{"title":"Webcam-based eye-tracking to measure visual expertise of medical students during online histology training.","authors":"Dogus Darici, Carsten Reissner, Markus Missler","doi":"10.3205/zma001642","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Visual expertise is essential for image-based tasks that rely on visual cues, such as in radiology or histology. Studies suggest that eye movements are related to visual expertise and can be measured by near-infrared eye-tracking. With the popularity of device-embedded webcam eye-tracking technology, cost-effective use in educational contexts has recently become amenable. This study investigated the feasibility of such methodology in a curricular online-only histology course during the 2021 summer term.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>At two timepoints (t1 and t2), third-semester medical students were asked to diagnose a series of histological slides while their eye movements were recorded. Students' eye metrics, performance and behavioral measures were analyzed using variance analyses and multiple regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>First, webcam-eye tracking provided eye movement data with satisfactory quality (<i>mean accuracy</i>=115.7 px±31.1). Second, the eye movement metrics reflected the students' proficiency in finding relevant image sections (<i>fixation count on relevant areas</i>=6.96±1.56 vs. irrelevant areas=4.50±1.25). Third, students' eye movement metrics successfully predicted their performance (R<sup>2</sup><sub>adj</sub>=0.39, p<0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study supports the use of webcam-eye-tracking expanding the range of educational tools available in the (digital) classroom. As the students' interest in using the webcam eye-tracking was high, possible areas of implementation will be discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":45850,"journal":{"name":"GMS Journal for Medical Education","volume":"40 5","pages":"Doc60"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10594038/pdf/","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"GMS Journal for Medical Education","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3205/zma001642","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Objectives: Visual expertise is essential for image-based tasks that rely on visual cues, such as in radiology or histology. Studies suggest that eye movements are related to visual expertise and can be measured by near-infrared eye-tracking. With the popularity of device-embedded webcam eye-tracking technology, cost-effective use in educational contexts has recently become amenable. This study investigated the feasibility of such methodology in a curricular online-only histology course during the 2021 summer term.
Methods: At two timepoints (t1 and t2), third-semester medical students were asked to diagnose a series of histological slides while their eye movements were recorded. Students' eye metrics, performance and behavioral measures were analyzed using variance analyses and multiple regression models.
Results: First, webcam-eye tracking provided eye movement data with satisfactory quality (mean accuracy=115.7 px±31.1). Second, the eye movement metrics reflected the students' proficiency in finding relevant image sections (fixation count on relevant areas=6.96±1.56 vs. irrelevant areas=4.50±1.25). Third, students' eye movement metrics successfully predicted their performance (R2adj=0.39, p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study supports the use of webcam-eye-tracking expanding the range of educational tools available in the (digital) classroom. As the students' interest in using the webcam eye-tracking was high, possible areas of implementation will be discussed.
期刊介绍:
GMS Journal for Medical Education (GMS J Med Educ) – formerly GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung – publishes scientific articles on all aspects of undergraduate and graduate education in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and other health professions. Research and review articles, project reports, short communications as well as discussion papers and comments may be submitted. There is a special focus on empirical studies which are methodologically sound and lead to results that are relevant beyond the respective institution, profession or country. Please feel free to submit qualitative as well as quantitative studies. We especially welcome submissions by students. It is the mission of GMS Journal for Medical Education to contribute to furthering scientific knowledge in the German-speaking countries as well as internationally and thus to foster the improvement of teaching and learning and to build an evidence base for undergraduate and graduate education. To this end, the journal has set up an editorial board with international experts. All manuscripts submitted are subjected to a clearly structured peer review process. All articles are published bilingually in English and German and are available with unrestricted open access. Thus, GMS Journal for Medical Education is available to a broad international readership. GMS Journal for Medical Education is published as an unrestricted open access journal with at least four issues per year. In addition, special issues on current topics in medical education research are also published. Until 2015 the journal was published under its German name GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung. By changing its name to GMS Journal for Medical Education, we wish to underline our international mission.