A comparison of V-Frog© to physical frog dissection

The purpose of the present study was to examine and compare the effectiveness of virtual
frog dissection using V-Frog© and physical frog dissection on learning, retention, and
affect. Subjects were secondary students enrolled in year-long life science classes in a
suburban high school (N=102). Virtual dissections were done with V-Frog©, a virtual
reality software application that allows users to work with a virtual specimen that can be cut
and explored in ways that are therefore unique for each individual user. The study
employed a pretest, posttest, delayed posttest design using the pretest as a covariate in the
analysis of the posttest and delayed posttest. Scores on a posttest administered immediately
following treatment indicated that the virtual group learned more than the physical group
(p<.001). Delayed posttest scores indicated there were no effects for treatment found. In the
area of affect, survey results were fairly even between the two groups. Students did not
show superior retention using V-Frog©. However, it should be noted that with no additional
instructional cost, students could repeat the virtual dissection to improve retention. The
results of the study indicated that the V-Frog© provides a viable alternative to physical
dissection that produces effective learning outcomes and may be appealing to teachers and
students for a number of practical and/or ethical reasons.