Digital lightboard in histology: Enhancing the student experience

Abstract

With a focus on maintaining accessibility and flexibility for students, the online delivery of lectures is here to stay, and therefore there is a need to create high quality and engaging recordings. The digital lightboard is an emerging technology, where two separate, simultaneous recordings can be merged to create a single video file, with a full-scale representation of the instructor embedding within a traditional powerpoint presentation. This creates a more personal feel to the final video, providing a much more interactive and engaging pre-recorded lecture. Histology is the science of microscopic anatomy, and this style of recording has been exceptionally useful in presenting histology lectures, full of photographs taken with a microscope. By utilising a tablet and accompanying stylus during recording a much deeper exploration of images from under the microscope could be achieved. Students report much greater engagement with both pre-recorded lectures, and the presentation of the anatomical style diagrams. Overall, the digital lightboard revolutionised the delivery of histology and has been crucial in maintaining student engagement and accessibility in online delivery.