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Education Sciences
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Visualization in Biology Education
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Visualization in Biology Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "STEM Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2024) | Viewed by 5867

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jodie Jenkinson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON L5L1C6, Canada
Interests: efficacy of visual media within life sciences education; design of visual representations for optimal impact; development of standards of visual communication in the scientific visualization community
Prof. Dr. Susan Keen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Evolution & Ecology, College of Biological Sciences, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Interests: role of visual media in undergraduate biology education; assesment of the learning value of visual media; academic success for first generation students
Prof. Dr. Gaël McGill

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: visualization design and assessment methods in science education; development of software tools; methodologies and community resources to improve the production and accuracy of scientific visualization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scientific visualizations (diagrams, animations, simulations, etc) play an essential role in biology education, particularly when it comes to communicating phenomena occurring at the submicroscopic levels, where there are no observable counterparts in the real world. Visualizations can be powerful tools of intuition, playing a critical role in transforming the way students think about the scientific realm. However, a greater understanding of how the design features of dynamic visualizations supports students’ understanding of complex systems is required if we are to provide pedagogically impactful experiences.

For the scope of this Special Issue, we classify visualizations to include illustrations, video, diagrams, animation, interactive media, simulations, and educational games for use in formal learning environments. The span of biology education includes K–12, community college and higher education classrooms.

Topics of interest to this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

  • Original research examining the impact of visualization in biology education
  • Design of novel visualization strategies to support learning in biology education
  • Building visual literacy skills in biology education
  • Role of visualization in communicating complex systems

Prof. Dr. Jodie Jenkinson
Prof. Dr. Susan Keen
Prof. Dr. Gaël McGill
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • science visualization
  • biology education
  • educational technology

