© Sarah Baillie

Combining a Veterinary

Surgeon, Computing Scientist and

Teacher...Sarah Baillie BVSc PhD MRCVS

The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, UK

Presentation For RCUK - September 2010

“What do you get?!”

The Royal Veterinary CollegeThe Haptic Cow

Virtual Surgery

LIVE A Centre for Excellence in

Teaching and Learning

State of the art Clinical Skills Laboratories

Team dedicated to Educational Research &

Development

Clinical Skills Laboratories

Simulators and Models

High ‘tech’

Low ‘tech’

Large Animal

Small Animal

Sarah Baillie MRCVS Most Innovative Teacher of the Year 2009

RCUK Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET 2010Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellow 2010

How did it come to this?

The Haptic Cow

Background Veterinary Surgeon

1986

2006

• Mixed Practice • Farm Animal

• Specialising in Cattle Health and Production (1992)

• Small Animal• Soft tissue surgery• Developing the business & improving

services

Background (1) Veterinary Surgeon

• Masters in Information Technology (2001-03)• 10 Modules (from OOP to Databases)• Developed the Haptic Cow

• PhD in Computing Science (2003-06)• Validated the Haptic Cow

Background (2) Computing Scientist

2001 2006

Background (3) Teacher & Educational

Researcher

Vet + computing scientist + teacher:• Haptic simulators and haptic computer

games• Work-based learning• Business skills, female entrepreneurship• Interprofessional education• Web 2.0

2006 Move to join

the LIVE group at the RVC

Background (3) Teacher & Educational

Researcher

Vet + computing scientist + teacher:• Haptic simulators

2006 Move to join

the LIVE group at the RVC

What is Haptics?

• adj. [Greek haptein, to touch + ic] OED

• Haptic Simulators allow you to:• Feel 3D virtual objects

• Uses: • Visually impaired computer users• Veterinary and medical training

It’s an ideal technology for teaching examinations that depend on palpation

The PHANTOM (SensAble

Technologies)

The Haptic Cow

Can’t see what’s going on…

Could I find a better way to teach this?

(for pregnancy diagnosis and fertility examinations)

• Created 3D virtual models of the bovine reproductive tract (cervix, uterus and ovaries) inside the bony pelvis and abdomen

First the C++ code is written… then… the anatomical model is palpated

many, many

iterations5 years...

The Haptic CowDesign

The Haptic Cowis born

“It’s cool”

The instructor provides guidance while following the trainee’s progress inside the virtual cow on the computer screen

The student palpates the virtual bovine reproductive tract and receives touch feedback from the PHANTOM haptic (touch feedback) device

“Awesome”

Research has shown: - It is reasonable life-(cow)-like - Students perform better when examining real cows - It’s now used in 4 of 7 UK vet schools

Inside fibreglass cow is a PHANToM haptic

device

Computer software (written in C++)

Technology Making a Difference

Using Haptic Cow @ RVC

1. Anatomy in 1st year 1

2. 3rd years basic skills for examining 1st real cow

a) Peer assisted learning (PAL) – student tutors 2

b) Let the computer do the teaching! 3

3. Role-play in clinical rotations 4Over 2,000 ‘sign ins’ @ RVC since Feb 2007 & more than

10,000 members of the public have tried our haptic simulators

1. Kinnison et al (2009). Teaching Bovine Abdominal Anatomy: Use of a Haptic Simulator. Anatomical Sciences Education , 2(6): 280-285

2. Baillie et al (2009). Introducing Peer Assisted Learning into a Veterinary Curriculum: A Trial with a Simulator. JVME, 36(2): 174-179.

3. Baillie et al (2010). Evaluating an Automated Haptic Simulator Designed for Veterinary Students to Learn Bovine Rectal Palpation. Sim in Health in press

4. Baillie et al (2010). Fostering Integrated Learning & Clinical Professionalism Using Contextualized Simulation in a Small Group Role-Play. JVME in press

Technology Making a Difference

Learning Anatomy

Kinnison, Forrest, Frean & Baillie (2009). Teaching Bovine Abdominal Anatomy: Use of a Haptic Simulator. Anatomical Sciences Education , 2(6): 280-285

Truly 3D, no cadavers & no mess

• Compared performance of a group of students trained with simulator with a control group• Both groups set task of finding uterus in cows• Simulator trained group significantly better

(p<0.05)

• Then did an ‘ease of use’ study• 61 students piloted it ‘free access’, positive

feedback

Does it work?

Technology Making a Difference

Let the Computer Teach

Baillie et al (2010). Evaluating an Automated Haptic Simulator Designed for Veterinary Students to Learn Bovine Rectal Palpation. Sim in Health in press

Haptic Cow now has her own

Outlook calendar!

Drug box

Virtual

versus

real farm

“You got lost in there, love?”

Baillie , Pierce, May,S. (2010) Fostering Integrated Learning &Clinical Professionalism Using Contextualized Simulation in a Small Group Role-Play. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (in press)

“You said you were qualified, right?”

Role-play: A visit to a dairy farm

Technology Making a Difference

Contextualised Simulation

1. History2. Palpate

3. Diagnose (& treat)

Very popular with students

We have simulations of other species

including human

As it is a Computer...

• It can be more than the Haptic Cow• I.e. as it’s software it can become many cows & other species...

• It can be more than the Haptic Cow• I.e. as it’s software it can become many cows & other simulators...

We have simulations of other species

including human

CowHorse

Cat& DRE

As it is a Computer...

Conclusions

Passion for teaching

Skills as a Vet

Workplace experience

Retraining in computing

Conclusions

Passion for teaching

Skills as a Vet

Workplace experience

Retraining in computing

I’ve been able to understand the challenges and deliver practical,

innovative and, importantly, effective solutions

That mix has

meant

Questions?

Sarah Baillie MRCVS Most Innovative Teacher of the Year 2009

RCUK Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET 2010Higher Education Academy National Teaching Fellow 2010

For the vet..

For the computer scientist...

For the teacher ...