A heartbeat away from wellness
View(s):
HeARtbeat’ is an educational tool developed by researchers from three countries on three different continents – Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Australia. The development was initiated by Monash University Malaysia (MUM), and collaboration extended to the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and Monash University Australia. Dr Lee ChooiYeng, senior lecturer at the School of Pharmacy, MUM, together with Professor Kevin Moffat of the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick lead the research.
‘HeARtbeat’ is an augmented reality (AR) application (App) that realistically portrays a beating heart in its normal state and abnormal state known as atrial fibrillation. The latter refers to irregular heartbeats and heart rhythms. The App can be easily installed on smart phone and tablet, allowing users to observe a beating heart through the camera view of the device. Users are able to interact with the heart model in real-time while navigating through the content of the App that presents information spanning from basic sc.
The App
“Our dedication to continuously improving teaching effectiveness and students’ learning experiences lead to the development of the app,” Dr Lee shared.
Pharmacy and Biomedical Science students from Monash University Malaysia and the University of Warwick have uniformly commented that the underlying causes of a trial fibrillation and its treatments, as compared to other heart diseases, are the most difficult to comprehend.
“The complexity of atrial fibrillation, which requires more than just reading and imagination to understand, is likely the cause of the challenges faced by students. That also shows we need a novel and creative way to teach complex subjects,” acknowledged Dr Lee.
Technology matters
Academics are encouraged to apply innovation to their teaching — a reason why technology is being widely used these days to complement existing teaching and learning activities. Dr Lee asserts that it is pivotal for academics to examine what learning aspects they want to achieve with a specific technology and how it is relevant even before implementation. “It is only when the purpose of the use is clear that we can fully utilise a technology to address educational needs,” she stressed.
AR provides an opportunity to convert complex knowledge into engaging, interactive and immersive learning content, given its unique features of integrating digital information with the user’s environment.
As Pharmacy is a health professional degree programme, the interest of healthcare providers and patients was taken into account during the development of HeARtbeat. The app contains information that meets patient education needs.
Testimony speaks
Initial surveys conducted by the research team revealed that HeARtbeat, developed with specific aims, was well received by students. Monash Pharmacy students remarked that the novelty, the realistic heart model, and easy-to-understand content had improved their learning. Warwick Biomedical Science students, on the other hand, thought that the visualisation and the learning design of the app would encourage its use.
The app has drawn interest from cardiologists and patients. The former acknowledged that HeARtbeat would be able to help patients by improving their adherence to medications and treatment outcomes, stating that they welcomed an approach that contributes to the education and patient awareness of a disease and disease treatments.
As evidenced above, HeARtbeat helps support interdisciplinary teaching and learning and serve various industries and stakeholders. The Alliance Education Fund currently funds the project.
‘HeARtbeat’ was awarded a Gold medal in the 31st International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2020) held in Kuala Lumpur. Dr Lee was awarded the Best Women Inventor Award in the same event. These awards are the latest recognition of her contribution to teaching and education.
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