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Although virtual reality (VR) has been around for decades, the primary market has been video game entertainment. Because VR allows for realistic interaction with computer-generated 3-dimensional (3D) hologram-like learning objects with handheld controllers, it is inherently versatile, and we have therefore asked: Can we extend the documented benefits of such immersive experiences to an undergraduate chemistry lab at scale? This activity describes an in-class (i.e., portable) virtual reality chemistry lab, applied in an undergraduate biochemistry class, with over 200 students enrolled in 8 lab sessions, which took place at Harvard University in the spring of 2020. What made this deployment unique is that each student had the opportunity to individually explore the shapes of proteins and drug compounds and to learn how these structures explain function using the latest, tetherless VR technology (Oculus Quest). Students completed in-class, VR-based work with the aid of peer-to-peer support (pairs), and students engaged with this active learning module to observe, manipulate, and build molecules in an immersive virtual environment. The goal of the curricular integration is to improve students’ spatial recognition of protein structures and engagement in 3D chemistry experiments. This particular VR lab has the advantages of being green (less hazardous, eco-friendly, low-cost) and portable (wireless, no computer needed, convenient to transport), both features that are easily applied to future chemistry classes, including remote courses that will undoubtedly become more common in the era of e-learning. Finally, we conducted survey research accessing students’ perception of this portable VR chemistry lab and their self-reported learning outcomes. This paper covers the quantitative and qualitative analysis of this survey-based assessment as well as highlights limitations and potential ways forward with these technologies used in chemistry curricula.
Qin et al. (Tue,) studied this question.