The Totally Immersive Computer Learning (TICL)© programme designed by a TICL group will provide an individualised learning experience allowing learners (including the lay public, users of health services, life long learners, pupils and students) to explore human biology, health, illness and disease processes within a three dimensional learning environment. A cuboid learning matrix will provide the framework for users to enter the virtual environment at an appropriate place. Users will experience and learn not only about the internal structures, physiological and pathological processes and language but will also be able to fully interact with and dictate the pathways they choose to explore. The TICL© programme will provide an engaging, highly evolved and interactive interface between the user and the programme.
Research Bid (MS Word format 40 KB)
Cuboid Navigation Structure
Rather than taking a system by system approach to understanding the body, the learning from the program will be centred around public health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, sexual and reproductive health. Students will be able to navigate through the program in a non-linear manner. The knowledge and understanding of biological systems and processes will build around these public health foci. Phase 1 of the project will focus on Exploring the pancreas and understanding Diabetes. Diabetes is a significant health issue for the UK and other countries but the public understanding of risk factors for developing diabetes, such as diet and obesity is poor. Phase 1 of the project will be to produce the 3D pancreas learning environment. The cuboid learning matrix will not only provide the scaffolding for the learner to enter and navigate through the environment but will also guide the development of the multimedia learning materials. The x, y and z axes will correspond to 5 learning levels (lay knowledge to Masters level), 5 structural levels (microscopic to macroscopic) and 5 functional levels (basic, endocrine, exocrine, neural and vascular). Pathology, health issues and clinical notes will be embedded (using the x,y,z co-ordinates) within the appropriate cells of the matrix.
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Selection of MSc - Organ - Vascular |
Download the Cuboid Demo Animation (11506 KB)
Pancreas Demonstrator
The first system and associated health issue we are developing is the pancreas and diabetes. We are now seeking funding from NESTA to allow us to move from an ideas/early prototype stage to a fully marketable, interactive learning program that will explain the structure and the role of the pancreas in health and disease conditions. Diabetes is one of the conditions identified by the NHS for special consideration due to its increasing prevalence and incidence particularly in children. We envisage that an interactive virtual environment of the pancreas will not only be used by students of health-care but by the general public (and therefore contribute to the public awareness of science campaign) and importantly by children as part of their health education programmes at school. Once we have demonstrated the value of this approach in facilitating the understanding and learning about the pancreatic system by fully evaluating its effectiveness we will be in a position to apply for more substantial funding to develop the other public health foci and systems of the body.
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Download the virtual pancreas demonstrator program (4181 KB)
