Partner Story: Sheridan College
Sheridan College in Ontario
Founded in 1967, Sheridan is one of Ontario's premier postsecondary institutions, drawing students from around the globe. The Practical Nursing diploma is a provincially approved four-semester program emphasizing clinical placement and using state-of-the-art tools and resources. A school initiative seeking advanced solutions for their most challenging courses led Sheridan to the HoloAnatomy® learning platform.
Nancy Farrow, MBA/MHCA, who serves as the SVP of Marketing and Global Business Development at AlensiaXR, collaborated closely with Michael O’Leary, PhD, the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies at Sheridan College. Together, they developed a business case and swiftly integrated HoloAnatomy into Sheridan’s nursing program. Recently, Michael and Nancy spent time reflecting on their journey thus far.
Nancy Farrow, MBA/MHCA, AlensiaXR SVP Marketing and Business Development
I'm extremely excited about Sheridan College, our first Canadian partner! How did you find out about HoloAnatomy software?
Michael O'Leary
In 2017, we defined a strategic plan that included an investment in augmented reality as an educational tool. When COVID hit, there was an enhanced need for health programming in Southern Ontario. We set out to determine which learning technologies would provide new approaches to our most challenging courses, such as anatomy and physiology. There were a plethora of options, but HoloAnatomy provided the best clarity for investigating components of the human body, as well as integration with other technologies—like bringing up PDFs of images related to the topic being studied. HoloAnatomy enabled us to avoid massive investment in the infrastructure related to housing cadavers, which enabled us to take the leap and invest in your system.
Nancy Farrow
Can you recall your initial reaction to the HoloAnatomy experience?
Michael O'Leary
When you first put on the lens, you're struck by the detail and the ability to engage with the model in front of you. It stimulates questions. It sparks intrigue. It enables you to customize what you’re looking at and switch to something else on a dime. And that level of flexibility—from a teaching and learning perspective—is the way of the future and ahead of its time.
“It stimulates questions. It sparks intrigue… and that level of flexibility—from a teaching and learning perspective—is ahead of its time.”
Nancy Farrow
What role has HoloAnatomy played in establishing Sheridan as an innovator?
Michael O'Leary
I’m often tasked with providing tours for visitors. We've had delegations from all over, for instance, Ghana and India, visitors from the Rotary Club, and politicians. They are all blown away [at the HoloAnatomy experience]. They’re at a loss for words. When we describe it to them, it doesn't resonate until they put on the lens and actually engage with the product. Unanimously, you hear from them, “Wow, this is ahead of its time. I can tangibly see how it integrates into health education.” I get many questions about how we got the system up and running so fast. We receive overwhelmingly positive feedback even after they've left.
Nancy Farrow
That's fantastic. How did you feel about the service you received, and how the whole HoloAnatomy integration went for you, from the beginning to the end?
Michael O'Leary
If you recall, I emailed you and said, “We're this institution in Canada, and we're looking to change how we do things.” It was a bit of a shot in the dark. I researched your product and got an immediate response from you. You answered all of our questions and [filled us in] on where our blind spots were, enabling us to make the case to our institution to invest in HoloAnatomy. That was a vital step—that quick response—because, at the time, a grant was available, and any lag would have impeded our ability to secure those funds and operational dollars.
It wasn't a straight line for us to sign up and invest these dollars, and the interactions [with the AlensiaXR team] on an ongoing basis were so helpful. The [AlensiaXR] team have learned precisely what needs to be present from previous implementations, and it helped us set up the right resources. Even with all our preparation, there were still a few bumps in the road, but you were always available to get issues fixed, and the setup was very smooth. It takes much work in terms of getting all the lenses set up, teaching people how to use them, teaching them how to integrate HoloAnatomy into their curriculum, and we did that in three days—from zero to having competent faculty, ready to integrate the system into their curriculum in three days is remarkable. Most systems take multiple weeks to onboard. The collaboration was unique to our experience with other service providers.
“From zero to having competent faculty, ready to integrate the system into their curriculum in three days is remarkable.”
Nancy Farrow
Thank you, Michael. I loved working you and your team—it was a fantastic experience. You mentioned politicians… How has HoloAnatomy influenced your school’s reputation?
Michael O'Leary
It is a feather in our cap. We invest in tools that lead to success for our students, and some students have a hard time with anatomy—especially trying to learn it from a book. So, regarding a teaching tool, this was a no-brainer for us. In our institution, we’re student centric and our faculty bring decades of industry experience to the classroom. And when you pair that knowledge with a tool like this, you know they will break boundaries.
We know this product is going to spread across academic institutions internationally. You'll see a huge uptake because it does many things you can only do with it. Cadaveric labs are costly to maintain, and the bodies can degrade quickly, so students don't get the best experience. You can also see things very clearly in the [HoloAnatomy] system that you can't see as clearly in a preserved cadaver—even at its best times. So, when you talk about medical schools shifting from cadaveric labs to this software, we want to be at the forefront. If doctors can learn all the anatomy, they need to know from an elite software system like HoloAnatomy that it must also be good enough to teach post-secondary anatomy.
Nancy Farrow
Can you recall a specific anecdote where HoloAnatomy helped a student succeed?
