Using Immersive Visualization Environments to Engage Students in Hands-On Learning

The increased emphasis on utilization of technology across all levels of education provides opportunities to incorporate computational techniques like visualization software into science classrooms. All levels of education operate under the common goal of knowledge acquisition. The purpose of using visualization in an educational setting is to increase knowledge by making connections between students' current knowledge base, technology, and the knowledge being conferred via visualization. Combined with opportunities for student engagement, visualization can help bridge the gap between current knowledge and the information being conveyed. Our focus is on biomolecular visualization, which can be used to render informative images of DNA and proteins, as well as larger assemblies such as viruses. This content is applicable as students' progress through primary to secondary education and beyond, though it is important to match the level of presentation to the grade level and knowledge based of the students. Tools are available to generate computer-based renderings of biomolecules that can be viewed in two dimensions. In this project, we have explored the application of novel, immersive visualization (virtual reality) as a way to increase student engagement and comprehension of otherwise challenging biological concepts.