Mixed Reality Virtual Titration | Rice Experiential Pixels Lab

This mixed-reality titration lesson pairs a 3D-printed burette with a virtual chemistry experiment, testing how embodied, gesturally congruent interaction shapes learning.

Introduction: Bringing Laboratory Gestures Into Online Learning

The project asks when a physical, gesturally congruent control benefits STEM learning. A 3D-printed burette connects the familiar turning of a stopcock to a virtual titration experiment, adding passive haptic feedback to the digital lesson.

Mixed-reality virtual titration experience — Figure 1. The mixed-reality titration lesson couples a physical burette to the virtual experiment.

Study Design: Comparing Embodied and Keyboard Control

In a randomized study with 136 college students, learners either controlled the virtual stopcock with keyboard arrows or physically turned the valve of a 3D-printed burette. Both conditions used the same titration lesson and visual information.

Titration simulation interface — Figure 2. The virtual titration interface used during learning.

Titration study results — Figure 3. Study findings reveal interactions between prior knowledge and interface condition.

Results: Matching Interface Complexity to Learner Readiness

Both groups improved on declarative knowledge. Deeper analyses favored the embodied device for learners with higher prior science knowledge, while the results suggest that lower-prior-knowledge learners may benefit from beginning with the more familiar keyboard interface before transitioning to richer mixed-reality interaction.