Biology: UCF

How do you relieve the resource burden of running a very large course without spending more money?

 

Overview.

Objective:

Relieve the resource burden of running a very large introductory undergraduate course in Biology.

Client:

Michele Yeargain, Lab Course Coordinator, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida.

Summary:

We produced a series of modules, including simulations of real-world experiments, explorations of habitats, and imaginative conceptualizations.

Outcome:

The course is now taught using a fraction of the resources required by the classroom-based course, without any negative impact on grades.

Michele Yeargain, the Laboratory Course Coordinator in the University of Central Florida’s Biology Department, contacted us to find out if metaverse learning could help relieve some of the burden on the department of running a large undergraduate course. At the time, the department was using up to 75% of its available Teaching Assistant hours to deliver this course, taken by approximately 4,000 students per year.

Michele sought an alternative to face-to-face labs that would not jeopardize the quality of interaction the students had with teaching staff.

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Process.

Working with Michele Yeargain, the Laboratory Course Coordinator at the University of Central Florida’s Biology Department, we designed a series of virtual learning environments that allow students to familiarize themselves with the analytical machines and safety equipment they will use in real laboratories, practice core lab skills, and test their theoretical knowledge.

The modules include simulations of real-life experiments, explorations of habitats, and imaginative conceptualizations. They are delivered both as supervised class sessions and as self-directed exercises that can be accessed at any time.

Initially, Michele proposed moving students from physical lab spaces to a virtual biodome, where the students would be able to practice key lab skills without using physical resources and without the need for TA supervision. However, during the development stage, this idea was taken further. We designed a giant animal cell that students could walk through as if they had been miniaturized, based upon paper activities previously used in the physical classes. We also built virtual wet laboratories, a jungle, and a desert crash site where students would meet a dying alien species and learn about Mendelian genetics.

“(The students) just love it. They embrace it, spend a lot of time here, and they want to come back and do the labs over and over again. They also help each other in the environment, and that to me is a beautiful thing.

We plan to continue using UniVirtual for our labs. I feel that it is the ultimate customized and customizable lab because UniVirtual built exactly what I asked for. It sounds cliché but really, to me, if we can dream it, we can do it.”

— Michele Yeargain, Lab Course Coordinator, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida

Available Modules.

  • Measurements.

    Students explore measurement, including units of length and pH values. The activity takes place at a carnival. Students earn tickets for successfully completing educational mini games and must earn a set amount of tickets to complete the activity.

  • Microscope.

    Within a virtual laboratory, students study compound and dissecting microscopes by interacting with large-scale models. Using what they learn, they solve a robbery by collecting, examining, and identifying evidence collected at a crime scene.

  • Cellular Organelles/Structures.

    Students are tasked with locating and identifying ten different structures inside a typical animal cell. The module takes the form of a treasure hunt. They are assisted by their Heads Up Display, which offers clues and hints as they explore the cell’s interior.

  • Osmosis and Diffusion.

    In the virtual lab, students learn about passive transport cells, including osmosis, diffusion, and tonicity. Their avatars sit at a lab bench and are guided through the experiments via a Heads Up Display.

  • Enzymes.

    This module, which also takes place at a virtual lab bench, enables students to experiment with enzymes by measuring the rate of enzyme activity at various pH levels and temperatures.

  • Cellular Respiration.

    Cellular respiration is demonstrated inside a cell that students walk around as if they have been miniaturized. They collect various organic compounds, then enter a mitochondrion. To synthesize ATP, they combine the compounds in the matrix.

  • Mitosis & Meiosis.

    In this module, students return to the cell to explore the cell cycle and mitosis, and learn how these two processes function within an organism. They also explore the process of Meiosis and how it functions to produce gametes.

  • Mendelian Genetics 1 & 2.

    Students visit a desert canyon where an extra-terrestrial race is carrying out agricultural studies while succumbing to a genetic disease. Over two modules, students are introduced to monohybrid/dihybrid crosses, Punnett squares, sex-linked inheritance and pedigrees, then use what they learn to find a cure for the extraterrestrials’ sickness.

  • DNA Synthesis, Transcription and Translation.

    Returning to the giant cell, students discover how DNA is replicated, and explore the ways in which genetic information is used to make proteins, by interacting with virtual representations of cell components. These modules cover the processes of DNA synthesis, Transcription, and Translation.

Results.

Outcome.

As of 2018-19, approximately 4,000 students are enrolled annually in this course. It uses a fraction of the resources of the traditional classroom-based course and has no negative impacts on students grades.