ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF A VIDEODISC HISTOLOGY ATLAS ON THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS IN A FIRST-YEAR HISTOLOGY COURSE

The microscopes and slide sea used in the first-year histology course at the Medical College of Pennsylvania were supplemented by a videodis c-based histology atlas. We evaluated the impact of this technology on teaching in the laboratory setting and on the performance of 133 stud ents on a laboratory exam. interviews and questionnaire responses from students and faculty indicated that the videodisc system was well lik ed, easy to use, and often preferred to the microscope as a learning t ool. The videodisc system provided a locus for student-student and stu dent-staff educational interactions. An increase from the previous yea r in student lab practical scores teas only partially accounted for by differences in the class composition. While some of the score increas e may be due to a change in format of the exams, observation and inter views with students and teachers suggest that some of the score increa se was attributable to the greater learning efficiency made possible b y the videodisc atlas.