Press Release

OUHK to be the first local institute to use Digital Virtual Dissection System for teaching 18/12/2018

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At today's media briefing, the OUHK demonstrated how the Digital Virtual Dissection System and the VR Cave Learning System will be used in its nursing curriculum. From left: Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies Prof. Joseph Lee Kok-long, Associate Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies Prof. Linda Lee Yin-king, President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong, Vice President (Academic) Prof. Reggie Kwan Ching-ping, and Vice President (Administration & Development) Prof. Tong Chong-sze. With the aid of the Digital Virtual Dissection System, nursing students can practise and perform unlimited and multiple layer dissections to learn anatomy. VR Cave Learning System can simulate different scenarios such as the emergency situation in hospital wards, and allow multiple students to enter the same scene at once to share the realistic and interactive experience.	The School of Nursing and Healthcare of The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) will introduce the Digital Virtual Dissection System and the VR Cave Learning System in its nursing curriculum, becoming the first local institute to use such advanced and innovative technologies for teaching. At a media briefing held today (18 December), the teaching team of the OUHK’s School of Nursing and Healthcare demonstrated how these cutting-edge technologies would be used in nursing and healthcare education. Speaking at the event, OUHK President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong said that over the years, the University had invested many resources to improve and upgrade its teaching facilities for creating a better learning experience for its students. He pointed out that interactive learning was first introduced in 2003 and tablet learning platform was developed a few years ago to make students’ learning more flexible and efficient. OUHK was also the first local University to apply 3D and VR (Virtual Reality) technology in teaching nursing and anatomy since 2015. He believes that with the aid of the newly acquired technologies and facilities, educational content could be delivered in a more interactive and effective manner, and this would further enhance students’ learning experience. Prof. Wong also expressed his deepest gratitude to the Ma Huateng Foundation Limited which has recently made a generous donation that enables the OUHK to use advanced technologies in nursing and healthcare education. The Digital Virtual Dissection System is able to display realistic human body structure at a 1:1 ratio. All the images in the System are collected from real cadaver dissection where students can practise and perform unlimited and multiple layer dissections to learn anatomy. Students can also learn various diseases from the pathological cases and images which would be stored in the System’s database. Different from the traditional single-user VR technology, the VR Cave Learning System allows multiple users to enter the same scene at once to share the realistic and interactive experience. The system can simulate scenario which is difficult to duplicate in conventional classroom setting, such as the emergency situation in hospital wards and acrophobia experience on a working platform outside a high-rise building. Different scenarios can also be created for both General and Mental Health Nursing students to learn and experience various situations that they may encounter in the real ward. The two new learning systems will be used for teaching starting from early next year and will be applied to various years of the programmes gradually. They will be initially placed at the Jockey Club campus and moved to the Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare upon its completion in 2020. To cater for the increasing demand of healthcare needs in Hong Kong, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies Prof. Joseph Lee Kok-long said that the School are exploring new programmes in the coming years such as the Bachelor of Science (Honour) in Physiotherapy. Their teaching team would continue to develop more VR teaching materials and apply them in various programmes to better prepare students for their placement and clinical care in the future. About the OUHK: Established by the Government in 1989, The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) has developed into a full-fledged university providing high quality and flexible university education at various levels to secondary school graduates and working adults. As a dynamic and innovative university, the OUHK currently offers about 220 programmes to nearly 10,000 full-time students and about 9,000 part-time students. Our mission is to advance learning, knowledge and research that meet students’ learning aspirations and society’s talent needs, focusing on practical and professional programmes. OUHK comprises five Schools, i.e. School of Arts and Social Sciences, Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, School of Education and Languages, School of Nursing and Health Studies, and School of Science and Technology. The Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education (LiPACE) provides lifelong learning opportunities by offering full-time sub-degree programmes, community learning and professional programmes. OUHK website: www.ouhk.edu.hk

At today's media briefing, the OUHK demonstrated how the Digital Virtual Dissection System and the VR Cave Learning System will be used in its nursing curriculum. From left: Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies Prof. Joseph Lee Kok-long, Associate Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies Prof. Linda Lee Yin-king, President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong, Vice President (Academic) Prof. Reggie Kwan Ching-ping, and Vice President (Administration & Development) Prof. Tong Chong-sze.

With the aid of the Digital Virtual Dissection System, nursing students can practise and perform unlimited and multiple layer dissections to learn anatomy.

VR Cave Learning System can simulate different scenarios such as the emergency situation in hospital wards, and allow multiple students to enter the same scene at once to share the realistic and interactive experience.

The School of Nursing and Healthcare of The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) will introduce the Digital Virtual Dissection System and the VR Cave Learning System in its nursing curriculum, becoming the first local institute to use such advanced and innovative technologies for teaching. At a media briefing held today (18 December), the teaching team of the OUHK’s School of Nursing and Healthcare demonstrated how these cutting-edge technologies would be used in nursing and healthcare education.

Speaking at the event, OUHK President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong said that over the years, the University had invested many resources to improve and upgrade its teaching facilities for creating a better learning experience for its students. He pointed out that interactive learning was first introduced in 2003 and tablet learning platform was developed a few years ago to make students’ learning more flexible and efficient. OUHK was also the first local University to apply 3D and VR (Virtual Reality) technology in teaching nursing and anatomy since 2015. He believes that with the aid of the newly acquired technologies and facilities, educational content could be delivered in a more interactive and effective manner, and this would further enhance students’ learning experience.

Prof. Wong also expressed his deepest gratitude to the Ma Huateng Foundation Limited which has recently made a generous donation that enables the OUHK to use advanced technologies in nursing and healthcare education.

The Digital Virtual Dissection System is able to display realistic human body structure at a 1:1 ratio. All the images in the System are collected from real cadaver dissection where students can practise and perform unlimited and multiple layer dissections to learn anatomy. Students can also learn various diseases from the pathological cases and images which would be stored in the System’s database.

Different from the traditional single-user VR technology, the VR Cave Learning System allows multiple users to enter the same scene at once to share the realistic and interactive experience. The system can simulate scenario which is difficult to duplicate in conventional classroom setting, such as the emergency situation in hospital wards and acrophobia experience on a working platform outside a high-rise building. Different scenarios can also be created for both General and Mental Health Nursing students to learn and experience various situations that they may encounter in the real ward.

The two new learning systems will be used for teaching starting from early next year and will be applied to various years of the programmes gradually. They will be initially placed at the Jockey Club campus and moved to the Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare upon its completion in 2020.

To cater for the increasing demand of healthcare needs in Hong Kong, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Studies Prof. Joseph Lee Kok-long said that the School are exploring new programmes in the coming years such as the Bachelor of Science (Honour) in Physiotherapy. Their teaching team would continue to develop more VR teaching materials and apply them in various programmes to better prepare students for their placement and clinical care in the future.

About the OUHK:
Established by the Government in 1989, The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) has developed into a full-fledged university providing high quality and flexible university education at various levels to secondary school graduates and working adults. As a dynamic and innovative university, the OUHK currently offers about 220 programmes to nearly 10,000 full-time students and about 9,000 part-time students. Our mission is to advance learning, knowledge and research that meet students’ learning aspirations and society’s talent needs, focusing on practical and professional programmes.

OUHK comprises five Schools, i.e. School of Arts and Social Sciences, Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, School of Education and Languages, School of Nursing and Health Studies, and School of Science and Technology. The Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education (LiPACE) provides lifelong learning opportunities by offering full-time sub-degree programmes, community learning and professional programmes. OUHK website: www.ouhk.edu.hk