Evaluation of an adaptive virtual laboratory environment using Western Blotting for diagnosis of disease

Abstract

Background: Providing large numbers of undergraduate students in scientific disciplines with engaging, authentic laboratory experiences is important, but challenging. Virtual laboratories (vLABs) are a potential means to enable interactive learning experiences. A vLAB focusing on Western Blotting was developed and implemented in a 3rd year undergraduate Pathology course for science students to facilitate learning of technical molecular laboratory skills that are linked to development of diagnostic skills. Such skills are important for undergraduates in building a conceptual understanding of translation of laboratory techniques to changes in human biology due to disease.

Methods: The Western Blotting vLAB was developed and deployed using the Adaptive eLearning Platform (AeLP) developed by Smart Sparrow (https://www.smartsparrow.com/). The vLAB was evaluated to assess students' perceptions of their laboratory skills relevant to the diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy. A blended learning rotation model was applied in which wet laboratory and vLAB environments for Western Blotting were both delivered to three consecutive cohorts of 3rd year science undergraduates undertaking a Muscle Diseases practical class. Evaluation questionnaires were administered at the completion of the practical classes.

Results: Students indicated in online questionnaires that the Western Blotting vLAB was at least equivalent to the real lab in their perceived development of concepts, laboratory skills and diagnosis of disease.

Conclusions: vLABs have great potential for improving students' development of diagnostic skills. Further studies are required to determine the impact of vLABs on student learning.

Figure 1

Technical Instructions and Feedback. Instructions and related feedback provided prior to students starting the vLAB are shown as inserted panels that overlay the vLAB scene (A). The vLAB scene demonstrating reagents and SDS-PAGE gel units (B).

Figure 2

Videos embedded in the vLAB. Videos were embedded into certain areas of the vLAB to model technically challenging aspects of the Western Blotting experiment. Students were instructed to watch the video prior to starting the vLAB (A). Modelling how the SDS-PAGE gel unit was assembled as part of the Western Blotting protocol is shown (B).

Figure 3

Diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy. A series of multiple choice questions with drop-down menus were provided to the students with or without adaptive feedback to suit student choices is shown. A series of screens from the Western Blotting vLAB showing (A-C) ‘results’, (A, B) related questions and (C) tailored feedback is shown.

Figure 4

Muscle Diseases Practical Class Structure for a Two hour Lesson. Students were randomly divided into two groups, groups 1 and 2. The groups were crossed-over mid-way through the practical class to ensure that all students performed both types of Western Blotting laboratory.

Figure 5

Student Learning, Diagnostic Skills. The distribution of Likert scale responses regarding learning of diagnostic skills for Western Blotting and protein expression analysis was significantly enhanced using the vLAB compared with the real lab in 2011 (*p = 0.006, Mann–Whitney U test). There were no other significant differences in distribution of Likert scale data between the vLAB and the wet lab for other items in all years.