Konrad J. Schönborn

The importance of visual literacy in the education of biochemists

Visualization is an essential skill for all students and biochemists studying and researching the molecular and cellular biosciences. In this study, we discuss the nature and importance of visualization in biochemistry education and argue that students should be explicitly taught visual literacy and the skills for using visualization tools as essential components of all biochemistry curricula. We suggest that, at present, very little pedagogical attention has been given to this vital component of biochemistry education, although a large diversity of static, dynamic, and multimedia visual displays continues to flood modern educational resources at an exponential rate. Based on selected research findings from other science education domains and our own research experience in biochemistry education, 10 fundamental guidelines are proposed for the promotion of visualization and visual literacy among students studying in the molecular and cellular biosciences.

Bridging the educational research‐teaching practice gap

The term “conceptual understanding” has been used rather loosely over the years in educational practice, with a tendency to focus on a few aspects of an extremely complex phenomenon. In this first article of a two‐part miniseries on conceptual understanding, we describe the nature of expert (versus novice) knowledge and show how the conceptual understanding of experts is multifaceted in nature requiring competence in a wide range of cognitive skills. We then discuss five such facets of conceptual understanding that require competence in the cognitive skills of memorization, integration, transfer, analogical reasoning, and system thinking. We also argue for the importance of explicitly teaching and assessing such facets of understanding as part of all molecular life science curricula so as to better prepare our students to become experts in the field. Examples of the assessment tasks that can be used to promote the development of multifaceted conceptual understanding in students are presented in Part 2 of this series.

A Model of Factors Determining Students' Ability to Interpret External Representations in Biochemistry.

The aim of this research was to develop a model of factors affecting students’ ability to interpret external representations (ERs) in biochemistry. The study was qualitative in design and was guided by the modelling framework of Justi and Gilbert. Application of the process outlined by the framework, and consultation with relevant literature, led to the expression of a Venn model and to the formulation of operational definitions for seven component factors of the model; namely, the conceptual (C), reasoning (R), representation mode (M), reasoning‐mode (R‐M), reasoning‐conceptual (R‐C), conceptual‐mode (C‐M), and conceptual‐reasoning‐mode (C‐R‐M) factors. To validate the model, nine students were interviewed using a specially designed three‐phase single interview technique to investigate their interpretation of three ERs, representing antibody–antigen interaction. The data were analysed by induction, where response patterns emerged naturally rather than being predisposed. The results verified the validity of the expressed model and its component factors. We suggest that the model has a range of potential applications, including as a tool for framing researchers’ thinking about students’ difficulties with, and interpretation of, scientific ERs, and for the design of strategies to improve learning with ERs.

Student difficulties with the interpretation of a textbook diagram of immunoglobulin G (IgG)

Diagrams are considered to be invaluable teaching and learning tools in biochemistry, because they help learners build mental models of phenomena, which allows for comprehension and integration of scientific concepts. Sometimes, however, students experience difficulties with the interpretation of diagrams, which may have a negative effect on their learning of science. This paper reports on three categories of difficulties encountered by students with the interpretation of a stylized textbook diagram of the structure of immunoglobulin G (IgG). The difficulties were identified and classified using the four‐level framework of Grayson et al. [ 1 ]. Possible factors affecting the ability of students to interpret the diagram, and various teaching and learning strategies that might remediate the difficulties are also discussed.

Bridging the educational research-teaching practice gap: Conceptual understanding, part 2: Assessing and developing student knowledge.

The first paper [ 1 ] in this two‐part miniseries on conceptual understanding discussed expert and novice conceptual knowledge, the multifaceted nature of conceptual understanding, and the cognitive skills essential for constructing it. This second article presents examples of instruments for the assessment and development of five facets of conceptual understanding that require competence in the cognitive skills of mindful memorization, integration, transfer, analogical reasoning, and system thinking. We also argue for the importance of explicitly assessing these facets of conceptual understanding as part of all biochemistry and molecular biology curricula so as to develop expert knowledge in our students.

