Immersive 3D Experience of Osmosis Improves Learning Outcomes of First-Year Cell Biology Students

Abstract biological processes that occur at the submicroscopic level, such as osmosis and diffusion, are inherently difficult for many students to conceptualize when traditional learning and teaching methods are used. This study introduced an immersive 320° three-dimensional (3D) experience of osmos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CBE life sciences education 2021-03, Vol.20 (1), p.ar1-ar1
Main Authors: Reinke, Nicole B, Kynn, Mary, Parkinson, Ann L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australia
Computer Assisted Instruction
Computer Simulation
Cytology
Educational Measurement
Foreign Countries
General s and
Humans
Introductory Courses
Knowledge
Learning
Learning Experience
Molecular Biology
Multiple Choice Tests
Osmosis
Outcomes of Education
Science Achievement
Science Instruction
Science Tests
Scientific Concepts
Students
Teaching Methods
Undergraduate Students
Visualization
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Summary:Abstract biological processes that occur at the submicroscopic level, such as osmosis and diffusion, are inherently difficult for many students to conceptualize when traditional learning and teaching methods are used. This study introduced an immersive 320° three-dimensional (3D) experience of osmosis in which students became engaged with the cellular environment in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment. The aims of this study were: (1) to explore whether a textbook diagram of osmosis recreated as an immersive 3D learning experience would be a meaningful tutorial activity for first-year cell biology students at a regional Australian university; and (2) to gather preliminary evidence of the utility of the tutorial by examining student performance data. The experience was perceived by students to be fun, useful, and educational. Performance of all students improved on a multiple-choice exam question, with the percentage of students choosing the osmosis distractor answer decreasing from 26 to 15% (p < 0.001). Those students with moderate to high base-level knowledge also performed better on short-answer questions about the cell membrane and osmosis (10-14% better, depending on base-level knowledge, p < 0.001). We give recommendations for future studies to investigate using immersive visualization in science teaching.
ISSN:1931-7913
1931-7913
DOI:10.1187/cbe.19-11-0254