A study to determine the effectiveness of augmented reality to increase comprehension and decrease cognitive load while studying protein structure
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Proteins are essential components of biochemistry, cellular biology, and medicine. Some students however may struggle with the representations of proteins found in the classroom. In this thesis , we present a novel augmented reality (AR) application that renders channel proteins and provides animations and lessons for students to learn from. This software was programmed using Unity C# scripting, as well as making use of open-source files from the protein database (RCSB PDB). The application was designed as a tool to help students learn about channel proteins structure and function. We recruited 30 undergraduate students for a study using the AR app and traditional methods. These students were then given a test on channel proteins, as well as a questionnaire on mental effort and enjoyment. The AR group did significantly better on their test scores, had lower cognitive load scores, and rated the experience more exciting than the non- AR group.