Michael O'Leary
We had an open house for high school students considering our program, and we set up HoloAnatomy in the lab. One student in particular was completely blown away. She said the system helped her learn critical concepts for her high school anatomy test—concepts she couldn’t learn from the textbook. She said, “Oh, I get it now! I can now visualize better how anatomical structures connect in 3D.” You have an individual putting on the lens at the beginning of her education, and immediately, she sees the tremendous value.
“Oh, I get it now! I can visualize now better how anatomical structures connect in 3D.”
Nancy Farrow
That is awesome. We often hear that one of the biggest challenges for students is understanding how things connect in three dimensions. Would you describe the time you first put on lens and saw the holographic body appear in front of you?
Michael O'Leary
I was first struck by the level of detail, the authentic reality that the image revealed. I thought, “Wow—I’m able to see how all the neurons track down the spinal cord from a portion of the brain.” And I was struck by the level of completeness. In an anatomy book, you have a portion of the spinal cord on one page, and on another page, you have the brain. What I could see and visualize [with HoloAnatomy] was the complete story of the nervous system. I could walk around it; I could manipulate it by walking into it. It blew my mind, [thinking about] what we were investing in and how our students would benefit in the coming years.
Nancy Farrow
Tell me how you made the case for HoloAnatomy with your Sheridan College colleagues.
Michael O'Leary
Operationally, it's a great question. I worked up and down the ladder, so to speak. The first thing I did was ensure that the faculty—who will leverage it—could see the value from the student-success side. I needed to have my faculty's buy-in and give me feedback. HoloAnatomy was an easy sell. Our faculty were excited and engaged when we proposed the idea and sent out the surveys. This continued when we brought the product to campus! I had their buy-in and support to go up to the decision-makers who authorized funding, providing a rationale that started with student success. In five to ten years, what themes will come out of post-secondary education that become required? Well, technology is one of them, and this innovative product checks that box. Another big theme that's coming out through all aspects of society is sustainability. How sustainable will cadaveric labs be when the [mixed-reality experience] is as good or better at providing that education? There's no comparison between the two in terms of sustainability because the HoloAnatomy system is far more sustainable in terms of its impact on the environment and [related] costs.
As I talk more and more about it, the case for the HoloAnatomy solution makes more and more sense from a long-term perspective, but also in terms of short-term student success because it has immediate impacts on the classroom.
Nancy Farrow
We sometimes find institutions that need help with technical deployment through their IT. What insights or advice would you share?
Michael O'Leary
Working with you was very helpful. You made us aware that the earlier we have our IT team on board, the better decisions we’ll make when implementing HoloAnatomy, and it made for a smooth implementation.
“The case for HoloAnatomy makes more and more sense from a long-term perspective, but also in terms of short-term student success because it has immediate impacts on the classroom.”
Nancy Farrow
I couldn't agree more. Sheridan touts an environment of “innovation and creativity.” How does the HoloAnatomy learning platform help make that case?
Michael O'Leary
One of the critical characteristics of our institution is that our strength resides in our faculty—the creativity and innovative spirit of Sheridan is there. And when we look at investments in new opportunities, we do it through the lens of student success and whether or not we can deliver on that promise. When we make bold statements about innovation and creativity, we're serious about it. So, when we look at HoloAnatomy, I believe it is ahead of its time. It replaces the need for cadaveric labs. It provides opportunities for students to engage in much more flexible and strategic ways. In my opinion, that system doesn't exist anywhere else like it does with HoloAnatomy. Being innovative means taking risks, and we took a bit of a risk by choosing something new, on the cutting edge. But when we implemented HoloAnatomy, it lived up to its reputation. Add the creativity now resides with our faculty, who will take the system and do things with it that perhaps have never been done before. Integrating it into the curriculum is just the start. Maximizing the student life cycle is what happens at Sheridan.
“HoloAnatomy… is ahead of its time. It replaces the need for cadaveric labs. It provides an opportunity for students to engage in much more flexible and strategic ways.”
Nancy Farrow
Did the fact that the HoloAnatomy solution was developed by Case Western Reserve University factor into your decision?
Michael O'Leary
The fact that it originated from Case Western Medical School was something that drew my attention. They obviously have a mandate to deliver high-quality anatomy instruction—there's no cutting corners there. For medical students, anatomy is the foundation of their education. This [software] was developed from the classroom, and that was important for us. Our commitment was only amplified by the fact that it came from a university and had research behind it.
Nancy Farrow
Sheridan is a pioneer, being first to embrace HoloAnatomy in Canada. Is there something else you’d like to share?
Michael O'Leary
We're honored to be first in Canada to adopt the system. What we're doing today is just the beginning. We will take this amazing tool and leverage it for our students' success, which is powerful when you think about the cost of education these days. We’re an institution that focuses on maximizing the skills of our students and our faculty. And if any other HoloAnatomy applications become available that will maximize their success, we're looking to jump on board with those as well.
Nancy Farrow
I'm excited and honored to be working with you and your faculty.
Michael O'Leary
Thank you very much.
Nancy Farrow
Sheridan College is the premier Canadian institution to embrace the 3D mixed-reality HoloAnatomy Learning Platform, leveraging HoloAnatomy Software Suite and HoloAnatomy Neuro Suite. I’m looking forward to helping other Canadian schools unlock these transformative benefits.
