User-created virtual worlds are emerging technologies with rapidly growing acceptance in education. Of the various reported educational uses of these virtual worlds, the focus of this chapter is on virtual worlds for constructivist learning activities, because this use has application to many real-life courses and has the potential to transform teaching and learning. To assist educators with recognizing and understanding virtual world learning activities, Antonacci & Modaress (2005, 2008) developed the Interaction-Combinations Integration model. However, this model has not been studied in actual virtual-world learning practice. Using a case study method, this chapter examines the usefulness of this model to organize and describe actual virtual world learning activities, provides additional learning activity examples, and describes what was needed to implement and conduct these learning activities.

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Molecular and cell biology is a constantly evolving area of science that encompasses many diagnostic as well as treatment plans within the medical field. Obtaining a robust ability to comprehend and analyze molecular medicine techniques is paramount for future physicians’ success within this rapidly developing arena. Due to several factors, hands‐on biology laboratories often are not present in a medical school curriculum. Although these topics are often covered in a lecture setting, the critical thinking and conceptual understanding of the molecular tools themselves are frequently only cursorily taught. We have developed an adaptable platform designed to help learners develop a deeper understanding of topics related to complicated, clinically relevant experiments and prepare them to be better able to transfer the knowledge to their future medical careers. Students will be required to make virtual experimental plan choices, which will each have an impact on their final result just as occurs in reality. To support independent learning, platform administrators scaffold learning with curated resource modules that are designed to support deep learning. The administration of an adaptable virtual learning environment will serve to enhance the understanding of complicated molecular medicine techniques, and promote the development of more capable physicians within the intricate molecular and biology field.