Mixed Reality for an Enhanced Laboratory Course on Microfluidics

Natural sciences can be difficult to grasp because physical and chemical phenomena take place across time length scales that are beyond the reach of human perception. This problem is particularly true for students attempting learn about microfluidics, a discipline involves intricate engineering methods fluid unintuitive unique microscopic scale. New learning paradigms combine established principles from mixed reality (MR) technologies may facilitate understanding microfluidics help connect experimental underlying processes. Yet only few studies have implemented into design MR experiences university laboratory courses. We thus created ALETHA, an interactive immersive platform microfabrication techniques. designed ALETHA include scaffolding, gamification, control-of-variables, multimodal representation strategies known enhance intuition building learning. hypothesized will student them build intuitions processes involved at To test whether improved affective outcomes, we employed quizzes surveys compared performance participated in course with cohort using traditional paper protocols. Overall, measured greater engagement students. Our new provides useful practical example how challenging interdisciplinary topics such as microfluidics.