Photo 3D technology applied to e-Learning tools production for animal biology

Abstract

The teachers from the Biology Department of the University of Lille have been developing for the last two years, a digitalization program of naturalist collections. This project aims to preserve this scientific heritage and to use it for animal and plant biology teaching. Specimens are digitalized by a photo 3D capture system, that produces a 360° and/or hemispheric images of the objects starting from high-resolution pictures. Based on the use of this particular imaging technology, teachers realized multimedia eBooks and a series of files “at the glance“ for practical works in animal biology for Bachelor students in Life Sciences. These supports, enriched by graphic complements, texts, legends and interactive animations, are available on the pedagogic platform Moodle. These digital tools are viewable on computers and can be handled on smartphones and tablets for a nomad utilisation. Students generally consider these supports useful for learning and they consult these resources before, during and after the practical sessions. This distance-learning approach gives the students a complete autonomy for practical session preparation and reviews. The innovative tools here presented constitute a useful learning complement to classical academic lectures in animal biology.