SketchNote 3D

Initial situation

The three-dimensional understanding of the functional architecture of the human body is essential to medical practice. The disappearance of the traditional practical dissection course has resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of time devoted to the acquisition of this skill. Anatomy practicums have evolved into sessions where medical students observe pre-prepared anatomical specimens for a limited time in groups of 12-15 students. This format has proven to be insufficient for learning anatomical relationships, resulting in observable gaps in later stages of medical training. The Anatomy Unit of the Faculty of Medicine has modified the format and content of the anatomy lab to remedy this situation.

Project implementation

Anatomy practical work has been redeveloped according to the flipped classroom format. E-learning modules have been set up so that students can prepare for the practical work before coming to the classroom. During the sessions, students work in small groups (6-7 students) and must actively explore anatomical specimens and answer questions following a lab guide. They are assisted in this by teachers and student instructors.

A key element of this new teaching modality is the possibility for students to have access to virtual anatomical models to prepare the lab. Although 3D anatomical atlases exist, they only present theoretical models. It was necessary to be able to show interactive annotated 3D models representing real anatomical specimens, as encountered during the practical sessions, in the e-learning modules.

To this end, the anatomy unit developed technical capabilities for 3D digitization of anatomical specimens from photogrammetry, surface scans or medical imaging. However, there were no satisfactory solutions to enrich 3D models with pedagogical annotations and allow their remote viewing. The teaching team therefore undertook to set up a free and open source web tool (without installation or plugin) for the annotation and interactive visualization of 3D models for anatomy teaching: Sketchnote 3D.

Thoughts and advice

The success of the project was made possible by a clear definition of the requirements and expected functionalities, frequent interactions within the project team and internal and external testing and optimization cycles.

In the short term, the main challenges are technological. In the long term, the challenges are the maintenance of the tool and the perpetuation of skills within the institution.

Sketchnote 3D allows a teacher to generate and upload 3D models, to enrich them with multimedia annotations (texts, images, web links) in a browser and to obtain a sharing link to integrate in his teaching (on Moodle, on a website, or via external content creation tools like Scenari).

Sketchnote 3D can be used in different teaching scenarios, such as the preparation of e-learning in a flipped classroom/TBL perspective, the realization of demonstrations during practical work or courses, the revisions after the lessons, the implementation of teaching in hybrid or HyFlex mode, the realization of written practical work exams integrating 3D, the implementation of 3D model platforms “model libraries” for self-learning, the creation of virtual museums and the sharing of 3D models for educational purposes.

This tool can be made accessible to other departments within the institution. Its development continues in order to optimize it and to add new functionalities.

Student feedback

To be forwarded