UC Davis

This dissertation focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of immersive visualization for learning and teaching microbial knowledge in both informal and formal learning settings.

The first study primarily focuses on designing and evaluating a theory-based immersive visualization for facilitating the public audience to learn metagenomics concepts. By documenting the design process, how virtual reality aiding the general public's comprehension of microbial concepts was evaluated by comparing the visualization design with and without theory-based guidelines in immersive space and comparing immersive and non-immersive methods. My proposed learner-environment interaction model within immersive visualization demonstrates the value of leveraging affective processing for knowledge comprehension. Moreover, perceived engagement, immersion, and subjective performance are significantly correlated, while perceived workload remains the same in both interactive and non-interactive immersive visualizations. This study connects the education and visualization domains by integrating interest theory and visualization design principles into educational application design and assessment.

The second study compares Fully immersive (HMD) VR, Desktop VR, and Slides lectures for Food Microbiology Laboratory instruction. First, I designed two VR prototypes to teach Sauerkraut Fermentation by collaborating with microbiology domain experts. I conducted a pilot testing by recurring seven graduate students in Food Microbiology to refine my instructional design process. Then 49 undergraduate students were recruited from a large Food Microbiology laboratory class to experience a Fermentation lecture in three conditions: HMD VR, desktop VR, and slides. Results indicate that the HMD VR-based lecture has promoted students’ long-term retention of conceptual knowledge along with increased perceived presence, motivation, and visual attention, while there is no significant difference in immediate retention among the three instructional methods (HMD VR, desktop VR, and Slides). This research informs learning impacts of self-directed lectures between VR and conventional modes of instruction. In addition, students’ interview responses and study strategies indicate design implications of instructional artifact usage in higher education.

Together, these studies comprehensively understand the affordances and constraints of integrating VR into teaching and learning in science education.