Using 3D Animations to Teach Intracellular Signal Transduction Mechanisms: Taking the Arrows out of Cells

Abstract

Traditional methods of teaching intracellular biological processes and pathways use figures or flowcharts with the names of molecules linked with arrows. Many veterinary students, presented with such material, simply memorize the names or chemical structures of the molecules and are then likely to forget the material once the examination is completed. To address this problem, the authors designed, created, and field-tested new teaching media that incorporate realistic three-dimensional (3D) animations depicting the dynamic changes that occur in intracellular molecules during cellular activation. Testing found that veterinary students taught using traditional teaching media (e.g., lectures, handouts, textbooks) are proficient in memorizing the names and order of intracellular molecules but unable to appreciate the interactions between these elements or their spatial relationships within cells. In contrast, more than 90% of veterinary students taught using 3D animations not only recall the facts about the intracellular elements but also develop accurate mental images of the interactions among these molecules and their spatial relationships. These findings strongly suggest that the comprehension of complex biological processes by veterinary students can be enhanced by the use of dynamic 3D depictions of these processes in the classroom.

Eye Movement Patterns in Solving Science Ordering Problems

“…The two types of media, dynamic animation and static images, had the same length (~5 min) and content, including the same narration. The animations were those used in the study by Buchanan et al (2005) and depicted the dynamic interactions of the processes. The static images displayed static representations, which were 30 screenshots from the dynamic animations.…”

“…To address these problems, three dimensional (3-D) animations have been created that depict the dynamic nature of these processes (Buchanan et al, 2005;Reindl et al, 2015). In the former study, students' scores for content, and understanding both the cascade nature and spatial organization of the pathway were significantly higher when they were taught using the animations.…”

Developing a 3D animation tool to improve veterinary undergraduate understanding of obstetrical problems in horses

“…In previous studies, 3D animation technology has been used successfully to depict the presentation of gastrointestinal conditions in the horse, to demonstrate complex intracellular processes and to illustrate sperm–oocyte interactions during fertilisation 6 7. The use of this 3D animation technology was therefore considered for supplementing equine obstetrics teaching.…”

The effectiveness of humane teaching methods in veterinary education

“…• superior understanding of complex biological processes (specifically, interactions between intracellular molecules and their spatial relationships within cells, Buchanan et al, 2005), and of systemic pathology (Hines et al, 2005); rapid access to relevant anatomical views such as radiographs, and increased learning efficiency (Linton et al, 2005); • enhanced preparedness for laboratories (Howe et al, 2005), and even, on occasion, increased realism of the laboratory experience (Modell et al, 2002); • increased examination results (parasitology, Pinkney et al, 2001;anaesthesiology, Modell et al, 2002 andanatomy, Josephon andMoore, 2006); • decreased student stress (Holmberg et al,1993), increased student satisfaction (Erickson and Clegg, 1993;Hines et al, 2005;Howe et al, 2005) and confidence (Linton et al, 2005), including when coping with complex clinical problems (Modell et al, 2002); • enhanced student information retrieval and communication abilities, improved student attitudes towards computers, and increased employer perception of computer literacy (Waldhalm and Bushby, 1996); • facilitation of ongoing undergraduate and postgraduate learning (Whithear et al, 1994;Dhein and Memon, 2003); • increased teaching efficiency and decreased costs (Rudas et al, 1993;Dhein and Memon, 2003);…”