A lecturer's interactive anatomical program is set to make learning more interesting for students in the Auckland University of Technology's health faculty.

Senior anatomy lecturer Heather Clark is designing a new computer program as a study tool.

As well as showing animated 3D drawings of various regions of the body, the program allows layers to be peeled back to reveal the relationship between the muscles, nerves, bones and joints.

"I've been teaching anatomy for long enough to know where students have problems", says Ms Clark. "One of the main difficulties students have with anatomy is the visualisation of structures and their movements in 3D and I think this program will assist this".

The program was designed with physiotherapy students in mind, but Ms Clark says it will be helpful for other students who require anatomical knowledge. Medical students, chiropractors, osteopaths and physical educators, are examples.
Ms Clark has done all the drawings and movements on the computer herself, because the time-consuming nature of the project precluded using a graphic designer. It was also a matter of finding a person who had the necessary anatomical and drawing skills.

Accompanying each animated series of drawings are five questions designed to test the student's knowledge, with each of the answers being illustrated in a further animation. These questions are based on curriculum and relate to important features of the structure.

"Once I have completed the current project I would like to make a CD relating some of our physiotherapy techniques directly to the various anatomical structures," Ms Clark says.