Virtual immunology: an educational software to encourage antigen-antibody interaction learning

Abstract

Immunology is a knowledge area of paramount importance in life sciences and health care professional education with diverse applications, as well as for a general public understanding of issues related to vaccination. However, many concepts are complex and difficult to be understood based only on conventional classes or static images. The use of tools, such as educational software, may enhance the learning of dynamic molecular phenomena that occur in our bodies. Virtual Immunology is a software that aims to facilitate the learning of certain complex immunology concepts. Herein, we present the "antigen-antibody interactions" module that was used and evaluated by 127 students and three teachers from medical schools from two universities, one public and one private, both in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pre-test/post-test research design was used to assess student learning in a randomized sample. To evaluate user perceptions concerning software quality, 14 statements were analyzed using a Likert scale. Results indicate suitable evaluations from both students and teachers concerning the "antigen-antibody module" as an auxiliary tool in immunology teaching. The software was well rated an educational resource since it allows dynamically viewing immunological phenomena. In addition, its ease of use and immunological process visualization were the best-evaluated parameters by the students, which recommended this software module as an auxiliary learning tool. The use of the evaluated software may motivate students and aid in the understanding of immunology-related concepts, becoming a complementary tool that may enhance the teaching-learning process.

Uso de mídias sociais para monitorar o interesse em imunologia e chamar a atenção das pessoas para a saúde pública durante a pandemia de COVID-19 no Brasil

“…É verdade também que o uso das redes sociais não pode substituir a educação formal, mas pode enriquecer a educação dos alunos e proporcionar formas alternativas de melhorar as competências educativas. Faggioni e colaboradores [35] mostraram que conceitos complexos no campo da imunologia podem ser tornados compreensíveis por meio de software virtual que pode facilitar a aprendizagem da imunologia pelos alunos, o qual os ajuda a compreender melhor os fenômenos moleculares dinâmicos dos complexos imunológicos que ocorrem no corpo humano [35].…”

“…Em alguns estudos, foi recomendado o uso da internet como forma motivacional dos estudantes e para compreensão dos conceitos relacionadas à imunologia para complementar o processo de ensino e aprendizagem. Os alunos endossaram os cursos "on-line" e relataram que estes eram bem-vindos durante a pandemia da COVID-19 [10,35,37]. Os dados demográficos fornecidos pelo aplicativo mostraram que a maioria dos usuários pertencia ao gênero feminino, que corrobora a dados publicados por Barata e Ludwig [36] reportando que mulheres são majoritárias na área científica atualmente, possuindo maior escolaridade universitária quando comparadas com o sexo masculino [36], principalmente ao considerar a faixa etária de 18-24 anos, o que pode explicar o maior interesse deste público no conteúdo da página @Conectaimuno no Instagram®.…”

Virtual Reality to Teach Students in Laboratories: A Bibliometric and Network Analysis

“…Virtual laboratories can reduce learning time, as students can repeatedly review, understand, and redo lab practices to build skills and improve their performance. , Additional benefits include sharing of educational resources, providing students with convenient access to teaching and research materials, and facilitating pedagogical practices at any location and time. , The COVID-19 has amplified the demand for distance learning to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and has highlighted the importance of using digital tools and VR in the teaching-learning process. This is particularly crucial in fields where practical activities are integral to professional training. − …”