Comparing Whiteboard and 3D Animation in Visualization of Neuron-like Bacterial Communication in Biofilms

Whiteboard animation presents a possible solution to communicating complex, interdisciplinary, health-related science topics to both health professionals and scientists with a range of prior knowledge. However, the efficacy of whiteboard animation is not well studied, and its best practices remain undefined. Discovery research in Dr. Prindle’s laboratory at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine has found a novel method of bacterial communication in Bacillus subtilis. This novel form of bacterial electrochemical signaling is neuron-like in that the signals are mediated by potassium ion channels. Individuals at UIC were recruited from the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. The project resulted in a 3D computer-based animation and a 2D whiteboard animation showing how bacterial electrochemical communication in biofilms works and played over the same narration. The 3D and whiteboard animation were evaluated for viewer engagement, preference, and knowledge gained on a sample population of students primarily in the fields of science and/or medicine. Participants who saw the whiteboard animation first demonstrated significantly higher levels of knowledge gained. Viewers who preferred the whiteboard animation reported significantly lower levels of cognitive load than the viewers who preferred the 3D animation. Data analysis revealed that knowledge transfer and spatial reasoning are moderately positively correlated. This project’s results may inform best practices for whiteboard animation relying on the conceptual frameworks of human cognition and multimedia learning. This project may also lead to further applications of whiteboard animation in biocommunication between health professionals and scientists. Whiteboard animation provides a more accessible threshold animation in that it can be less demanding on time, resources, money, and technical expertise, and it can potentially avoid cognitive overload, providing a highly efficient mechanism of biocommunication.