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Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell.
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867614073011568640 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Laubscher, Heino |
| author2 | Theart, Rensu |
| author_browse | Laubscher, Heino Theart, Rensu |
| author_facet | Theart, Rensu Laubscher, Heino |
| author_sort | Laubscher, Heino |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127084 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:13.197Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127084 Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. Laubscher, Heino Theart, Rensu Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Development of a Virtual Reality-Based Learning Experience; Teach Key Cellular Structures; Mammalian Cell Virtual reality in education Three-dimensional imaging Machine learning Mammals -- Physiology Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Understanding the cell is essential seeing that it is seen as the basic unit of life. However, due to its complexity, students find it challenging to have an intuitive understanding of cellular structures and functions. Historically, the best way to teach the concepts of physiology has been to illustrate biological structures and processes visually using two-dimensional figures or animations in textbooks or on computer monitors. However, it is becoming increasingly popular and beneficial to augment the teaching methods of physiology using virtual reality (VR) to visualise biological structures in three dimensions and to provide a more interactive and engaging learning experience. Research on the use of VR as a teaching tool is still in its infancy, given that VR’s popularity has only recently increased due to the improved graphics processing capabilities and decreased costs of modern VR headsets. The results of previous studies that investigated the learning efficacy of VR compared to traditional modes of teaching are not definitive, with some indicating that VR improves learning performance, while others indicate that VR has a negative impact on learning performance. Systematic literature reviews on educational VR literature have revealed that most VR design studies have not used any learning theories to guide the development of their VR teaching tools. This could be a reason for the inadequate learning performance of some of these educational VR tools. In this study, a VR-based learning experience was developed to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. This study focused on grounding the development of the learning experience on a relevant learning theory, namely the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML). Thus, design principles provided by the CTML were used as a guide during the development of the VR-based learning experience. Modern microscopy techniques make it possible to reconstruct three-dimensional microscopy data which can be viewed in a virtual environment using a VR headset. Therefore, in this study, confocal microscopy z-stacks were reconstructed into three-dimensional objects of cellular structures and were combined with artistic impressions of the cellular structures. This was done to make use of confocal microscopy’s ability to visualise the intricate structure and dynamic behaviour of the cell as well as artistic impressions’ ability to depict cellular activities in a straightforward manner. In order to evaluate the efficacy of the developed VR learning experience, a user study was conducted that compared the VR learning experience to a traditional mode of learning about the cell such as a slideshow. The user study consisted of 52 participants (which were mainly engineering students) split randomly into two groups, with one group completing the VR learning experience and the other group the slideshow. Through statistical analysis, it was confirmed that the two groups were comparable both in demographics and prior knowledge. Results from a post-lesson test from the user study revealed that participants from the VR Group had statistically significantly higher learning performance after completing the VR learning experience than participants from the Slideshow Group after completing the slideshow. The results from pre-lesson and post-lesson tests also revealed that participants from the VR Group had a statistically significant increase in their understanding of the mammalian cell while participants from the Slideshow Group did not. Thus it can be concluded that the developed VR learning experience outperforms a slideshow in teaching concepts of cell physiology and it can be used as an effective teaching tool. The VR-based learning experience developed in this study can be packaged and used as a teaching tool for introductory courses in cell physiology. The use of multimedia design principles in the development process can also be further extended to the creation of VR teaching tools for other educational fields. AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Om die diersel te verstaan is noodsaaklik, aangesien dit gesien word as