A Case-Based Study of Students' Visuohaptic Experiences of Electric Fields around Molecules: Shaping the Development of Virtual Nanoscience Learning Environments

Recent educational research has suggested that immersive multisensory virtual environments offer learners unique and exciting knowledge-building opportunities for the construction of scientific knowledge. This paper delivers a case-based study of students’ immersive interaction with electric fields around molecules in a multisensory visuohaptic virtual environment. The virtual architecture presented here also has conceptual connections to the flourishing quest in contemporary literature for the pressing need to communicate nanoscientific ideas to learners. Five upper secondary school students’ prior conceptual understanding of electric fields and their application of this knowledge to molecular contexts, were probed prior to exposure to the virtual model. Subsequently, four students interacted with the visuohaptic model while performing think-aloud tasks. An inductive and heuristic treatment of videotaped verbal and behavioural data revealed distinct interrelationships between students’ interactive strategies implemented when executing tasks in the virtual system and the nature of their conceptual knowledge deployed. The obtained qualitative case study evidence could serve as an empirical basis for informing the rendering and communication of overarching nanoscale ideas. At the time of composing this paper for publication in the current journal, the research findings of this study have been put into motion in informing a broader project goal of developing educational virtual environments for depicting nanophenomena.

Identifying and Developing Students’ Ability to Reason with Concepts and Representations in Biology

External representations (ERs) and their constituent symbolismare of enormous pedagogical valueto instructors, especially in the teaching of the submicroscopic world of biology, inherent in disciplines such as biochemistry, immunochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology. Whereas symbolic conventions are rigorously applied in physics and chemistry to enhance learning, this is not always true in biology where inappropriate use of symbolic language often leads to confusing ER designs and a range of conceptual, visual, and reasoning difficulties. In this chapter, we present a synthesis of research conducted by our group within these important areas of biology education. We commence by describing a model of seven factors affecting students’ ability to interpret and learn from ERs. We then apply the model as a guiding theoretical framework in the classification of various cognitive skills or reasoning abilities identified from a synthesis of literature. We also show how the model can inform the design of assessmenttasks aimed at both assessing (summatively) and guiding (formatively) the development of students’ ER-related reasoning ability. We then describe various student difficulties identified by our group. In particular, we focus on visual, reasoning, and conceptual difficultiesrelated to the decoding and interpretation of the diverse symbolic language used to visually represent protein structure, selected biochemical and physiological processes, and in the communication of modern molecular biology. We then show how the seven-factor model can be used as an analytical tool for identifying the nature and source of the difficulties and for designing potential remediation strategiesfor addressing the difficulties. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research on the use of the conceptual-reasoning-mode (CRM) model for biology education practitioners and researchers in improving the learning, teaching, and assessment of biology related to ERs.

Thermal cameras in school laboratory activities

Thermal cameras offer real-time visual access to otherwise invisible thermal phenomena, which are conceptually demanding for learners during traditional teaching. We present three studies of students’ conduction of laboratory activities that employ thermal cameras to teach challenging thermal concepts in grades 4, 7 and 10–12. Visualization of heat-related phenomena in combination with predict-observe-explain experiments offers students and teachers a pedagogically powerful means for unveiling abstract yet fundamental physics concepts.

Visualization of Heat Transfer Using Projector-Based Spatial Augmented Reality

Thermal imaging cameras, commonly used in application areas such as building inspection and night vision, have recently also been introduced as pedagogical tools for helping students visualize, interrogate and interpret notoriously challenging thermal concepts. In this paper we present a system for Spatial Augmented Reality that automatically projects thermal data onto objects. Instead of having a learner physically direct a hand-held camera toward an object of interest, and then view the display screen, a group of participants can gather around the display system and directly see and manipulate the thermal profile projected onto physical objects. The system combines a thermal camera that captures the thermal data, a depth camera that realigns the data with the objects, and a projector that projects the data back. We also apply a colour scale tailored for room temperature experiments.

Experts’ Views on Translation Across Multiple External Representations in Acquiring Biological Knowledge About Ecology, Genetics, and Evolution

Translation across multiple external representations (MERs) is essential for the construction of biological knowledge. This study solicited experts’ views on translation across MERs in the development of knowledge in the domains of ecology, genetics, and evolution. A Delphi approach generated experts’ views on specific challenges facing learners for engaging translation in the acquisition of biological concepts and principles. These experts’ opinions were reduced to three-themed viewpoints pertaining to horizontaltranslation across MERs at the same level of biological organization and three themes regarding verticaltranslation between MERs at different levels of organization. Furthermore, experts’ viewpoints on requirements for learners’ effective translation across MERs in the building of biological knowledge were revealed as three overarching ideas. The research suggests that biology teaching must incorporate translation competencies for supporting students’ knowledge construction.