Work in progress - an empirical study of virtual dissection and student engagement

Abstract

This paper reports preliminary results from a study of physical and virtual dissection activities. Nine universities are developing virtual dissection tools to supplement and/or replace physical dissections. Student engagement was measured using the Situational Intrinsic Motivational Scale (SIMS). We describe the assessment methodology and preliminary findings. The results highlight the role virtual dissection can play in engaging students in engineering.