Abstract:

Digital stories have become one of the most popular methods of virtual storytelling with the use of digital images, videos and narration. A number of researchers support the use of anticipatory sets at the beginning of a lesson to help engage students in the learning process (Burmark, 2004; Ormrod, 2004) and as a bridge between existing knowledge and new material (Ausbel, 1978). Researchers such as Hibbing and Rankin-Erikson (2003) and Boster, Meyer, Toberto and Inge (2002) have shown that the use of multimedia in teaching helps students retain new information as well as aids in the comprehension of difficult material.

As a pilot project, a third level Radiographic Pathology Course Module was delivered by blended learning with all content delvered online through Desire2Learn. A lab component with the Faculty was scheduled for face to face tutorial. To augment this module, several digital stories were created to enhance online lessons and allow discussion and better understanding of the concepts. Digital stories were used to represent real scenarios demonstrating a particular pathology commonly seen in Medical Imaging Departments. Research is currently being conducted to collect data for the usefulness of the digital stories, in terms of adding value to the student experience.

The following questions are currently under investigation:
1. Did the digital stories provdie evidence of learning?
2. What benefits did the digital stories provide to the students?
3. What obstacles presented for students when accessing the digital stories?
4. Is there opportunity for students to create their own digital story in other scenarios?

The results from this pilot project will determine whether the use of digital stories was appropriate for this particular subject. It is anticipated that the results will demonstrate the importance of digital storytelling when delivering patient centered content in an online or blended environment.

References:
Boster, F. J., Meyer, G. S., Roberto, A. J., & Inge, C. C. (2002). A report on the effect of the United
Streaming application on educational performance. Farmville, VA: Longwood University.

Burmark, L. (2004, May/June). Visual presentations that prompt, flash & transform. Media and Methods,
40(6).
Ormrod, J. E. (2004). Human learning (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Educational, Inc.

Keywords:

Radiology, Digital Stories, Health Care.