Your Visible Biology Questions ANSWERED!

In January 2022, we will officially release Visible Biology as a standalone web product and as part of Courseware, the web-based platform that encompasses Visible Body's anatomy, physiology, and pathology content and integrates with Blackboard and Canvas. 

Visible Biology is a visual guide to biological concepts and processes that allows you to learn and teach biology in immersive 3D. Visible Biology features 3D models and bite-sized animations that explain big concepts. 

At the Visible Biology: A 3D Showcase webinar, you came with plenty of questions about Visible Biology and how to incorporate it into your classrooms. The Education Team's own Allie Hardy provided the answersincluding exciting details on what's next here at Visible Body. 

This blog post will summarize the Q&A portion of the webinar. If you'd like to watch the webinar in full and see the 3D models for yourself, check out the video below!


Are the models labelled? 

You can add tags to label structures  in our 3D models. Simply select the structure, click on the content box, and click "Add Tag." 

You can also do more than just tagyou can add notes, arrows, and drawings as well. Once you have added your annotations, you can save your 3D model view in your library. Many instructors create views and save them to use as lecture materials. Views are sharable, which means they can be shared between students as study materials or shared with instructors as part of an assignment. You can also create Tours by stringing together several saved 3D views into a presentation.

dicot leaf viewTag structures in Visible Biology

Which models can students view? 

Students with access to Visible Biology can view all of our models and content. Through Courseware, instructors will be able to assign materials to students, but students are free to browse at their own pace and view material without it being assigned by accessing Visible Biology on the My Apps page.

Can you access saved views on your mobile device?

When you save a 3D view, it will save to your user account. Through your account, you can access content across devices. Right now, Visible Biology is only accessible on the web, but any time you open Visible Biology in a desktop browser, you can access your user account and all the saved content it contains.

Can I share flashcards with my students?

You can create and customize flashcards in Visible Biology just like in Human Anatomy Atlas. You can share flashcards by clicking on "Flashcard Decks" under the "Study" tab and clicking on the three dots beneath the deck you'd like to share. Click "Share Deck" to access the flashcard URL. You can share the link in an email, on your LMS, or however you would like to communicate it to your students. 

Students can add flashcard decks by clicking on the link icon on the bottom toolbar and pasting in the flashcard URL. Voila! The flashcards will then be added to their account.

bio-flashCreate flashcard decks in Visible Biology

Are the quizzes and flashcard functions available in Anatomy & Physiology too?

In Visible Biology, students can take built-in quizzes to identify structures and test their knowledge, and Anatomy & Physiology also features practice quizzes, like multiple choice quizzes and dissection quizzes where students have to dissect to find the answers. 

Flashcards are currently available only in Visible Biology and Human Anatomy Atlas.

Are these free resources or do they require a subscription? 

Visible Biology and other Visible Body products require a subscription. The cost for an individual student subscription is $39.99 for a year of Visible Biology. A one-year individual student Courseware subscription (which includes Visible Biology as well as our A&P products) costs $49.99. For institutional/bulk pricing, talk to a sales representative to discuss what license option works best for you.

Is there a free trial for educators? 

Yes! Request a trial of Visible Biology Courseware here.

Can you integrate Visible Biology into an LMS?

Our Courseware product is compatible with Canvas and Blackboard! We have single sign on integration: students can access all of Visible Body's content from a linked Canvas or Blackboard course. 

We’re currently working on deep integration into Canvas, which will allow assignments and gradebooks to sync with Canvas. Integration with LMS like Google Classroom is coming soon.

In the meantime, you can export grades from Courseware in .CSV format so they can easily be uploaded to your LMS of choice.

 

Are animal 3D models available for virtual dissection? 

August 2022 update: Visible Biology now features 3D, dissectible, invertebrate models! Check them out in the video below.


Is there an easy way to move between images from different apps? 

Courseware allows you to pull various learning assets from apps like Visible Biology and Anatomy & Physiology and put those assets into an organized sequence of assignments, allowing you to direct students to different pieces of content. The experience appears streamlined to the student and allows them to access material from all Visible Body apps in the order of your choosing.

Can I rearrange the order of the animations? 

The animations inside Visible Biology already come in a  sequence that follows the conceptual order in most textbooks. While you cannot rearrange them within the app, you can assign content in Courseware in any order. 

Fun fact: customization is what Courseware does best! Courseware allows instructors to create their own course using content from Visible Body, and they can import their own content as well.

Is there a way to copy animations into a slideshow? 

Allie recommends that instructors switch windows to the app when they are ready to play animations and interact with models. Many instructors use Visible Body contentlike the short lessons and side-by-side 3D models in Anatomy & Physiologyas pre-built lecture slides because they are already organized by system.

passive-transport-bioGIF from a Visible Biology animation. 
 

Can students access Courseware using their browser of choice? 

We recommend an updated Chrome browser, but Courseware is also compatible with  Firefox and Safari. Visible Biology is supported on Edge, Chrome, and Safari.

Still have questions?

Follow this link to learn more about Visible Biology, and follow this link to check out our webinars, help center, and training sessionsor to ask questions or request a trial!


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