Interactive 3D Visualization of Chemical Structure Diagrams Embedded in Text to Aid Spatial Learning Process of Students

Abstract

Students undertaking courses in the field of chemistry need to integrate their spatial skills and conceptual knowledge. However, model perception along with the understanding of spatial processes and spatial structures of molecules has been a cause of difficulty for students as conventional teaching methods cannot fully aid student comprehension. In this research, we propose a technological solution to aid the spatial learning process by automatically creating a link between two-dimensional (2D) representations of chemical structures and three-dimensional (3D) molecular visualization. The image of a chemical structure is acquired and processed on-the-fly for structure identification and 3D model generation. The 3D molecular model is simplified for real-time interactive rendering. The efficacy of the proposed solution in enhancing spatial ability of individuals is evaluated through an experiment on first year undergraduate students. Our analysis of the results suggests that virtual models and mobile applications are capable of narrowing the performance gap between students with different levels of spatial ability.

The Effectivity of 3D Interactive Multimedia to Increase the Students’ Visuospatial Abilities in Molecular

“…It is proved by the students' right answer percentage on the post-test in this indicator, there is an increasing percentage until 65%. It also is supported by the findings of Fatemah et al (2020) that show the virtual models utilization in 2D and 3D will decrease the significant gap between the various students' visuospatial abilities. It also cleared with the findings of Merchant et al (2013) that the students with lower visuospatial abilities when using 3D media will have more increasing than the students that use the 2D media as the learning media.…”

Teaching chemistry with LEGO® bricks

“…Further, 3D printers have been commercialized and molecular models, built from them, are being reported (Fourches & Feducia, 2019;Savchenkov 2020). Applications that display molecular models on smartphones have also become popular (Fatemah, Rasool, & Habib, 2020;Sanii, 2020). However, they are still expensive and require advanced skills for handling.…”

Revisão de Literatura Sobre o Uso da Realidade Aumentada no Ensino de Química

“…Possivelmente isso ocorre pelo fato de que conhecer a estrutura 3D das moléculas é essencial para o entendimento de seus comportamentos químicos e de suas propriedades (MAIER e KLINKER, 2013). A percepção de modelos moleculares, juntamente com a compreensão dos processos e estruturas espaciais das moléculas, ainda têm sido causa de dificuldade para os alunos, pois os métodos convencionais de ensino carecem de recursos que possam facilitar o entendimento desses conteúdos (FATEMAH et al, 2020). Isso se deve, principalmente, pelo uso de imagens bidimensionais para ensinar assuntos relacionados a moléculas 3D, o que pode limitar a capacidade de compreensão dos principais elementos visuoespaciais de estruturas moleculares 3D, incluindo percepção de profundidade e senso de escala (WINDAYANI et al, 2020).…”