Three dimensional characteristics of protein and DNA molecules are important in aiding student comprehension of almost any biological structure or process that are taught in introductory as well as advanced biology classes. Most of this content is currently presented to students in the form of two-dimensional schematics and projections. However, in depth understanding of structure-function dynamic relationship cannot be performed without the concepts of 3-D objects and 3-D processes. Here we describe
a method for the production of 3‐D interactive images that can be manipulated in real time through the use of augmented reality software. Two activities presented here were conducted in a Cell Biology class using the MERGE Cube. The first activity compares the protein structure of GFP and dsRed to explain the nuances in primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of the protein and how these structures contribute to
function. There are many ways in which such lessons can be adapted for more inquiry-based classes. One such activity that has been successfully used, illustrates the properties of membrane proteins that make them suitable for their specific function in the plasma membrane. A second learning activity was used to teach the concepts of mitosis and cell cycle regulation. 3-D models of cells were built using an easily accessible and
free platform. These models were then projected in virtual space using the MERGE Cube to show different phases of mitosis. Consistent with the published data we found that even in the upper level classes students had misconceptions regarding the concepts of ploidy and chromosome structure and the above activity helped answer some of those misconceptions. This activity provided a way to effectively communicate molecular
and genetic aspects of chromosomes to the students in an engaging way.
Keywords: mitosis, protein structure, augmented reality, MERGE Cube
University of Ottawa (2019)
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