To Dissect
or not to dissect?
Shannon Shackles
Pros: Virtual Dissections
Data retrieved from Oakley 2011
In Oakley's (2011) survey, Ontario science teachers were asked to identify their concerns with switching to virtual dissections. Many of the teachers identified pedagogical reasons as their number one concern with using virtual dissections. The teachers said that virtual alternatives are not comparable to live dissections and that they lack realism. Virtual dissections do not show case diversity within a species but rather every student has one 'ideal' specimen to work with.
The next most common concern amongst Ontario teachers with conducting virtual dissections was the lack of or limited availability of school resources. Many teachers said that resources in their school, such as computers, are out-dated or unavailable making it difficult to use virtual alternatives (Oakley, 2011).
Other concerns were not as common as pedagocial or school resources, however other concerns included lack of professional development, costs, student disinterest, ethics, and teacher discomfort.
Some of the teachers in Oakleys study states that there is a lack of information and professional development opportunities to help them select appropraite virtual dissection alternatives as well as how to use the software effectively with their classes.
"The simulations for me are boring. I mean, they're good training tools, but they're no different than the textbook. They take you through the process in a more hands-on way, but it still isn't hands-on."
-Ontario teacher
Other teachers identified cost as a bariier to swtiching to virtual dissections. Virtual dissection software is expensive and many of the software has be renewed every year. Teachers stated that many students have a disinterest in completing virtual dissections. Even some of the teachers expressed a discomfort in the use of virtual dissection technology.
Finally, teachers expressed concern with ethics in the use of virtual dissection tools. They stated that with out live dissections, students become desensitized and there is no opportunity to develop an ethic of appreciation towards animal life.
Research Contradicting Virtual Dissections
There has been a lot of research conducted on students learning while doing both live dissections and virutal dissections. There have been research findings that have identified a difference in learning between using the two methods, some in favour of live dissections and some in favour of virtual dissections. Below is some research that has been conducted that shows virtual dissection is not as effective in student learning than live dissection.
Retrieved from Montgomery, 2008
Pros: Virtual Dissections
A study conducted by Montgomery in 2008 found that there is no significant difference on test performance between students who completed a live dissection and students who completed a virtual dissection. However, students who completed a live dissection performed significantly better on a practical exam identifying organ structures. This indicates that the theoretical learning for both methods is the same but the practical learning is signicantly poorer when completing virtual dissections.
The results of this study can be seen in the graph to the left.