Training STEM Educators on the Use of Virtual Reality for Teaching Biomolecular Visualization

该项目旨在通过扩大虚拟现实(VR)在本科化学和生物专业的生物化学和分子生物学教学中的应用来服务于国家利益。VR是一个新兴的领域，在任何涉及三维(3D)对象观看的领域都很有希望。虚拟现实已被用于医学模拟手术过程，为地质学和工程学专业的学生和从业者提供虚拟现场体验，并在药物设计和开发中可视化分子结构。生物化学和分子生物学作为本科生物学和化学课程的一部分，也需要了解3D形状，例如通过可视化酶如何与底物相互作用来催化反应，或者信号分子如何与其受体结合。VR的使用可以帮助学生理解这些分子相互作用的3D本质。尽管虚拟现实在教育领域引起了浓厚的兴趣，但该领域的采用一直受到限制。该工作坊计划为生物化学和分子生物学讲师提供使用VR可视化分子结构的培训。一旦教育工作者接受了使用这项技术的培训，他们将能够将其带回课堂。向学生传授虚拟现实技术有助于培养一支技能更高、更具竞争力的劳动力队伍。这个由四个部分组成的研讨会将与2023年美国生物化学和分子生物学学会在分子生命科学会议上改造本科教育同步进行。研讨会的目标是提供当代虚拟现实硬件和软件的指导，以可视化大分子，促进有关虚拟现实在生命科学课堂中的实施的知识，并为有兴趣在课堂上使用虚拟现实的教师开发一个实践社区。研讨会参与者将主要从本科院校、社区学院、为少数群体服务的机构和研究密集型大学招募。项目评估将集中在教师对虚拟现实的看法、经验和态度，以及后续评估，以衡量虚拟现实融入生物化学和分子生物学课程的程度。NSF IUSE：EDU计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by expanding the use of virtual reality (VR) in biochemistry and molecular biology instruction for undergraduate chemistry and biology students. VR is a burgeoning field with promise in any area that involves three-dimensional (3D) object viewing. VR has been used in medicine to simulate surgical procedures, to provide virtual field experiences for geology and engineering students and practitioners, and to visualize molecular structure in drug design and development. Biochemistry and molecular biology, which are taught as part of undergraduate biology and chemistry curricula, also require an understanding of 3D shapes, for example through visualizing how enzymes interact with substrates to catalyze reactions or how signaling molecules bind to their receptors. The use of VR can help students understand the 3D nature of these molecular interactions. Adoption of VR in education has been limited despite strong interest in the field. This workshop plans to provide training to biochemistry and molecular biology instructors in the use of VR to visualize molecular structures. Once educators are trained to use this technology, they will be able to bring it back to their classrooms. Teaching VR skills to students can contribute to a more highly skilled and competitive workforce.The four-part workshop will be conducted in parallel with the 2023 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Transforming Undergraduate Education in the Molecular Life Sciences conference. The workshop goals are to provide instruction in contemporary VR hardware and software to visualize macromolecules, to advance knowledge about the implementation of VR in life science classrooms, and to develop a community of practice for instructors interested in using VR in their classrooms. Workshop participants will be recruited from primarily undergraduate institutions, community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and research-intensive universities. Project evaluation will center on faculty perceptions, experience, and attitudes toward VR, along with follow-up evaluation to gauge the extent of VR integration into biochemistry and molecular biology classes. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students.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.