UBC’s HoloBrain Project

The HoloBrain is an interactive, augmented reality app that helps students understand the architecture of the brain. Since this video was released, Dr. Krebs has tested the app on students to determine its impact on learning. Here are the results! Also, they’ve taken this platform to launch Holobrain in Webvr that “aims at delivering a similar experience to a wider audience. Using a web app we are able to network more HoloBrains to each other, in the hopes of eventually making this a tool used to teach large classes. The tools used in this project are AFrame for building a VR experience using just Javascript and HTML, and Blender and Amira for segmentation of MRI scans and production of the 3D models.”

It’s interesting because over the course of the past few months that I’ve been researching the medical/clinical learning setting, it’s virtual, augmented, and mixed reality learning environments that elicit student responses such as “This is fun! This is cool!” (see The APPLE Project, p. 606, of Creating Innovative Models of Clinical Nursing Education). Also, I’ve noted that “the fun” translates to greater engagement, collaboration, and integration of information. It’s fantastic that there are medical/clinical educators and administrators willing to challenge the antiquated content delivery process that academia has used for decades.

It’s also about time we change it up and recognize that fun and play are essential to learning…even in college! Play encourages risk and failure and that safe space allows learners to challenge themselves. Many of these platforms also provide instantaneous, constructive, and specific feedback on performance as opposed to “Read more around…”

We grow from being attended to and nurtured. If alternative methods to learning support this then we should consider how to best incorporate these technologies to supplement our medical and clinical education models.

For more on the Holobrain and Dr. Claudia Krebs work, click here.

Warm regards,

Jacqueline