How a Virtual Animal Anatomy atlas benefits from accessible design and will shape the future of anatomy education in extended realities (XR)

Scheduled at 11:15 am in Denver 4-6 on Wednesday, November 13.

#40221

Speaker(s)

  • Christianne Magee, Program Lead, Virtual Veterinary Educational ToolsAssociate Professor, Associate Head, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University
  • Andrea Linton, Lead Developer, Virtual Veterinary Educational Tools Instructional Technologist, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University
  • Jennifer Sagalyn, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Perkins School for the Blind
  • Taylor Snook, Senior Digital Accessibility Consultant, Perkins School for the Blind

Session Details

  • Length of Session: 1-hr
  • Format: Interactive/Discussion
  • Expertise Level: All Levels
  • Type of session: General Conference

Summary

The presentation will summarize the challenges and opportunities when designing educational software in anatomy, how this partnership created novel tools to overcome these challenges, and how this partnership continues to design for XR using 3D models and other parallel spaces. As part the interactive/discussion elements, the speakers hope to engage the audience in ideas for XR standards criteria, particularly related to anatomy instructional tools.

Abstract

As part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, the Virtual Veterinary Educational Team (VVET) at Colorado State University (CSU) provided their Virtual Animal Anatomy (VAA) software program for free to more than 140 schools and 12,000 learners world-wide to bridge the gap in anatomy education during remote learning. Prior to the pandemic, distribution of the VAA had been through CD-ROM or USB sales directly to students. The need for remote learning led to university to university transfer, and increased expectations around access and compliance. To meet and exceed these expectations, VVET partnered with Perkins School for the Blind to ensure that the program met user needs as defined by WCAG 2.0. Key challenges in modifying VAA program accessibility included keyboard accessibility for navigation, structure identification through contrast and differentiated highlighting, additional attributes for screen readers, and consistency of experience with zoom functions which resulted in agnostic device compatibility. By working collaboratively, the academic expectations of an anatomy atlas were met through creativity, collaboration, and prioritizing the user experience. As a rising tide lifts all boats, these changes and taking an accessibility approach to VAA design and development have improved the experience for all VAA users. This collaboration has allowed CSU to improve the value proposition of the VAA with a commitment to universal design for learning with a Voluntary Product Assessment Template (VPAT) to demonstrate VVET’s proactive approach to accessibility. As the VAA moves into extended realities (XR), this collaboration continues with the introduction of 3D models to the VAA and development of VAA-VR for K-12 outreach experiential learning. Without set standards for XR, we hope to engage the audience in identifying and prioritizing user needs for future anatomy XR learning environment design.

Keypoints

  1. Designing for accessibility improves the experience for all anatomy learners
  2. Anatomy software needs to be prepared to supplement laboratory or cadaveric learning experiences
  3. Designing for the future of XR requires a commitment to universal design for learning in the present.

Disability Areas

All Areas

Topic Areas

Accessible Course Design, Alternate Format, Assistive Technology, Captioning/Transcription, Faculty Development & Support, Legal, Procurement, Teaching about Accessibility in Curriculum, Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access

Speaker Bio(s)

Christianne Magee

Dr. Magee is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. She serves as the associate department head and the director for undergraduate education and DVM education and clinical services. She teaches in the DVM program and assists with many aspects of DVM student success. She is also advisor for the Biomedical Sciences Master of Science Animal Anatomy concentration, oversees all aspects of domestic animal instruction in the undergraduate and graduate programs in Biomedical Sciences, and teaches Applied Food and Fiber Animal Anatomy as well as Domestic Animal Anatomy, Dissection, and Case-Based Learning. Dr. Magee is also the program director for the Zoetis Veterinary Perspective Institute, a free one week, one credit college experience for underserved high school students to reduce the mentorship gap and learn about veterinary medicine and One Health. Dr. Magee maintains an active research laboratory where she studies the role of kisspeptin in the horse and collaborates with others to study several aspects of neuroendocrinology using sheep and mouse animal models. She is the program lead for the Virtual Veterinary Education Tools team and leads the development of the suite of Virtual Animal Anatomy programs.

Andrea Linton

Andrea Linton is passionate about helping people reach their educational goals with effective instructional programs. Her passion started with her own love of learning. Andrea attended Utah State University as a presidential scholar and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology with honors. She continued her education in the Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University, and as a culmination of her Master of Science program, she moved to Fort Collins to train as an instructional technologist in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. Andrea enjoyed working with the talented individuals at the university so much that she decided to continue her career there. Outside of work, Andrea likes spending time with her family and friends, volunteering in her daughters’ school tutoring children, learning about different cultures and perspectives, and learning languages.

Jennifer Sagalyn

With a career commitment to accessibility spanning more than 25 years, Sagalyn’s deep understanding of accessibility solutions allows her to guide clients to practical and sustainable strategies and implementations. She was previously director of marketing and strategic partnerships at the WGBH Educational Foundation, spearheading accessibility consulting and digital media services for clients ranging from Apple, AOL and IBM to the National Cancer Institute, General Services Administration and McGraw-Hill.

Taylor Snook

Snook possesses deep expertise in content management systems, user-centered design and various programming languages. She began her work at Perkins developing systems that would support hundreds of local partners worldwide. Snook is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies and holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Colby College and a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Global Practice from Boston College.