Using Extended Reality to Close Equity Gaps in Laboratory Training

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Many undergraduates enter college level chemistry classes without prior experience in a chemistry lab, often due to unequal access to laboratory facilities in high school. Since lab experience is an integral component of most traditional chemistry courses, students arriving without this background can be at a disadvantage, creating feelings of anxiety that could lead to a lack of persistence in STEM pathways. This Research on Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning (RETTL) project will develop immersive XR (Extended Reality) and web-based (non-immersive) learning experiences for first-year college students taking chemistry lab courses. The technology proposed in this project will provide an effective introduction to the undergraduate chemistry lab that will reinforce their knowledge of chemistry terminology while minimizing anxiety associated with performing experiments for the first time in an unfamiliar and timed setting. Newly designed modules will orient incoming students to the chemistry laboratory and introduce them to experiments that augment the lecture portion of their courses. The purpose of these modules is to supplement and reinforce lab training through an active learning, multi-sensory learning interface. While many studies have focused on Virtual Reality (VR) experiences in education, this project specifically examines the emotional and cognitive impacts of Extended Reality interventions on students and aims to improve upon the technology, based on student feedback throughout the project. In addition, as the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted, there is a need to develop virtual educational tools that provide comparable experiences for all students. This project examines an innovative introduction to the chemistry lab experience by applying the use of virtual reality technology to chemistry education. The study will examine the extent to which VR and XR training modules can prepare students for entry to a chemistry lab course, reinforce conventional lab training, boost knowledge of chemistry literacy, and minimize anxiety associated with performing experiments. The project goal is to deliver transformative experiences through XR technology that will positively impact the ability of undergraduates in first-year chemistry courses to engage with and persist in scientific settings. The project will employ an inclusive design-centered approach to the development of the XR modules, where extensive suggestions from students and other stakeholders will refine and improve the technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.