The use of cutting-edge haptics technology (touch/VR) is being explored in education at both university and school. This technology provides a “hands-on” experience that enables student-led visual and tactile exploration of virtual environments. Focusing on the biological perspective we discuss the challenges of quashing misconceptions when developing a virtual cell membrane that allows students to explore membrane transport using an immersive (head-mounted display) multi-finger haptic interface. Initial data indicates that both haptic (touch/VR) and non-haptic (VR alone) students (11-13ys) benefitted from using the system. Ongoing analysis is exploring what factors may influence the learning gain achieved such as manual dexterity and spatial awareness.
