Abstract:

Software applications for the display, analysis, and manipulation of three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules are important tools for biologists and chemists. In this paper, a way to interact with molecular graphics programs by using simple natural gestures (head movements) is described. The target group for this application is represented by first year undergraduate biochemistry students.

The application can be used from a Web page using a usual browser. Technically, it is based on the adaptation of a JavaScript library for real-time face and head tracking using a webcam. The logical flow of the application is presented in detail together with a use case scenario. More specifically, the software offers users a head-coupled perspective on biomolecules of their choice for an open-source Java language-based molecular visualization program, GLmol.

Based on the overall concept of natural interaction with computers using body gestures and on previous studies on the pedagogical effects of new technologies such as virtual reality, the following hypothesis has been formulated:
With the increased interactivity provided by using natural gestures (such as head movement) to interact with computers, the learners’ interest and motivation to use and study molecular graphics increases.

In order to test this hypothesis, a study was undertaken on the use of this technology in classroom instruction. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology on student learning was performed. The use case study involved a cohort of 80 students in the first year of their three-year undergraduate degree in Biology and Biochemistry at the Faculty of Biology. They take a compulsory, second semester, first-year course in bioinformatics in which molecular graphics is part of the curriculum and as part of this course, they have been taught on how to use the interactive visualization application based on head tracking. Students were allowed to use the system anytime for a period of one week. After that, they were invited to take a survey consisting of 18 questions.

The results of the survey indicate that due to very low cost, interactivity and usability, this application proved to be effective in increasing the learner’s interest and motivation in using molecular graphics as a valuable tool for communicating structural information much more effectively. Consequently, exercises based on this interactive application may alleviate some of the educational challenges in undergraduate biochemistry laboratories.

The paper concludes with formulating some directions for further software developments, including a discussion of the limitations of the current version.

Keywords:

First-year undergraduate, molecular graphics, human-computer interaction, gesture recognition, laboratory instruction, web-based learning.