Once they have acquired the basics and completed the practical simulations, students are encouraged to think big. Augmented reality becomes a tool for exploring questions such as “what if...”. What if stem cells did not integrate properly? What if they formed tumours instead of healthy tissue? What if one day they could reconstruct entire organs?

At this stage, students use augmented reality to simulate more complex scenarios, such as designing therapies for neurological diseases or testing how induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) could replace embryonic stem cells to avoid ethical controversies. They also explore bio-inspiration: animals such as salamanders can regrow entire limbs, could stem cell science help humans achieve something similar one day?

Learning is also gamified to keep students engaged. They earn points and badges for successfully completed missions, climb the leaderboards for creative problem solving, and unlock new missions and levels as they treat more complex “virtual patients”. Collaborative challenges encourage teamwork: groups may be tasked with saving a digital patient with multiple organ damage, requiring them to pool their knowledge and strategies.

Assessment is integrated into augmented reality activities. Instead of taking a paper test, students demonstrate what they have learned by repairing tissue, explaining the steps they took and reflecting on the results. Teachers use augmented reality logs, group presentations and diaries to assess not only knowledge, but also skills, creativity and ethical reasoning.