Educational Models in Analytical Chemistry Lab: The Story behind Lateral Flow Immunoassays in the Context of COVID-19

Lateral flow immunoassays have become part of our daily lives as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, but what is actually the story behind these red lines? Scientific findings, often described as a scientific black box, create continuous global changes in our living conditions and must be made accessible to society in a comprehensible way. In this Article, models are used as a tool for educational reconstruction to make the science in the black box of a COVID-19 rapid antigen test accessible. The result is based on an educational model that visualizes the structure and function of a lateral flow immunoassay using the example of a COVID-19 rapid antigen test in reality and a virtual environment. Based on this, the article compares these real and virtual model concepts, explains possible combinations of real and virtual model elements, and discusses them regarding the promotion of the development of model competence in the upper school level. Based on this analysis, open research questions and a didactic concept as a framework for the use of lateral flow immunoassay models in science education, especially in analytical chemistry, are considered in an outline.