The application of virtual reality in biology education

Virtual Reality application is widely used in many scientific field. The development of virtual reality in science education enables students to explore science principles and allows training large number of students outside conventional practice site. A three-dimension, interactive virtual lab is created for students in life and science department of Nottingham Trent University. The design of the virtual lab is based on a set of rules, that is, goal-oriented, highly interactive, game-like and learning by doing. The virtual lab, created using RealiMation, simulates the immunoprecipitation assay. In the virtual lab, students can implement the experiment, see the results and learn the concepts and experimental skills of biology as if they were in a real lab, which illustrates the principles of learning by doing rule.