Luis Felipe Muñoz-Zuñiga; Sonia Osorio-Toro & Janneth Zúñiga-Prado

A large number of students in health fields face the challenge of learning anatomy, an essential discipline for understanding the structure and function of the human body. However, teaching this subject is hampered by the limitations of traditional educational resources, such as texts and anatomical models, which often lack the necessary level of detail. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have emerged as promising tools to transform learning through more interactive and engaging methods. One of the most complex topics in anatomy teaching is the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), which is insufficiently represented in traditional materials, particularly with regard to its intraosseous collateral branches. This deficiency creates confusion in understanding its path and function, making learning difficult. Faced with this challenge, this study aimed to design an interactive application that facilitates the teaching of the anatomy of the facial nerve, highlighting its anatomical path and its role in facial expression. This project was carried out following the five phases of the Design Thinking methodology: research, definition, ideation, prototyping and evaluation. In the research phase, specialized bibliographies and existing educational applications were reviewed to identify the need for a specific tool. During the definition and ideation, sketches were developed and various design and programming platforms were evaluated. Prototyping included the creation of three-dimensional models of the skull and nerve, dynamic animations and their integration into an interactive environment. Finally, the evaluation phase allowed validating the safe and effective operation of the application. The developed application has three main interfaces: one that allows exploring the three-dimensional path of the facial nerve, another that simulates various facial expressions and a third that illustrates the clinical effects of facial paralysis through detailed descriptions. This tool complements traditional anatomical teaching methods by providing an immersive, accurate and practical learning experience, significantly improving the understanding of complex anatomical structures.

MUÑOZ-ZUÑIGA, L. F.; OSORIO-TORO, S. & ZÚÑIGA PRADO, J. Design of an interactive anatomical resource to enhance learning of the facial nerve. Int. J. Morphol., 43(3):775- 781, 2025.