Influence of Virtual Reality on High School Students' Conceptions of Cells

Abstract

Cells are central to the study of biology, yet many learners have difficulties understanding the abstract yet fundamental foundation of life. Research suggests that students' conceptions of cells are reinforced by current biology learning materials, which represent cells as two dimensional, highly ordered, and mostly empty. These models also inaccurately represent the number, location, and size of organelles. We examine the effect of an inquiry-based three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) game on high school students' mental models of cells. Students reported that the game was more interactive and engaging than traditional ways of learning about cells and attributed an improved understanding of cells to their game experience. Students' post drawings of cells depicted more types of organelles, increased density of organelles, and additional complexity than their pretest drawings, indicating a movement towards more accurate mental models of cells. However, students' scores did not improve on their factual knowledge about cells between the pretest and the post-game biology assessments. We discuss the implications of incorporating game-based approaches and new technologies such as VR into biology education.

Authenticity, Interactivity, and Collaboration in Virtual Reality Games: Best Practices and Lessons Learned

“…Cellverse has been in development since Summer of 2017 and has undergone numerous iterations, which we have discussed in other publications (Wang et al, 2019;Thompson et al, 2020;Uz Bilgin, Anteneh, & Thompson, 2020;Uz Bilgin & Thompson, 2020;Wang, 2020). In this paper, we look across all of the studies and papers to synthesize our experiences as lessons learned and best practices," in designing learning games that include authenticity, interactivity, and collaboration.…”

“…Cellverse is a game designed for teaching cellular biology, so we began design by prioritizing the creation of an authentic environment by creating an accurate representation of the cell. In many biology textbooks and learning materials, cells are portrayed in a flat, schematic-type format: static, generic, round, one-dimensional, and mostly empty (Thompson et al, 2020). Furthermore, relative density and positions of organelles are generally not illustrated, resulting in representations that have only one or two (as opposed to a more realistic number of) mitochondria or ribosomes.…”

“…After playing Cellverse, a majority of user participants remarked that the cellular environment was more complex, dynamic, and densely packed than they expected (Thompson et al, 2020). Viewing and exploring the cellular environment improved players' conceptions of cells; participants' drawings after they completed the game were more complex and included organelles that were not in their initial drawings (Thompson et al, 2020;Uz-Bilgin & Thompson et al, 2021). The appearance of new organelles suggests that playing the game triggered players' memories about organelles they had learned about in the past.…”

“…Players made stronger connections between the organelles and their functions in the cell in the process of translation, which was a focus of the game. Players drawings of the process of translation improved in their representations of ribosomes, their documentation of the process of RNA to amino acid chains, and their representation of the endoplasmic reticulum (Thompson et al, 2020).…”

“…Moreover, we approach game development through a framework of Design-based Research, or DBR (Ameel & Reeves, 2008;Sandoval & Bell, 2004). Ongoing user testing, studies with various types of users, and reviews by subject matter experts have enabled us to collect valuable qualitative and quantitative data that have enhanced our understanding of how to incorporate authenticity, interactivity, and collaboration in VR learning games (Thompson et al, 2018b;Wang et al, 2019;Thompson et al, 2020;Uz Bilgin, Anteneh, & Thompson, 2020;Wang, 2020;Uz Bilgin, Anteneh, & Thompson, 2021;.…”