Enhancing Students’ Understanding of Nerve Cells’ Structures and Their Symbiotic Functioning by Using Technology-Enhanced Instruction Incorporating Virtual Labs and Animations

Some science subjects are often perceived to be difficult and boring by students due to their nature and the way they are taught. This study sought to check the effectiveness of the technology-enhanced instruction method with comprehensive use of virtual labs and animations in teaching nerve cells’ (neurons and glial cells) structures and functions. Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning provided the theoretical model to frame the study. This study used a quasi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test where four secondary schools all from the southern province of Rwanda were selected from two different districts. Two schools from Ruhango District were assigned to the experimental group while the other two schools from Muhanga District were assigned to the control group. The study involved 168 students, 83 forming the control group, and 85 forming the experimental group. The biology test based on nerve cells was used to assess the effect of teaching strategies before and after learning. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 23, and we computed a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and repeated measures ANOVA. The results indicated that the students who learned nerve cells by use of technology-enhanced instruction of virtual labs and animations outperformed those who learned with conventional methods (M. exp. = 80.41% with SD = 10.32 versus M. cont. = 47.11% with SD = 10.68 and a p-value < 0.05). The results also indicated that after learning with virtual labs and animations, the number of students who were able to perform each of the 20 questions of the test increased considerably. The study recommends the use of virtual labs and animations to enhance students’ understanding of nerve cells. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.