{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T12:32:36Z","timestamp":1785414756601,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777507200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777507200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Microbiol Biol Educ."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title\/>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Microbiology, the study of microorganisms, is of critical importance to a variety of fields, including medicine, nursing, genetics, and immunology, as well as to students training to enter those fields. By definition, the objects of microbiology are too small to be seen with the naked eye, so its practitioners are well accustomed to using technology to make the invisible visible. From this perspective, virtual reality (VR) is a natural evolution from the microscope and the petri dish. We have conceptualized, designed, and tested a new virtual reality environment to teach undergraduate students how to diagnose a range of human parasitic diseases. Here we present our VR module as well as the qualitative and quantitative student feedback received from our second-year microbiology student cohort (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 30). Furthermore, we discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating VR into an internationally recognized university microbiology curriculum. This includes considerations at the curriculum design level, where we identify specific VR learning activities that could be added throughout the course, and at the application development level, where we present lessons learned from the development of a VR learning resource for parasitology education.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00165-25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]],"date-time":"2025-12-08T14:00:19Z","timestamp":1765202419000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Incorporating a human parasite virtual reality experience into a tertiary microbiology teaching curriculum increases student engagement and learning outcomes"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Manon","family":"Reist","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01rxfrp27","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University","place":["Melbourne, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liana","family":"Theodoridis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01rxfrp27","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University","place":["Melbourne, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katelyn","family":"Mroczek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01rxfrp27","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University","place":["Melbourne, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gene","family":"Drendel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01rxfrp27","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University","place":["Melbourne, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carolyn","family":"Bell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01rxfrp27","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University","place":["Melbourne, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rick","family":"Skarbez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01rxfrp27","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, La Trobe University","place":["Melbourne, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4947-371X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Teresa G.","family":"Carvalho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01rxfrp27","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University","place":["Melbourne, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0155895"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00269-21"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","first-page":"53","article-title":"Developing an online learning environment for community college students enrolled in human anatomy & physiology and microbiology courses amid the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"24","author":"Vasquez S","year":"2020","unstructured":"Vasquez S. 2020. Developing an online learning environment for community college students enrolled in human anatomy & physiology and microbiology courses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Electron J Res Sci Math Educ 24:53\u201359.","journal-title":"Electron J Res Sci Math Educ"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","first-page":"129","volume-title":"Interactivity and its effect on student learning outcomes, in Teaching, Learning and the Net Generation: Concepts and Tools for Reaching Digital Learners","author":"Gleason JP","year":"2012","unstructured":"Gleason JP, Daws LB. 2012. Interactivity and its effect on student learning outcomes, in Teaching, Learning and the Net Generation: Concepts and Tools for Reaching Digital Learners, p 129\u2013149. IGI Global Scientific Publishing."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2298\/ZIPI1302404C"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2018.02086"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/frobt.2016.00074"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10639-017-9676-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10055-024-01016-w"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-63601-y"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jmbe.00203-24"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cptl.2021.11.002"}],"container-title":["Journal of Microbiology &amp; Biology Education"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/jmbe.00165-25","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/jmbe.00165-25","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T13:01:54Z","timestamp":1777554114000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/10.1128\/jmbe.00165-25"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Dave J.","family":"Westenberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1128\/jmbe.00165-25"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/jmbe.00165-25","relation":{},"ISSN":["1935-7877","1935-7885"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1935-7877","type":"print"},{"value":"1935-7885","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-07-13","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-11-11","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-12-08","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e00165-25"}}