effectively."
"It makes studying histology way easier since i can look at pictures of the tissues we are studying in class, at any time and anywhere, i don’t need to have a physical microscope!"
"The fact that it is a necessary help for the students because histology it’s a hard subject that needs special attention and some practical skills that we can develop with this project."
"It is quite fascinating how easily accessible are such a large number of useful and high scans."
"An interesting aspect is that the images are very easy to access and have very good clarity. I really like that it can be accessed from anywhere and it is an easy to use platform."
"The variety of the library and the easy to access interface."
"Amazing app, a microscope in everyone's pockets!"
"It helps me learn histology much easier."
"I believe that among the strengths of the platform are the fact that we can easily connect, whether on our phone, laptop or tablet, that the images are very clear and that we have the possibility, by selecting certain words, to be able to observe certain structural aspects locally. I am sure that it will be of great help to me in the learning process!"
"I enjoyed the multitude of images, but for now, I think Histology Guide is more useful and more accessible."
"It's completely amazing for it visual elements and innovativeness!"
"It's going to help us students understand histology a lot better. It's very accessible and honestly a great invention 🙏🏻. thank you ❤️"
"It is a platform that makes it easier and helps a student a lot to learn, it is very accessible and does not compare to absolutely any other platform, because it is the first time I have seen slides electronically, completely captured and up close being very clear. I am pleasantly surprised, and it is really a platform to use constantly, in a wide variety of fields. A very good idea and a platform that completely surprised me!"
"The VM3.0 project likely improves functionality, optimizing performance and scalability for larger workloads. Security upgrades enhance data protection, while a more intuitive user interface improves usability."
"It is a huge plus for our study. We are happy to be part of the generations that benefit from such platforms. We can't wait to use them and make use of them for exams and beyond."
"My thoughts on this app are that it is extremely useful, even for people who have just started learning histology. It's well organised and makes learning more fun and also easier."
"I liked that there are many explanations, the pictures are clear and concise. The app is easy to use."
"I am someone who enjoys learning through interactive methods, and this histology application greatly assists me in fulfilling that goal. I find it to be extremely useful and effective in enhancing my understanding of the subject."
"Very useful and I hope that this project helps me to pass the histology exam."
"The most interesting aspect is that I can click on key words and the image just zooms in on what interests me."
"Having interactive photos of different tissues alongside my own annotations is an invaluable help. It will really facilitate learning through its appealing visuals. It is also very helpful that I can zoom in on the images and have detailed descriptions about them at the ready. Thank you for VM3.0!"
"The ground-breaking aspect of this project I would say it's the level of immersion and the user-friendly interface. Being able to be one click away from a well rendered image and to have such variety from the start is what could turn this project from a great concept to a tool for medstudents to use on a daily basis for generations to come."