The UW Virtual Brain Project: An Immersive Approach to Teaching Functional Neuroanatomy

Learning functional neuroanatomy requires forming mental representations of 3D structure, but forming such representations from 2D textbook diagrams can be challenging. We address this challenge in the UW Virtual Brain Project by developing 3D narrated diagrams, which are interactive, guided tours through 3D models of perceptual systems. Lessons can be experienced in virtual reality (VR) or on a personal computer monitor (PC). We predicted participants would learn from lessons presented on both VR and PC devices (comparing pretest/posttest scores) but that VR would be more effective for achieving both content-based learning outcomes (i.e., test performance) and experience-based learning outcomes (i.e., reported enjoyment and ease of use). All participants received lessons about the visual system and auditory system, one in VR and one on a PC (order counterbalanced). We assessed content learning using a drawing/labeling task on paper (2D drawing) in Experiment 1 and a Looking Glass autostereoscopic display (3D drawing) in Experiment 2. In both experiments, we found that the UW Virtual Brain Project lessons were effective for teaching functional neuroanatomy, with no difference between devices. However, participants reported VR was more enjoyable and easier to use. We also evaluated the VR lessons in our classroom implementation during an undergraduate course on perception. Students reported that the VR lessons helped them make progress on course learning outcomes, especially for learning system pathways. They suggested lessons could be improved by adding more examples and providing more time to explore in VR.