Using Visible Body to Master Terminology & Vocabulary

Posted on 6/28/24 by Sarah Boudreau

What’s in a name? Well… a lot. 

Terminology presents a huge challenge for students. Vocabulary and terminology are foundational to learning anatomy and physiology and launching students into careers in the life sciences, but the sheer amount of terms is overwhelming. Memorization can be hard, but through its immersive assignments and premade content, Visible Body makes A&P terminology easier for students and instructors alike. 

IA-muscles2An immersive assignment in Courseware. 

When it comes to building a course and assignments, our team has done the heavy lifting. Visible Body’s features and premade curriculum content—everything from Flashcards to entire courses—will make teaching terminology and vocabulary a breeze. 

Get engaged with interactive assignments

If you want to increase student engagement, immersive assignments are one of the best tools in your toolbelt. Immersive assignments in Courseware consist of bite-sized activities and quizzes that walk students through life sciences content with interactive models and animations. 

In regards to terminology and vocabulary, our team provides premade immersive assignments on:

  • Anatomical terminology
  • Muscle naming
  • Bone types and tissues
  • Bony landmarks

Immersive assignments are easily edited and customized to your course, and Courseware’s immersive assignment builder allows you to create your own from scratch!

Let’s take a closer look at the anatomy of an immersive assignment. 

planes-IA

An immersive assignment in Courseware. 

On the left, you’ll find instructions that guide students through the activity. Students follow those instructions to manipulate and explore the 3D model in the center of the screen. 

To select a structure, simply click on it. When a structure is selected, the info box pops up, providing the opportunity to…

  • Add a tag 
  • Fade or hide
  • Read a definition 
  • Read about related pathologies
  • Hear a pronunciation of the structure’s name
  • View attachments and insertions, blood supply, innervation, and other details (if the selected structure is a muscle)

IA-muscle

An immersive assignment in Courseware. 

When a student has completed the activity, they can click the Next button to bring them to the next one. Short quizzes check students’ knowledge as they make their way through the assignment. These quizzes are automatically graded, and grades are logged into the Gradebook. 

With immersive assignments, terminology and vocabulary are more than just words in a textbook—they’re part of interactive visualizations that help students get hands-on and “connect the dots” between concepts. 

Memorize vocabulary in a flash

Flashcards are a tried-and-true method for memorizing content, but Visible Body’s Flashcards take things to a new level! You can browse a library of premade Flashcard Decks to find Flashcards that fit your course. 

Users can use virtual Flashcard Decks on desktop or mobile, marking their answers as correct or incorrect as they work through the Deck. Here comes the really cool part: click “Explore in 3D” to be instantly brought to the 3D model. When you’re done exploring, click “Return to Flashcard” to continue memorizing! 

flashcard-deck-bones

Flashcards in VB Suite. 

Users can also create their own Flashcards—this can be a great review activity! In fact, check out this assignment designed by instructor and Visible Body Customer Engagement Specialist Jenn Smulligan. For extra credit, Jenn asked her students to build their own bony landmarks Flashcard Decks. 

"I noticed that of the five students who completed this extra credit assignment, two scored over 100%, two scored over 95%, and only one scored below a 90%,” Jenn said. 

For more ideas on how to use Flashcards, check out our blog post 10 Creative Uses for Flashcards in Visible Body Suite!

Explore more

But wait—there’s more! We’ve got more tools that can help you teach A&P terminology. Check out: 

Visible Body Suite is Visible Body’s one-stop shop for 3D models, animations, illustrations, and more. The app is packed with models that help students visualize tough concepts and spatial relationships in the body and beyond—but Visible Body provides more than models. Visible Body Courseware is an online learning platform that gives instructors the ability to use VB Suite’s engaging visuals in assignments and quizzes. Courseware integrates with your institution’s LMS to make the learning experience seamless. 

Ready to try Visible Body Courseware for yourself? Reach out to our team for a free instructor trial!

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Are you an instructor? We have award-winning 3D products and resources for your anatomy and physiology course! Learn more here.

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