Utility of Virtual 3D Animations and 3D Printed Models of Heart Development in Graduate Embryology Education

Visual demonstrations of embryological heart development have typically been presented in 2D images and more recently in scanning electron micrographs. As the heart developmental processes are highly complex both in time and space, the use of 2D visual aids have limitations and are not conducive to effective visualization of the heart looping and septation processes. The objective of this study was to determine the usefulness of virtual 3D animations and tangible, 3D printed heart models in graduate level embryology education. Five 3D virtual heart models were produced using Autodesk MAYA 2016™, each one depicting a different development stage. A virtual 3D animation was created using the virtual models to allow for a 360‐degree turn of each model, in order to provide an accurate depiction of the looping and septation processes. For tangible heart model production, a Markerbot 2 Replicator™ was used to print each virtual model in polylactic acid. The completed virtual animations and 3D printed models were made available to the first year graduate students enrolled in an introductory embryology course. A survey was conducted to gauge students’ perceived value of the virtual and tangible models of embryological heart development. Student exam performance on heart development topics was compared to the previous year's results to quantify educational value of the virtual and 3D printed models. When asked to compare the usefulness of the 3D animations versus the tangible models, students found the animations more useful and conducive to their learning. The quantitative analyses indicate that the 3D virtual animations and the 3D printed models hold promise in facilitating learning of the complex developmental processes in embryology education. Support or Funding Information Master of Science in Modern Human Anatomy, University of Colorado School of Medicine