Anatomy of the Central Nervous Sys.-A Multimedia Course

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project will design, develop and evaluate an interactive multimedia program to provide integrated instruction about the embryology and anatomy of the adult human central nervous system. The program will also provide extensive self-testing for the competencies to be acquired through interaction with the software program. The target audience includes professional health care students, including medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health. The specific aims of the project are: A) to integrate the teaching of the embryological formation of the CNS with the adult anatomy of the CNS in order to demonstrate their complex relationships; and B) to produce an interactive multimedia software package that will provide a simulated in-class experience concerning the embryology and adult anatomy of the CNS including organization of content, interactive tasks, built-in testing features, and response-based feedback. Seven major objectives will be accomplished during Phase I: 1) identify topics to be included in the complete interactive multimedia program; 2) match embryology/anatomy content with instructional strategies and multimedia elements; 3) develop detailed content outline for the instructional unit to be produced for the prototype; 4) create multimedia elements for the prototype instructional unit; 5) produce the interactive multimedia prototype; 6) conduct a research study concerning usability features of the prototype; and 7) develop a plan for the commercial distribution of the final product. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE