A first-of-its-kind Virtual Reality (VR) Anatomy Lab course was created in 2023 to help prepare Purdue Biomedical Engineering students for their future careers in biomedical sciences.

Students studying biomedical engineering often do not have sufficient knowledge in human anatomy and physiology in order to maximize their contributions to the field of medicine. Matthew Ward, Tamara Kinzer-Ursem and Darshini Render developed the VR Anatomy for Engineering in Medicine course to eliminate this problem with the help of grant support from the Lilly Endowment, Purdue Innovation Hub 2.0 and the Envision Center.

“This course was inspired by my experiences, observations and learning preferences. For biomedical engineers in particular, a detailed knowledge of human anatomy and physiology will become essential in the future because there’s integration,” said Ward.

According to Ward, biomedical engineers need to know what they are actually making medicine and medical devices for. Because there is no requirement for a human anatomy or physiology course, biomedical engineering students may not fully understand structures and functions of the human body and diseases.

The course combines engineering elements into its training in order for students to understand how medical device designs are dictated by human anatomy and physiology. The ultimate goal the designers have for this is for students to gain the proper knowledge to impact their student research, enhance their communication skills in the medical field and expand their list of opportunities at future careers.

The course utilizes pre-configured systems from Touch of Life Technologies, Inc. (Toltech) and a regional anatomy learning approach to teach students about a variety of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. The course covers the following physiological systems:

●       Cardiovascular/Circulatory

●       Digestive/Excretory

●       Endocrine

●       Immune/Lymphatic

●       Integumentary/Exocrine

●       Muscular

●       Nervous

●       Male and Female Reproductive

●       Respiratory

●       Skeletal

●       Urinary/Renal

To assess the students’ progress in the course, instructors administer quizzes and verbal assessments. Additionally, they can administer custom assessments, which can be developed through a companion tool provided by the company.

The course was first offered to students in the spring semester of 2024. During this time, 20 students were enrolled in the course.

The course and Ward, the course’s instructor, received positive feedback from students.

“This class provided a unique opportunity to explore human anatomy through the VR systems. The immersive experience was incredibly beneficial in learning and retaining the information and I would strongly recommend all biomedical engineers to take this class with Professor Ward. I feel more confident in my understanding of the human body than ever before thanks to the VR systems,” shared a student.

Through a Qualtrics survey, students shared they enjoyed the course and would recommend it to their peers. They also mentioned that the course was successful in teaching them about human anatomy.