Demonstrating Spatial Resolution

摘要

The numerous definitions of the word resolution and the term spatial resolution can complicate how educators explain spatial resolution to radiography students and demonstrate what it looks like on a digital image. When words fail, traditional learning styles might need to be changed. To help students master the concepts of spatial resolution, hands-on or project-based learning can be helpful. As Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget said, "knowledge is a consequence of experience." Benefits to project-based learning include students' improved long-term comprehension and engagement with the material, which improves their attitude toward education.1 An important aspect of project-based learning is having students display their project. Showcasing their work instills students with a sense of pride, and it encourages other students. An easy way to demonstrate to students the difference between sufficient and insufficient spatial resolution on a radiograph is through a hands-on project that assesses the edges of small plastic pellets, or beans, found in some stuffed toys. Students can see how the beans, which are analogous for human body structures, become keener with a closer object-to-image receptor distance (OID). Allowing students to visualize spatial resolution in an image helps them better understand the definition.