Summary of the project
The project has been aimed at enhancing the learning experience of students in the 3rd year Medical Ultrasound course (5XSD0) by integrating COMSOL software for simulating various ultrasound measurement conditions and clinical applications. Traditionally, students have been learning the principles of ultrasound, including wave generation, propagation, and image formation, through lectures and two lab experiments. By introducing COMSOL, students have been gaining hands-on experience with ultrasound simulations, allowing them to explore different mediums, imaging strategies, and hemodynamic conditions. This approach has been aiming to bridge the gap between theory and practical lab work, providing a more immersive and efficient learning experience. The simulations have been executable at home or in groups, enabling better preparation for lab experiments and a deeper understanding of ultrasound physics and technology.
Aim of the project
The aim of this project has been to enhance student engagement and learning efficiency in the Medical Ultrasound course by utilizing COMSOL software for practical simulations. By providing well-defined exercises and simulations, the project has intended to help students make stronger connections between theoretical concepts and practical applications, gradually moving towards real clinical scenarios. This initiative has aimed to improve the overall educational experience, making it more effective and attractive. Additionally, the project has planned to purchase a perpetual COMSOL license for continuous use and support, ensuring sustainability and extending the benefits to other related courses in biomedical engineering. The long-term goal has been to integrate COMSOL into multiple courses, enhancing the practical and theoretical education of students across various disciplines.
Results and learnings
The project has resulted in a fully renovated lab instruction for the course that is based on COMSOL simulation software. The students receive an introductory lecture explaining the COMSOL software environment and how to use it, along with three different simulations that should be performed for answering and discussing specific questions in three short reports related to ultrasound wave propagation in 1D and 2D, as well as to contrast-specific ultrasound imaging of microbubbles. The prepared simulations are conceived to provide visualization means for understanding in a simple and intuitive way the basics of ultrasound wave propagation and its impact on the ultrasound image characteristics. Confirmed by the positive feedback of the students, this renewed instruction allows for better hands-on understanding of the fundamental ultrasound concepts, and also provides the opportunity to familiarize with the simulation software COMSOL, which can turn out to be very useful in their future projects and engineering career. In line with the concept of flipped classes, the developed simulation environment also allows the students to develop at their pace the required knowledge and experience, as well as to formulate insightful questions that can be discussed during the course.
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