Virtual and traditional slides for teaching cellular morphology to medical laboratory science undergraduates: A comparative study of performance outcomes, retention, and self-efficacy beliefs

As a result of massive retirement and educational program expense and closure, the field of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) is facing a critical workforce shortage. Combatting this issue by increasing undergraduate class size is a difficult proposition due to the intense psychomotor curricular requirements of MLS programs. Technological advances in the realm of virtual microscopy, however, provide an opportunity to reach more students by delivering psychomotor components in less restrictive formats. The purpose of this study was to analyze pedagogical comparability of virtual slides and traditional slides regarding immediate and delayed performance, self-efficacy perceptions, student opinion, and faculty observations. Specifically, this study intended to fill a void in the available research by examining skill transferability and retention amongst an undergraduate population.;Participants included 72 undergraduates registered in a course with a laboratory component at a Midwestern university-based MLS program. Participants were split into two groups; Group 1 completed a laboratory session on myeloid precursor cells with virtual slides and a session on erythroid precursors with traditional slides, while Group 2 did the session on myeloid precursors with traditional slides and the session on erythroid precursors with virtual slides. After each session, participants completed a survey along with a performance evaluation that utilized only traditional slides. Nine weeks after the initial laboratory sessions, participants completed a second performance evaluation that again implemented only traditional slides. Collected data was analyzed for statistically significant differences in immediate and delayed performance, self-efficacy, and self-efficacy sources based on slide type. Additional qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate slide type preference of students and faculty observations.;Results indicated that virtual slides did not negatively impact immediate or delayed performance, suggesting that cellular identification skills are transferable from virtual slides to traditional slides. Survey responses showed that the students felt the feedback and learning environment produced in a virtual slide laboratory were better than the traditional slide laboratory. For these and other reasons, a majority of participants preferred learning with virtual slides, but still voiced concern about future ramifications of reduced microscope exposure. Implications are discussed for MLS educators considering virtual slide implementation.