Applications of Virtual Reality Models in Education

Students in physical science classes such as Anatomy and Physiology I lab (A&P I Lab) are given limited lab time to study numerous, complex anatomical structures and models of human organs. This time constraint, coupled with the scarcity of models and structures available, is a hindrance to effective learning. The inflexibility of a physical lab further inhibits the learning process. Wittig (1992) decried the traditional science classroom as a "passive learning environment" that should be replaced by one that puts students in active learning groups. Modern learning processes have shifted from the simple assimilation of information to an active process where it is the responsibility of the learner to construct meaning (Siegle, 2000; Whitehouse, Choy, Romagnoli, & Barton, 2001). How to produce 3-D virtual models as well as their application to other science courses and non science courses will be discussed.

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