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4581 KiB  
Article
Redesign of a Life Cycle Figure Improves Student Conceptions of Ecology and Evolution
by Jennifer M. Landin and Abigail Janet Cozart
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040403 - 12 Apr 2024
Viewed by 548
Abstract
Life cycle diagrams communicate the developmental life stages of an organism. Design choices may inadvertently communicate additional information about survivorship rates, genetic variation, and microevolutionary change. In this controlled experiment, we randomly assigned one of three life cycle diagrams to 684 college students. [...] Read more.
Life cycle diagrams communicate the developmental life stages of an organism. Design choices may inadvertently communicate additional information about survivorship rates, genetic variation, and microevolutionary change. In this controlled experiment, we randomly assigned one of three life cycle diagrams to 684 college students. Each figure included identical life stages of a fictitious organism’s development but differed in (1) the number of offspring (single or multiple) and (2) layout (cyclical or linear). Each participant could reference the figure when answering questions about organism survival, variation among offspring, and variation between generations. Students scored 28–30% higher on questions about survivorship when the available diagram included multiple offspring. Students scored 19–30% higher on questions about microevolution when the diagram layout was linear. Overall, students who received the figure with a linear layout and multiple offspring earned the highest average score (54.5%, or 3.3 of six questions) on the assessment, while students with the traditional figure (cyclical layout with single offspring) scored the lowest average (26.1%, or 1.6 of six questions). These results suggest that figure design affects student interpretations and may assist student learning about ecology and evolution concepts and common misconceptions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visualization in Biology Education)
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26 pages, 1580 KiB  
Article
Game and Simulation Stimulate Conceptual Change about Molecular Emergence in Different Ways, with Potential Cultural Implications
by Andrea Gauthier
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040366 - 31 Mar 2024
Viewed by 462
Abstract
Many undergraduate students hold robust misconceptions about the emergent nature of molecular processes, believing them to be directed rather than random. Interactive simulations might help transform such misconceptions by visualizing stochastic processes in a time-independent medium and enabling students to manipulate the environment [...] Read more.
Many undergraduate students hold robust misconceptions about the emergent nature of molecular processes, believing them to be directed rather than random. Interactive simulations might help transform such misconceptions by visualizing stochastic processes in a time-independent medium and enabling students to manipulate the environment to test their naïve hypotheses. Furthermore, game-based learning (GBL) might enhance the effectiveness of such simulations by promoting productive negativity (PN), i.e., learning from failure. In a randomized controlled trial with pre-test, post-test and delayed one-year follow-up, undergraduates (n = 84) engaged with either a GBL or interactive simulation (SIM) environment for 20–45 min and were compared to a baseline group (n = 138). GBL (p = 0.035) and SIM (p = 0.069) resolved more misconceptions than baseline but did not differ from each other (p = 0.992). GBL group also trended toward more positive long-term conceptual change. In-game interactions generated in response to PN were predictive of conceptual change in the GBL group alone, suggesting that PN may only be effective when supported by game design. Participants’ native English-speaking status had a moderating effect, with native-speakers performing well in GBL and poorly in SIM environment, while the opposite was true for non-native-speakers, which, as discussed herein, may be aligned with cultural differences in acceptability of GBL. The GBL intervention generated longer voluntary use (p = 0.005), especially amongst frequent game-players. The results inform how GBL/SIM approaches can implement PN as a mechanism for conceptual change about molecular emergence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visualization in Biology Education)
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23 pages, 1539 KiB  
Article
The Role of Visual Representations in Undergraduate Students’ Learning about Genetic Inheritance
by David Menendez, Andrea Marquardt Donovan, Olympia N. Mathiaparanam, Rebecca E. Klapper, Seung Heon Yoo, Karl S. Rosengren and Martha W. Alibali
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030307 - 14 Mar 2024
Viewed by 920
Abstract
Prior work has shown that many undergraduate students have misconceptions about genetic inheritance, even after they take genetics courses. Visual representations, such as pedigree diagrams, are commonly used in genetics instruction, and they help students quickly visualize the phenotypes of multiple generations. In [...] Read more.
Prior work has shown that many undergraduate students have misconceptions about genetic inheritance, even after they take genetics courses. Visual representations, such as pedigree diagrams, are commonly used in genetics instruction, and they help students quickly visualize the phenotypes of multiple generations. In Study 1, we examined whether presenting a pedigree diagram of a wolf’s eye color in a rich and realistic manner (i.e., with rich perceptual images that resemble real animals) or in an abstract manner (i.e., with circles and squares representing animals) would help undergraduates learn from a brief, online lesson on inheritance of the wolf’s eye color, and whether they would transfer what they learned when reasoning about eye color in other species (near transfer) and other traits in other species (mid- and far transfer). Counter to our hypothesis, students transferred more with the rich diagram. In Study 2, we compared the rich diagram from Study 1 to a perceptually bland diagram (i.e., with color and textural features removed). There were no differences in students’ learning or transfer between the diagrams. These results suggest that realistic elements that are attention grabbing and easily interpretable by students can be beneficial for transfer in online lessons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visualization in Biology Education)
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29 pages, 2995 KiB  
Article
The Visual Science Communication Toolkit: Responding to the Need for Visual Science Communication Training in Undergraduate Life Sciences Education
by Ke Er Zhang and Jodie Jenkinson
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030296 - 12 Mar 2024
Viewed by 938
Abstract
