The teaching of histology increasingly relies on digital resources in lieu of traditional microscope laboratories. Digital Histology provides an open educational resource that combines a digital atlas with extensive descriptive text. It is organized as a multi-hierarchy outline that reinforces broader histological concepts and parallels the content of most histology textbooks. Digital Histology, featuring on-demand labeling of structures and interactive quizzes with formative feedback, can be used by a diverse group of learners.
The initial display page (Main Menu) lists the major chapter headings organized in a hierarchical structure that follows content areas used in most modern histology textbooks. Each heading contains a small arrow indicating that the tab leads to a deeper menu structure. Clicking on one of these tabs displays a submenu to the right. The same convention holds for lower levels of the hierarchy. Tabs not displaying an arrow lead directly to program content.
Program content is organized as pages. Each page consists of an image with a title and a descriptive text included beneath it. To the right of the image is a list of labels indicating the structures identified in the image. Click each label to display indicators and highlights on the image that identify that structure. Many labels also include a carat (>), indicating that additional, new descriptive text is displayed beneath the image.