Bioscience companies and research organizations seek bioscience workers who demonstrate proficiency in several disciplines ranging from genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry to virology and bioinformatics. However, bioscience industry leaders report that it is still difficult to find experienced bioscience talent because current bioscience workforce training does not match well with biotechnology industries, and as a consequence, high-cost job training is often required. To address the national bioscience workforce need, the Cyberlearning Integration and Deployment Project investigates the feasibility of creating an innovative wearable augmented reality (AR) online learning technology intervention for biotechnology learning and skill proficiency.

The proposed WARBIE learning technology intervention involves a collaboration between the Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei Lab) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an industry collaborator, Juxtopia. The research team investigates fundamental research questions: (a) How does the Juxtopia® Virtual Instructor (VI) enabled wearable AR platform improve biotechnology cognitive understanding and psychomotor skill proficiency while learners work on hands-on biotechnology lab experiments?; (b) How does the Juxtopia® VI enabled wearable AR platform develop workforce skills desired by the bioscience industry?; and (c) How does the Juxtopia® VI enabled wearable AR platform synchronize the multidisciplinary understanding of mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics that map to common core state standards?

Leadership

Status