The technology is unique because Anatomage tables are commonly found in medical schools and rarely in high schools, according to school officials.
“It has surpassed all my expectations,” Sports Medicine Teacher Gina Valenti said Wednesday. “The kids are engaged, they’re excited about anatomy.”
She said anatomy is normally difficult to teach since students have to retain a great deal of information — the names of various bones, joints and ligaments, as well as their places in the body. The table gets students more excited to tackle a challenging subject, and the lesson format is more memorable, Valenti said.
Studying the layered systems of the human body used to require multiple sheets of paper to show the different components. Now, students can zoom in or out on everything from a tibia to a toe bone, using the models for reference or to take quizzes on what they’ve learned.
Virtual reality is already available to some of BCIT’s learners, school officials said. Welding, auto collision repair and law and public safety all make use of virtual reality, and now the students in health-focused programs have the same learning opportunity.
Dentistry, veterinary and health professional classes also will take turns with the tablet to look at relevant anatomical structures.
As helpful as the table is for the Class of 2019, other students may learn even more using the table as their familiarity with it grows each year, senior Joshua Okimsanya said.
“It’s nice to have it senior year, but the freshman will have the most time to get used to it,” he said.
Sports medicine career major Nazim Tijani said the table is helping him and his peers prepare for certification exams this year.
Nazim said the table’s 3D perspective helps him visualize muscles and tendons joint by joint.
Most importantly, the technology will come in handy when students begin seeing real patients one day.
“In life, you’re not going to be looking at a piece of paper,” Nazim said. “You’ll be looking at human beings.”