Baylor Class Provides Opportunities for Hands-On Learning with Laparoscopic Training Boxes
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Media contact: Tonya Lewis, (254) 710-4656
WACO, Texas (March 22, 2017) – Instead of reading a textbook and taking notes on a lecture, Baylor University undergraduates in an independent research class led by Marty Harvill, Ph.D., are learning the basics of laparoscopic surgery with hands-on activities, developing enough dexterity that some students were able to fold tiny origami hats in a box.
The independent research class provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to use laparoscopic training boxes, a device often used to teach surgical residents how to conduct a laparoscopic surgery. In the year-long class, students in Earle Hall use the laparoscopic boxes and conduct experiments, while older lab assistants manage the lab times and work with the collected data.
"Ultimately, the goal is to teach them how to think about research projects," said Harvill, senior lecturer of biology in the College of Arts & Sciences. "The second goal is to give them hands-on experience with laparoscopic tools."
To develop the skills and dexterity required for laparoscopic surgery, students do a number of exercises with the laparoscopic boxes. One of the exercises requires students to move small rubber items from one peg to another inside the box. At the start of last semester, this exercise would take each student approximately 15 minutes, Harvill said. Now, the average time is about a minute and 30 seconds.
Another key element of the class is designing research projects. Small groups of students designed projects to investigate a variety of questions, such as how different types of music might impact people's performance with the laparoscopic boxes. Another project analyzes the effect of peer- and authority-pressure.
"We're just finding all kinds of projects we could come up with," Harvill said. "I think I've got 50 or 60 projects in my head right now of things we could do."
Last semester, the class collected data on the students' training. The lab assistants are turning that data into research posters which will be presented at Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA) Scholars Week, March 27-31.
Harvill said the class engages students through hands-on activities, allowing them to better understand the real-life applications of what they're learning.
"If they want to be a physician, this gives them a hands-on experience of what it would be like," Harvill said. "It maybe motivates them a bit more if they're studying the academic side of it and know there's something else they'll get to do."
Working with the laparoscopic boxes can also help students discover whether they want to attend medical school and pursue a career as a surgeon. Some students in the class have discovered their passion for laparoscopic work, while others learned that it might not be the right path for them.
"What we've found is that, because this is a visual thing, some people couldn't do it," Harvill said. "Their depth perception was not very good. The whole semester, they did improve, but they didn't improve as much as everyone else."
The laparoscopic boxes used in the class were created by a student, Davis Payne, who is now a senior health science studies major.
"I started looking up online how to build one just for the fun of it and found out where to get the materials," Payne said. "Ebay has everything. I took the bits and pieces of the articles' design that I liked and made one using my own measurements."
After building some laparoscopic boxes, Payne wanted to do student trials. When volunteers did not consistently show up for the experiments, Harvill offered to create an independent research class, allowing students to learn how to use the laparoscopic boxes while Payne and lab assistants conduct their trials.
The lab assistants help the younger students with their designs and learn how to mentor a project, Harvill said.
"It's been fun to have a teaching role, and to see something you've made and see it applied," Payne said.
After the success of this year, the laparoscopic class will become an annual opportunity, with Laparoscopic 1 available in the fall semester and Laparoscopic 2 in the spring.
"As far as I can tell, I don't think there are any undergraduate places in the United States that are doing anything like this," Harvill said.
by Kalli Damschen, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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