LAUSR

Research Objectives To determine the effectiveness of augmented and virtual reality as a teaching modality on doctor of physical therapy students’ learning as seen through confidence, recall, retention and application as compared to traditional teaching methods. Design Posttest only control group design with retrospective analysis. Setting Private secondary institution, doctoral physical therapy (DPT) program, American International College (AIC), Springfield, MA. Participants Convenience sample, 297 first year graduate DPT students enrolled in Gross Anatomy, AIC. Control group: 162 (cohorts 2017 & 2018); experimental group: 135 (cohorts 2019 & 2020). Interventions “Visible Body” (VB), augmented and virtual reality (VR) software used by experimental group; control group: attended traditional in-person lecture and laboratory classes. Main Outcome Measures Objective data scores (three lecture exams, Osteology Practical exam and Dissection lab exam) collected anonymously for each cohort, calculated by the primary course faculty. Subjective data (quantitative and qualitative) assessed through survey. Results Exam scores compared for three groups with different levels of exposure to VB (did not use VB (1), optional use VB (2), and required use VB (3)). Analyses (ANOVA and T-Tests) showed statistical significance with the mean performance for Group 1 being significantly lower than Groups 2 and 3. Osteology exam: No significant difference between groups noted. Dissection Exam: Group 3 scored significantly higher than the other groups. Survey data on the students’ self-efficacy towards their ability to learn Gross Anatomy with the VB software proved to be statistically significant (95% CI). Researchers were blinded to all scores and surveys. Conclusions Positive correlation exists between grades and the use of the VB application, indicating that the use of VR is an effective resource for DPT students in learning Gross Anatomy. Additionally, VB may be an adequate substitute for cadaver lab for dissection, though aspects of quality and understanding of anatomical relationships may be diminished in the use of virtual software alone. Further research to substantiate these results and further analyze the benefits of VR as a superior resource for learning Gross Anatomy amongst DPT programs is necessary. Author(s) Disclosures No disclosures/conflicts.