Discovering the big world of small things in the web browser with UDE BioSLiDES

Abstract

UDE BioSLiDES constitutes a system for virtual digital microscopy specifcally designed for educational purposes. It enables realistic emulations of light microscopybased investigations of different organisms; currently it provides more than 200 digital slides. These represent highresolution scans of entire objects of examination over various focal planes, supplemented by additional information about the organism, different anatomical structures, preparation, and used microscopy technique. The web browserbased viewer allows for interactively examining the specimen, whereby especially focal plane changes provide the possibility of working out threedimensional structures – thus enabling a deeper insight into the object of investigation. The contents of UDE BioSLiDES are freely available as Open Educational Resources in different formats for versatile use and repurposing.