die basiese eenheid van lewe. As gevolg van die kompleksiteit van die sel, vind studente dit egter moelik om ’n goeie verstaan van die sel se strukture en funksies te ontwikkel. Tot dus ver is dit gevind dat die beste manier om konsepte van fisiologie oor te dra, is deur die visuele aanbieding van die biologiese strukture en sisteme in handboeke en op rekenaar skerms. Let wel, word dit al hoe meer gewilder om hierdie leer metodes aan te vul deur gebruik te maak van Virtuele Realiteit (VR). VR bied die vermo¨e om die sel strukture in die drie dimensies voor te stel, asook bied dit ’n aangrypende en interaktiewe leer ondervinding. Navorsing oor die gebruik van VR as ’n leer hulpmiddel is nogsteeds baie jonk, gegewe dat VR eers onlangs gewild geraak het. Die resultate van vorige studies wat die leer uitkomstes van VR ondersoek het, het nog nie tot vaste gevolgtrekkings gekom nie. Sommige van hierdie studies het gevind dat VR die leer prestasies van leerders verhoog waar ander studies gevind het dat VR die leer prestasies verlaag. Sistematiese literatuur studies het gevind dat meeste studies wat fokus op die ontwikkeling van VR leer hulpmiddels het nie leer teorie¨e gebruik om die ontwikellings proses te bepaal nie. Hierdie kan een van die redes wees vir die onvoldoende prestasie van VR programme. Hierdie studie handel oor die ontwikkeling van ’n VR leer ondervinding wat geskep was om die struktuur en funksies van die hoof sellulˆere strukture van die diersel te onderrig. Die studie het gefokus om die ontwikkeling van die VR program te baseer op die kognitiewe teorie van multimedialeer. Hierdie teorie bied ’n stel ontwerp prinsiepe wat gebruik was dwarsdeur die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van die VR program. Moderne mikroskoop tegnieke maak dit moontlik om drie dimensionele mikroskoop data te rekosntruktueer sodat dit in ’n VR kopstuk beskou kan word. Dus was dit moontlik om konfokale mikroskoop data te heromskep in drie-dimensionele modelle van sel structure om gebruik te word in die VR program. Miksroskoop data was gekombineer met artistiese illustrasies om die komplekse natuur van die sel uit te druk met die mikroskoop data, terwyl die artistiese illustrasies die strukture en prosesse van de sel vereenvoudig. Die effektiwiteit van die VR leer ondervinding was bepaal deur ’n gebruiker studie wat die VR program verglyk het met ’n tradisionele vorm van leer soos ’n skyfievertoning. Die gebruiker studie het 52 deelnemers bevat wat willekeurig in twee groepe opgedeel was. Die een groep het die VR program eerste voltooi en die ander groep het die skyfie vertoning voltooi. Deur gebruik te maak van statistiese analises was dit bepaal dat altwee groepe vergelykbaar was in terme van demografie en voorkennis. Resultate van ’n toets wat ingevul was voor en na die VR program het gewys dat deelnemers aan die studie het ’n statistiese ho¨er persentasie na die VR program as voor die tyd gehad. Die resultate het ook gewys dat deelnemers wat die VR program gedoen het, het ’n statistiese ho¨er persentasie gehad as deelnemers wat die skyfievertoning gedoen het. Die gevolgtrekking kan dus gemaak word dat die ontwikkelde VR leer ondervinding oortref skyfiesvertonings as dit kom by die leer van konsepte oor biologiese sisteme, asook dat die VR leer ondervinding ’n effektiewe leer hulpmiddel is. Die VR gebaseerde leer ondervinding ontwikkel in hierdie studie kan dus verpak word in ’n leer hulpmiddel wat gebruik kan word vir modules wat handel oor die inleidende konsepte van fisiologie. Die gebruik van multimedia ontwerp prinsiepe in die ontwikkelings proses kan ook vereder uitgebrei word na die ontwikkeling van VR leer hulpmiddels in ander velde as fisiologie. Masters 2023-03-03T09:54:56Z 2023-05-18T07:03:32Z 2023-03-03T09:54:56Z 2023-05-18T07:03:32Z 2023-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127084 en_ZA en_ZA Stellenbosch University xvi, 145 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Development of a Virtual Reality-Based Learning Experience; Teach Key Cellular Structures; Mammalian Cell Virtual reality in education Three-dimensional imaging Machine learning Mammals -- Physiology Laubscher, Heino Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. |
| title | Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. |
| title_full | Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. |
| title_fullStr | Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. |
| title_short | Development of a virtual reality-based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell. |
| title_sort | development of a virtual reality based learning experience to teach key cellular structures of the mammalian cell |
| topic | Development of a Virtual Reality-Based Learning Experience; Teach Key Cellular Structures; Mammalian Cell Virtual reality in education Three-dimensional imaging Machine learning Mammals -- Physiology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127084 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laubscherheino developmentofavirtualrealitybasedlearningexperiencetoteachkeycellularstructuresofthemammaliancell |