HE STEM Learning and Teaching Enhancement
Grants for Wales
Briefing Paper Template
Submission date
Please submit the completed briefing paper to wales@heacademy.ac.uk within four weeks
of project completion and no later than 29 June 2012.
Aims and Outputs
Please consider the following when completing your briefing paper.
The aims of the briefing paper are to:
 Summarise the key issues which arose during the project, including implications of
research / evaluation evidence for practice;
 Stimulate discussion, share practice and support the sector’s access to relevant
research / evaluation evidence.
The briefing paper is designed to accommodate the following types of projects:
 Those with findings from research or evaluation projects (either completed or in
progress) and their implications for practice;
 Those describing the application of research and / or evaluation evidence to practice.
The briefing paper template outlines the basic requirements for the briefing paper and is
meant to assist institutions in summarising outputs and also enable a consistent approach
across the enhancement funds awarded.
Dissemination
The paper will be disseminated through the HEA’s EvidenceNet site and the HE STEM
website.
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Background information
Project title:
Using Cutting Edge Medical Imaging to Assist the Teaching and
Understanding of Neuroanatomy for Medical/Allied Health Students and
Medical Researchers
Institution:
Author:
Email address:
Swansea University
Niall Colgan
n.c.colgan@swansea.ac.uk
Abstract: Please provide a brief abstract of the project delivered (maximum 250 words).
The overall aim of the project was to create a standalone interactive software tool that can
display, query and assess tractography representation from magnetic resonance diffusion
tensor imaging data to be used as an interactive learning tool.
Rationale: Please provide background context, such as the research / evidence-informed
practice context, which provided impetus for the project.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a novel medical imaging technique that has become
increasingly important in neurological/muscular research and therapy planning. DTI is the
first non-invasive, in-vivo imaging modality capable of providing approximate visualisations
of the neural pathways of the brain and fibrous anatomy. In recognition of the truly interdisciplinary nature of modern healthcare, a framework has been devised to provide expert
elucidation of the key aspects and capabilities of DTI medical imaging as part of teaching.
The ability to visually perceive the positioning and connectivity of structures in the human
body is a vital practice for the education of good healthcare professionals and researchers.
The explanation of a neural pathway can be quite abstract but the visualisation of these
specific structures could provide a clearer insight into their location and function within the
body.
Generation of Evidence: Please describe how the research / evaluation findings were
generated, e.g. methods used.
The MRI diffusion data sets where generated from healthy volunteer MRI scans in line with the
ethical guidelines of the College of Medicine Swansea University. The software utilised in developing
the proof of concept for DTI visualization was Matlab. The platform was a mouse driven platform
where ROI seed placements where based on uniform rectilinear shapes with exclusive and or
parenthesis to define the N number commonalities of the required tract to be displayed.
Existing Evidence: Please provide details of research / evaluation evidence drawn on and
reported on in the project.
The work was completed and presented at
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NISCHR Imaging Support Group Workshop: Applications of Medical imaging
25th May 2012 Institute of Life Science Swansea University
Accepted to
16th Conference on Medical Image Understanding and Analysis 9th -11th July 2012
Submitted to
Journal of HEA Bioscience Education
Research findings / New evidence: Please describe any new findings or evidence
reported on in the project.
The software is at alpha stage of development but requires further refinement. The proof of concept
software requires a further refinement of seed point placement methods. This will make the software
more usable in relation to students identify the anatomical features. The test group found it difficult to
relate the seed point placement and the effect it had on the presentation of the anatomical feature
representations.
Outcomes of research / evaluation evidence and the implications for policy
and practice: Please identify any application or outcomes of research / evaluation
evidence and details the implications for policy and practice for different stakeholder groups
such as: academics, learning technology practitioners, professional developers, senior
managers, policy makers, students, sector organizations, employers and professional
bodies. Please also use this section to reflect on any lessons learnt and potential of the
project’s transferability (e.g. to other disciplinary areas).
The software has been developed and translated for application to display 3D DTI data and query the
fibers generated. The main barrier to the application of this software is to develop is the uptake in
academic practioners of an unorthodox method of demonstrating a 3D object.
Impact: Please describe the impact of the project including any evidence collected, if
possible.
