Biology Lab at ESU goes Virtual!

Virtual Reality Biology Lab Online with Dr. Erika Martin

When moving a class online, it is a challenge in and on itself.  Dr. Erika Martin is adventuring to a new high standard for a first time new to online teaching by taking her Biology 101 Lab Online.  I have had the pleasure to work with Dr. Martin and Labster, the company that created the Virtual Reality world for science, for a couple months now. The project has been approved and the pilot will start in Spring 2019.  While working with Dr. Martin, and writing the proposal for funding, I asked Dr. Martin for a blurb on how she think Labster will benefit the class and why Emporia State University should invest in this project.  While expecting just a short paragraph, Dr. Martin exceeded my expectation with a lengthy but remarkable statement which I have shared for the readers below. Dr. Martin has great passion  passion and willingness to help her students thrive in this new, exciting learning medium!

 “Most students enrolling in the General Biology Laboratory course could be described as not excited to be there. As with many non-scientists, students view biology as meticulous, boring, and confusing. My goal is to engage students, get them to enjoy their class experience, learn basic biological principles, and gain a more robust and well-rounded understanding of the world they live in. A lofty goal, but not unreasonable. General Biology Laboratory is, and should be, a lot more than patience and numbers (though, there is a bit of that). Whether students realize it or not, biology is all around them - not just the plants and animals, but a lot of technology is derived from plant and animal models. The scientific method is not just a bunch of boring steps, but an interactive process that allows students to answer real-world questions in a rigorous and deterministic way! The purpose of this course is not rote memorization and learning a bunch of Latin words. The purpose of this course is to help students see how science is involved in their everyday lives. They learn about the basics of genetics that are used in the popular DNA kits from 23&Me or Ancestry.com; learn how changes in our environment can influence changes in how animals behave and look; learn what light is, where it comes from and how it helps plants grow; learn about diffusion and osmosis - important processes in the field of medicine, nursing, ecotoxicology, and others; plus learn how to answer their own questions about the world!

I am excited to help students get their feet wet in the diversity of biological topics, and online learning is a way to reach out to students that might not be able to take in-person classes. However, traditional laboratory classes are hands-on for a reason: hands-on learning allows students to make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, use and appreciate scientific equipment, and understand the process of science. Reading, watching recorded videos, and memorization can teach the student about science, but is unable to get students to truly understand how science is done. That is why Labster would make the General Biology Laboratory class the next best thing to an in-person class. Students get to remotely experience being in a laboratory setting. They have to calibrate equipment, make and use solutions correctly, and conduct scientific research. Labster virtual reality programming allows students to make mistakes and subsequently explains what mistake was made and corrects them. Students can mix two wrong solutions and set their virtual lab aflame! Then, Labster will help them figure out where they went wrong, and correct those mistakes until the student understands and conducts the lab exercise correctly. There are built in guides and questions along the way to make sure the students are actively engaged and haven’t just pressed play on the video and left the room.

This opportunity would be fantastic for student learning, plus it would put Emporia State University at the forefront of online class technology. This project is a collaborative effort among myself from the Emporia State University’s Department of Biological Sciences, Emporia State University’s Information Technology (IT) department, Arizona State University’s online course coordinator, as well as the tech companies Google, Labster, and Lenovo. With the intent to begin in Spring 2019, ESU will become one of only a handful of universities in the nation to offer virtual reality online class experiences. Other institutions with similar programs include Arizona State, NYU, and Brown.”     -Dr. Erika Martin

Following Dr. Martin’s statement there is nothing left for me to say except, I was amazed, excited and feel honored to work alongside someone who truly wants to make a difference in young adult lives.


~Selayoa Lovett

Selayoa is an Instructional Designer for Emporia State University. She can be reached at scloud@emporia.edu.