The arrival of COVID-19 restrictions and the increasing demand of online instruction options posed challenges to education communities worldwide, especially in human anatomy. In response, Colorado State University developed and deployed an 8-week-long large-scale virtual reality (VR) course to supplement online human anatomy instruction. Students ( n = 75) received a VR-capable laptop and head-mounted display and participated in weekly synchronous group laboratory sessions with instructors. The software enabled students to remotely collaborate in a common virtual space to work with human anatomy using an artist-rendered cadaver. Qualitative data were collected on student engagement, confidence, and reactions to the new technology. Quantitative data assessed student knowledge acquisition and retention of anatomical spatial relationships. Results indicated that students performed better in the online course (mean = 82.27%) when compared to previous in-person laboratories (mean = 80.08%). The utilization of VR promoted student engagement and increased opportunities for student interaction with teaching assistants, peers, and course content. Notably, students reported benefits that focused on unique aspects of their virtual learning environment, including the ability to infinitely scale the cadaver and walk inside and around anatomical structures. Results suggested that using VR was equivalent to 2D methods in student learning and retention of anatomical relationships. Overall, the virtual classroom maintained the rigor of traditional gross anatomy laboratories without negatively impacting student examination scores and provided a high level of accessibility, without compromising learner engagement.

Distance education is essential to modern education; it is therefore crucial to evaluate pedagogical techniques that provide exceptional and equitable education to remote students.Major challenges of online learning include social isolation, feelings of disconnection, and elevated distraction, resulting in lower engagement, motivation, and performance.The present study utilized virtual reality (VR) to remotely connect rural high school students to graduate student mentors to learn human anatomy.Qualitative data assessed student and mentor motivation, engagement, satisfaction, and overall perceptions while utilizing VR compared to traditional online methods.Quantitative data assessed changes in student critical thinking ability throughout the semester.Results indicated increased motivation, engagement, and satisfaction while learning in VR compared to traditional online methods.Focus group interviews further revealed that participants viewed VR as uniquely valuable for applying knowledge and intuitively understanding spatial relationships.Although modality (VR vs online) did not have a significant effect on critical thinking ability between individual units, further analysis suggested that VR may improve student critical thinking skills longitudinally.Research on the implementation of VR in remote education is in its early stages, but there is a growing need to investigate the effectiveness of immersive technologies in overcoming barriers to distance learning.

High school students exposed to early mentorship opportunities and targeted development of critical thinking skills are better prepared for success in higher education. Rural high school students can face barriers that limit access to content experts and scholastic growth. Here we demonstrate the use of a virtual reality (VR) curriculum as a novel method of instruction, fostering mentorship and the development of critical thinking skills. Graduate mentors remotely connected with high school students to facilitate learning using a virtual, dissectible cadaver and volumized medical imaging (CT and MRI). The curriculum features weekly case-based learning exercises, providing students an opportunity to develop problem solving, critical thinking and oral presentation skills. We hypothesized that VR is an effective method of connecting high school students to graduate mentors and novel STEM learning opportunities, while the VR case-based curriculum enhances critical thinking skill and helps prepare students to succeed in higher education. Qualitative data assessed critical thinking, problem-solving skills, student motivation, mentorship engagement, and satisfaction utilizing the VR program as compared to 2D methods. Quantitative data assessed progression of student spatial abilities during the semester. Preliminary findings suggest an improvement in student interest and engagement while promoting intellectual engagement with graduate mentors. Research on the implementation of virtual reality in education is in its early stages, but there is a growing need to investigate the effectiveness of technology in overcoming barriers to learning among high school students. This course is an early exploration of how VR can enhance STEM teaching, improve student learning, and prepare students for success in higher education.

Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents the most common pediatric cancer diagnosis, with numbers rising gradually every year. This paper proposes a novel therapeutic agent for pediatric ALL on the basis of a failed clinical drug trial in 2006. TGN1412 was a promising therapeutic agent that yielded outstanding results in both in vitro studies and animal trials. It is a CD28 superagonist monoclonal antibody that activates T regulatory (TReg) cells in the absence of costimulation of the T cell receptor (TCR) by an antigen-presenting cell. This drug was intended as a solution to T cell deficient diseases such as B cell leukemia and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. When phase I clinical trials were conducted, all volunteers that received the drug experienced severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and faced multiple-organ failure within hours. TGN1412 was reassessed and re-entered clinical trials as a therapeutic for rheumatoid arthritis. A new assay was developed to better quantify T cell response, and volunteers in this trial experienced no pro-inflammatory cytokine release. This essay analyzes how misinformation contributed to the failure of TGN1412 in clinical trials and how revisiting this therapeutic could yield a novel treatment for pediatric B cell leukemia.