The presentation of the software and the demonstration was widely perceived as excellent however
further training and refinement would be required to be able to have a beta tested model that was
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robust.
Links: Please use this box to include any links to resources.
Bibliography / references (preferably annotated): Please list any references
mentioned in or associated with the seminar topic. Where possible, please annotate the list
to enable readers to identify the most relevant materials.
S. Meredith, C. Mascott, N. Colgan, R. Reilly, K.M. Curran. (2010). Using Cutting Edge Medical Imaging to
Assist the Teaching and Understanding of Neuroanatomy for Medical Students and Medical Researchers.
National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning. 3rd Annual conference
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‘Tagging’ – discipline areas and pedagogic categories
To enable us to effectively ‘tag’ your briefing paper on the HEA’s EvidenceNet site, please
identify up to five discipline areas, and up to five pedagogic categories to which your work
relates. Please use the lists below to identify your areas and categories:
Discipline areas:
Discipline area
Includes:
Art, Design and Media
Creative arts, choreography, fashion design, journalism,
media studies.
Anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, zoology, genetics,
agriculture, forestry, food science.
Property management, geomatics, urban and regional
planning, architecture.
Human resource management, marketing.
BioScience
Built Environment
Business, Management,
Accountancy and Finance
Economics
Education (ESCalate)
Engineering
English
Geography, Earth and
Environmental Sciences
Health Sciences and
Practice
History, Classics and
Archaeology
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport
and Tourism
Information and Computer
Science
Languages, Linguistics
and Area Studies
Law (UKCLE)
Materials (UKCME)
Maths, Stats and
Operational Research
Medicine, Dentistry and
Veterinary Medicine
Dance, Drama and Music
(PALATINE)
Philosophical and
Religious Studies
Physical Sciences
Psychology
Sociology, Anthropology
and Politics
Social Policy and Social
Work
Generic
Econometrics, game theory.
Teacher training, education policy.
Bioengineering, ergonomics.
Creative writing, literary studies.
Conservation, geology, ecology, oceanography,
environmental engineering.
Nursing, physiotherapy, chiropody, nutrition, dietetics,
counselling, public and environmental health, medical
physics, speech and language therapy.
Egyptology, classical studies, history by period,
archaeological conservation.
Equine studies, land management, retail management, sport
science.
Information systems, software engineering, programming.
Tick if this
relates to
your work
X
X
Islamic studies, translation studies, deaf studies.
Forensic science, criminology.
Nanoscience, biomaterials engineering, materials
engineering, materials technology.
Veterinary nursing, medical technology.
X
Video and new media production, costume design, theatre
studies, musicology.
History and philosophy of science and technology, theology.
Chemistry, physics, astronomy.
Neuroscience, neuropsychology, psychometrics.
Cultural studies, international relations.
X
Youth and community work, public policy, housing studies.
Applicable to all disciplines.
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Pedagogic categories:
Values
Includes:
Assessment and feedback
Formative assessment, summative assessment, eassessment, plagiarism.
Curriculum content and
development
Employer engagement
Enhancing learning
through technology
Equality and diversity.
Ethics
Evaluation
HE in FE
HE policy
Internationalisation
Learning and learner
support
Lifelong learning
Organisational change &
institutional development
Pedagogic research
methods
Personal and professional
development and CPD
Personal development
planning
Quality management and
assurance
Research-teaching nexus
Students
Sustainability
Teaching and learning
practices
Teaching and learning
strategies
Tick if this
relates to
your work
Employee learning, work based learning, employability,
enterprise, workforce development, sandwich courses,
employer led degrees.
VLE, blended learning, learning technologies.
X
Disability, retention, widening participation.
Citizenship.
Evaluation methodologies.
X
Of curriculum, staff and students, transferability of learning
across international boundaries, language.
Careers guidance, student counselling, information services,
libraries.
e.g. Change Academy
Qualitative research, quantitative research, action research.
X
Professional skills training.
Research-informed teaching, practice informed research.
Undergraduate students, postgraduate students, first year
students, international students, recruitment.
ESD
PBL, EBL, small group teaching, tutorials, lectures.
X
Institutional, departmental or programme strategies.
X
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