OsmoBeaker
The Osmosis and Diffusion labs in the OsmoBeaker® suite of SimBio Virtual Labs use simulated molecular-level experiments to explore some of the trickiest concepts for introductory biology students to understand, helping them overcome common misconceptions. These labs use medically relevant examples that allow students to visualize and tinker with the mechanisms underlying diffusion and osmosis. Our National Science Foundation funded research shows that students understand these critical processes better after using OsmoBeaker (Meir, et al. 2005).
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Demo video availableCourse Pack | SimUTextLab: Osmosis  $3$5This popular lab explores osmosis by letting students visualize molecules moving inside a cell and across the cell's membrane. Their ultimate challenge is to use what they learn about osmosis to compose an intravenous fluid that will not cause red blood cells to expand or shrink. In the course of the lab, students explore osmosis with no, one, two, and many solutes. In the process of exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms of osmosis and osmotic pressure, students manipulate concentrations and conduct experiments to investigate what is meant by "dynamic equilibrium" and throughout the lab use quantitative reasoning to predict experimental outcomes. See our Publications page to read how this lab has successfully conquered misconceptions! [One caveat: students who have trouble with ratios may need assistance.]
Key Concepts: Equilibrium | Osmosis | Overcoming common misconceptions Courses: Intro Bio: Molecular | Intro Bio: Non-majors | Osmosis-Diffusion Reviews: "The students loved the [OsmoBeaker] simulations and I thought they got more out of them than even they did." Heather Dietz, University of Regina |
Lab: Diffusion $3$5This lab confronts common misconceptions about diffusion using engaging simulated molecular-level experiments. The lab first focuses on how individual molecules move under different conditions. It then sets up a fun experiment that allows students to explore whether nerve cells could use diffusion to move materials from the cell body to the synapses at the tips of their axons. Students run races in axons of different lengths and record how long it takes for "peptide" molecules to diffuse down their length. A new concluding exercise explores diffusion in plant leaves, asking whether CO2 molecules that start among high concentrations of other CO2 molecules move faster than CO2 molecules that start among high concentrations of water molecules. By the end of the lab, students not only discover the need for cellular and organ level transport mechanisms, but also overcome some commonly held misconceptions (see our Publications page for details).
Level: Intro Key Concepts: Diffusion | Overcoming common misconceptions | Randomness Courses: Intro Bio: Molecular | Intro Bio: Non-majors | Osmosis-Diffusion Reviews: "The students loved the [OsmoBeaker] simulations and I thought they got more out of them than even they did." Heather Dietz, University of Regina |
