The Digital Frog 2.5
Virtual frog dissection, anatomy & ecology
Version 2.5 | Windows & Macintosh

Froguts and frog guts: how The Digital Frog 2.5 stacks up against other virtual (and real) frog dissection options

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While The Digital Frog 2.5 isn't the only way to teach anatomy and physiology, it does have strengths, both as a replacement for (or supplement to) dissection with real frogs, or even when compared to other virtual frog dissection programs such as Froguts. On both cost and learning effectiveness, which ever way you stack it, The Digital Frog 2.5 will benefit your classroom.

The Digital Frog 2.5 vs. real frog dissection

While The Digital Frog 2.5 can be used alongside a real dissection as a training tool, many schools opt to use it as a replacement for the traditional dissection, and with good cause. Check out how your science department can increase learning effectiveness and save time and money

 
The Digital Frog 2.5
Traditional Wet Lab
Prep time per class
Minimal
Variable
Cleanup time per class
None
Variable
Time to accomplish learning
One study suggests learning is accomplished in 44% less time
Cost of biohazardous waste disposal
None
Variable
Set up costs for 60 computers
$896.00
(Lifetime license)
Approx. $300 for 15 dissection kits
Consumables: (class of 30) preserved specimens
None
$105 (assuming 15 preserved frogs at $7 each)
Consumables: (class of 30)
gloves, scalpel blades, etc
None
$15 - $25 per lab
Set up time
Minimal
Approx. 25 minutes, with 10-15 minutes clean-up
Repetition
Students can repeat until content is understood
Not practical in most cases
If student misses a class
Can borrow CD to learn at home
Too bad!
Text book to learn anatomy and physiology
Integral
Required (and expensive)
New vocabulary and scientific terminology
Integrated context-sensitive dictionary with spoken pronunciations
Dictionary required
Students’ right to dissection alternatives
Sensitive to more and ethical issues concerning dissection; offers an effective alternative
Need to provide alternative activity for students who object
Safety concerns
None
Sharp instruments and chemical allergies
Learning retention
Studies indicate more effective
 
Worksheets and formative assessment quizzes
Included
Teacher must create or purchase separately
Assists in teaching biology as the study of living things
Includes integrated ecology section
Teacher must provide materials
Total Cost Comparison
$896.00
(Includes Lifetime Licensing for 60 computers - unlimited # of students)

$6,850.00
(Based on 30 dissection kits & consumables for 300 students for five years)

[Download comparison table as PDF.]

Save Money

Every time a dissection is done with real frogs, your school has to purchase specimens. Let's say the average rana pipiens costs $7. And a class of 30 students, with one frog per two students, requires 15 frogs, at a cost of $105 per class. If you use The Digital Frog 2.5 with just nine classes, your dissection specimen budget has already been reduced by 5% . Every classroom use of The Digital Frog 2.5 after that just increases your savings. At just $896 for 60 computers, your school will have unlimited use of the program in as many biology classes as you have, year after year, at an over-all savings to your science department.

Save time (and increase effectiveness)

While many biology teachers still believe that dissection is the best way to learn biology, mounting evidence suggests that virtual dissection programs such as The Digital Frog 2.5 are just as good, if not a better way to learn anatomy and physiology when compared to actual dissections.

A recent Ph.D. study compared the effectiveness of wet labs to use of a virtual frog dissection program such as The Digital Frog 2.5. Not only did they find that doing a dissection virtually was more effective in terms of learning retention, it was accomplished in 44% less time than the traditional dissection.

The Digital Frog 2.5 vs. Froguts

We're often asked how The Digital Frog 2.5 compares to other virtual dissection software available on the market such as Froguts. While on the surface they appear quite similar, The Digital Frog 2.5 offers more content and more features for a richer educational experience. And with a one-time fee rather than an annual subscription, you'll even save money in the long-run.

 
The Digital Frog 2.5
Froguts
Full interactive dissection
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Full screen videos demonstrating each step from a real dissection
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Built-in anatomy section of all body systems
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Comparison to human anatomy
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Some
Includes ecology section, looking at frogs in their living state
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Detailed definitions of every word
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Built-in text to speech
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Formative assessment quizzes
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Customizable workbook materials included
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Price

$896.00 (Includes Lifetime Licensing for 60 computers - unlimited # of students & schools)

$300 per year
(Annual subscription fee for 1 school)