Visual representations are essential to scientific research and teaching, playing a role in conceptual understanding, knowledge generation, and the communication of discovery and change. Undergraduate students are expected to interpret, use, and create visual representations so they can make their thinking explicit when [...] Read more.
Visual representations are essential to scientific research and teaching, playing a role in conceptual understanding, knowledge generation, and the communication of discovery and change. Undergraduate students are expected to interpret, use, and create visual representations so they can make their thinking explicit when engaging in discourse with the scientific community. Despite the importance of visualization in the biosciences, students often learn visualization skills in an ad hoc fashion without a clear framework. We used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory study design to explore and assess the pedagogical needs of undergraduate biology students (n = 53), instructors (n = 13), and teaching assistants (n = 8) in visual science communication education. Key themes were identified using inductive grounded theory methods. We found that extrinsic motivations, namely time, financial resources, and grading practices, contribute to a lack of guidance, support, and structure as well as ambiguous expectations and standards perceived by students and instructors. Biology and science visualization instructors cite visual communication assessments as a way of developing and evaluating students’ higher-order thinking skills in addition to their communication competencies. An output of this research, the development of a learning module, the Visual Science Communication Toolkit, is discussed along with design considerations for developing resources for visual science communication education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visualization in Biology Education)
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20 pages, 2516 KiB  
Article
Seeing Eye to Eye? Comparing Faculty and Student Perceptions of Biomolecular Visualization Assessments
by Josh T. Beckham, Daniel R. Dries, Bonnie L. Hall, Rachel M. Mitton-Fry, Shelly Engelman, Charmita Burch, Roderico Acevedo, Pamela S. Mertz, Didem Vardar-Ulu, Swati Agrawal, Kristin M. Fox, Shane Austin, Margaret A. Franzen, Henry V. Jakubowski, Walter R. P. Novak, Rebecca Roberts, Alberto I. Roca and Kristen Procko
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14010094 - 15 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1253
Abstract
While visual literacy has been identified as a foundational skill in life science education, there are many challenges in teaching and assessing biomolecular visualization skills. Among these are the lack of consensus about what constitutes competence and limited understanding of student and instructor [...] Read more.
While visual literacy has been identified as a foundational skill in life science education, there are many challenges in teaching and assessing biomolecular visualization skills. Among these are the lack of consensus about what constitutes competence and limited understanding of student and instructor perceptions of visual literacy tasks. In this study, we administered a set of biomolecular visualization assessments, developed as part of the BioMolViz project, to both students and instructors at multiple institutions and compared their perceptions of task difficulty. We then analyzed our findings using a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative analysis was used to answer the following research questions: (1) Which assessment items exhibit statistically significant disparities or agreements in perceptions of difficulty between instructors and students? (2) Do these perceptions persist when controlling for race/ethnicity and gender? and (3) How does student perception of difficulty relate to performance? Qualitative analysis of open-ended comments was used to identify predominant themes related to visual problem solving. The results show that perceptions of difficulty significantly differ between students and instructors and that students’ performance is a significant predictor of their perception of difficulty. Overall, this study underscores the need to incorporate deliberate instruction in visualization into undergraduate life science curricula to improve student ability in this area. Accordingly, we offer recommendations to promote visual literacy skills in the classroom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visualization in Biology Education)
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14 pages, 2273 KiB  
Article
Learning Dogfish Shark Anatomy Using 3D-Printed Models: A Feasibility Study
by Allison Abel and Roxanne Ziman
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14010034 - 28 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 919
Abstract
3D-printed models (3DPMs) are being increasingly utilized as learning aids in medical and comparative anatomy education. Research suggests that 3DPMs can significantly improve students’ accuracy in recognizing important anatomical landmarks and provide a low-cost alternative to expensive or fragile specimens. The use of [...] Read more.
3D-printed models (3DPMs) are being increasingly utilized as learning aids in medical and comparative anatomy education. Research suggests that 3DPMs can significantly improve students’ accuracy in recognizing important anatomical landmarks and provide a low-cost alternative to expensive or fragile specimens. The use of 3DPMs can also alleviate conservation concerns for certain endangered species. Additionally, 3DPMs provide a unique interactive experience in viewing structures that may otherwise be difficult to observe or handle directly by students. A novel 3DPM has been developed to help biology students learn the anatomy of the Squalus acanthias (S. acanthias), or dogfish shark, chondrocranium and brain. This feasibility study evaluated the perceived utility of these new 3DPMs in an undergraduate-level comparative chordate anatomy lab (BIOL 351) at Iowa State University in Spring 2023. Students responded to a questionnaire comprising Likert and open-ended long-form questions that uncovered their perceptions of and experience interacting with the 3DPMs. Two separate surveys were administered, one for the chondrocranium (29 responses) and one for the brain (16 responses). Students indicated a strong preference for using the 3DPMs as compared to the dissected and preserved specimens, citing the 3DPMs’ size, durability, and the ability to handle and rotate them as beneficial for understanding relevant anatomy. Further investigation is required to understand how the 3DPM improves students’ learning outcomes; however, this study confirms the model’s utility and biology students’ desire to have access to additional 3DPMs in the comparative chordate anatomy lab. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Visualization in Biology Education)
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