Background
Teaching reproductive physiology/endocrinology traditionally relies on textbooks and animal-derived data, yet practical and ethical constraints limit opportunities for undergraduate students to engage with authentic experimental approaches. A virtual male reproduction laboratory developed at Monash University provides a simulated experimental experience based on data generated from actual rat studies. The resource allows students to investigate how surgical, hormonal and pharmacological interventions alter male reproductive physiology while supporting the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. This presentation describes implementation of this resource in a third-year endocrinology course.
Methods
The freely available virtual laboratory has been implemented in BIOM3020 Integrated Endocrinology at The University of Queensland since 2018. Students collect physiological and morphological data from a single virtual animal across control and treatment groups, including plasma testosterone concentrations, reproductive organ and body weights, sperm motility and seminiferous tubule diameter. They then access a complete dataset containing measurements from 20 animals per group and use these data in learning activities and assessments. Tasks include evaluation of endocrine regulation of male reproductive function, data interpretation, hypothesis-driven selection of graphs and statistical analyses, and consideration of animal use in research.
Results
The resource provides an authentic, inquiry-based learning experience integrating reproductive physiology, experimental design, data analysis and ethical considerations. Students generate and interpret realistic datasets while exploring interventions affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and male reproductive organs. The activity provides experiential learning without requiring the use of more than 150 animals for teaching. Student feedback highlighted the activity as engaging, intellectually stimulating, relevant to course content and valuable for reinforcing understanding through authentic data analysis.
Conclusion
Virtual laboratory simulations offer a scalable, engaging approach for teaching reproductive physiology while substantially reducing animal use. This presentation will showcase the resource and practical examples of its integration into university teaching and assessment.
Link to Online Resource: https://ilearn.med.monash.edu.au/physiology/experiments/male-reproduction/